Pro wrestling, or the WWE specifically, has been a part of my life for almost twenty years. My aunt and uncle would order pay-per-views and invite the entire family over, and while I was too young to really understand the significance of Hogan/Andre at Wrestlemania III, I knew that I enjoyed the spectacle. However, in 1990 I made a commitment to actually follow things from program to program. I suppose my influence was this kid in my fifth grade class, who, the morning after Wrestlemania VI, triumphantly strode into the classroom, lifted his arms into the air and exclaimed, THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR!

This past Sunday I had the esteemed privilege of actually attending Wrestlemania 21, and as the spectacular event burned itself out over a four-hour period I silently reflected on my beloved sport. For the most part, I asked myself why had it taken so long for me to actually go to another PPV, or live wrestling event in general (the previous PPV that I attended was Summerslam 1997), but I also fondly remembered some of the legends that I grew up watching, and in the case of videogames, the ones I grew up playing. Just as the WWE's come a long way, so too have wrestling games. Therefore, I present to you ten of my favorite wrestling titles from around the world.

10.
Ultimate Muscle: Legends vs. New Generation
Publisher: Bandai
Platform: GameCube

Just like SmackDown: Here Comes the Pain, Bandai's Ultimate Muscle really came out of left field in that I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it really is. Based on the cartoon show, it lets you go into battle with the series' more famous grapplers such as Kid Muscle, Ramenman, Wally Tusket, Sunshine, and inappropriately named Dik Dik Van Dik.

Ultimate Muscle is a good pick-up for a few reasons. For starters, it's loaded with characters, all of which feature distinct personalities. Also, the game's cel-shaded graphics really make television screens smile, especially when you bust out special moves. More so than in any wrestling game, Legends vs. New Generation features the sickest finishers EVAR. All of them involve the characters doing these zany things, and seeing them all for the first time is quite a treat. Bodies are thrown 50 feet into the air, caught, and then pile driven into the mat, suplexed into oblivion, and even shot with laser guns, and the best part is you can do single as well as tag team finishers, so it's all about mixing different characters together to see what damage they can do.

The game is very unconventional, so don't expect your traditional wrestling experience. Since it's based off a cartoon show about aliens who save the Earth from evil, expect all of the wrestlers to look very weird and to use strange fighting styles and moves. For example, you can't go off the top turnbuckle but you can leap atop the ropes and bounce around the ring. It's not the most advanced wrestling game on the market, but if you're tired of the usual WWE titles, Ultimate Muscle is a nice alternative.

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