5 Things you didn't know about WWE Video Games

Whilst many wrestling fans will dream of one day entering the squared circle themselves, the sad reality is that only a select few will ever join the WWE roster.

And although the rest of the fans will never feel the rush of walking that aisle and giving their all in the ring, they still have the WWE video games.

Within the realms of WWE video games, anything is possible. You can team with your favorite Superstars, have those dream matches fans will never see, or in my case, book Tommy Dreamer as the greatest World Heavyweight Champion in the history of the WWE.

But despite there being dozens of WWE games created over the years, there have been plenty of secrets that fans are yet to discover.

Here are five things you didn't know about WWE video game.

---

#5 Punishment by Video Game

Whilst fans could mod him in, the former World Champion was punished by being omitted.

When the Big Show joined the WWF, he came with a world of anticipation.

Quickly thrust into the main event and capturing the WWF Championship at Survivor Series 1999, the 7-footer's omission from the legendary WWF No Mercy had many fans scratching their heads.

The reason for this huge omission was that the Big Show had real beef with the company quickly into his debut, who chastised the former WCW star for his weight.

Not long after losing the WWF Title, Show would be sent back to OVW, a true demotion for the former World Champion.

And although he has appeared in plenty of WWE games in the years since, not being a part of WWF No Mercy certainly must've cost the huge star a lot of money as his likeness wasn't used.

---

#4 No-Tendo

The Architect announces the Nintendo Switch version of WWE 2K18, which did poorly.

In 2017, the Nintendo Switch arrived on the scene and has been a huge success.

Quickly becoming one of Nintendo's best selling consoles, the play-anywhere console boasts critically acclaimed games like Super Mario Odyssey, Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

One game that you won't see on any Nintendo Switch top ten lists, is WWE 2K18.

The only WWE game (so far) released to the console, the game is practically unplayable, as wrestlers seemingly fight in slow motion.

The fault of this is solely with 2K, who underestimated both the game and the console and didn't use nearly as much memory as it should have with their cartridges.

Whilst it was fun to have a wrestling game you could play anywhere, 2K18 was a flop, with a future WWE Switch game unlikely.

---

#3 Heads, you win...

We wonder how many fans made Head defeat the likes of Triple H or The Rock.

Al Snow's career in the WWE was unique, to say the least.

Originally debuting as Leif Cassidy, Snow teamed with Marty Jannetty as 'The New Rockers', though unsurprisingly couldn't match the aura of the man he replaced, Shawn Michaels.

Returning many years later, Snow would play a deranged man, constantly unhinged, with his only friend in the world being a mannequin head.

An act that was over with the crowd, the company chose to make the Head into an actual playable character, appearing in WWF Attitude.

A more developed head than the one on-screen, this Head had hands and feet, allowing players to see where attacks were coming from.

Though when you think about it, Head in the game didn't have any shoulders, so could've had the greatest undefeated streak, as he'd never be pinned.

---

#2 The MacDaddy of motion capture

Shane McMahon prepares to fly as part of the motion capture for WWE 2K19.

As WWE games have progressed, so have the technology used to create them.

Thanks to the incredible resources at 2K, many key moves in recent games are performed by the actual Superstars, with the movements recorded by a motion capture suit.

One Superstar who insists on performing his own moves for the game is Shane McMahon, who has been seen performing incredible moves at the Performance Center, whilst in the mo-cap suit.

The 49-year-old is no stranger to high-flying offence, with moves such as coast to coast and his Shooting Star Press being just some of the moves McMahon himself has recorded for the game.

With a huge tag team title match looming this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, maybe it's time for Shane O'Mac to bust out some new moves, that he would no doubt mo-cap in WWE 2K20.

#1 Crush Hour foretells the future

The Rock was one of several stars to appear in Crush Hour.

WWE Crush Hour may be the weirdest game the company has ever made.

In an era where games like Twisted Metal were tapping into the Vehicular Destruction genre, Crush Hour has the Superstars of WWE battle each other in personalised cars, with neither a referee or ring-rope ever seen.

The weirdest part of the game though, maybe it's a story, as it kind of tells the future.

In this world, Vince McMahon has become such a huge success that he aims for WWE to be viewable 24 hours a day, with various kinds of shows, showcasing Superstars in the ring, and outside it.

If this is starting to sound familiar, then you'll know that the WWE Network launched with this exact same concept in 2014, 11 years after Crush Hour, though we're still yet to see WWE's own demolition derby.