Match Types and Controls

This section profiles match types and calls out any match-specific controls. Many match types can be done as a one-person wrecking crew or with a tag team.

One-on-One Normal Match

This is the standard of fairness. The rules allow for this match to be won by pinfall, submission, count out, or disqualification. Rope breaks will break up pin or submission attempts. Your Superstar will be disqualified if you hit your opponent with an object or if a Superstar on your side interferes.

Irish Whips into objects ringside are legal, however, as long as you’re back into the ring before the 10-count elapses.

Extreme Rules

This is similar to a normal match except there are no disqualifications, count outs, or rope breaks. Win by pin or submission in the ring. Reach under the ring for objects to soften up your opponents quickly, then Irish Whip them back into the ring for the finish.

Steel Cage Match

In a Steel Cage Match, you must climb out of the cage to win. The only object is the cage itself, and you can Irish Whip your opponent into it. When it’s time to climb the cage, a mini-game will start. Press grapple when the arrow is all the way to max to climb farther out of the cage. Repeat this a couple of times and you’re out!

Hell in a Cell

This is similar to a Steel Cage Match (no disqualifications, count outs, or rope breaks), but you can only win by pin or submission in the ring. It’s like an Extreme Rules Match with a steel cage dropped down over the ring area. Irish Whip your opponent into the Cell for big damage.

Inferno Match

There is only one way to win the Inferno Match. When the fire temperature reaches 500°F, gain control with a chain grapple hold and drag your worn-down opponent toward the ropes. If he’s worn down enough, your Superstar will toss him over flames at the top rope and out of the ring for the win. If your opponent drags you to the fire, a button-mashing mini-game appears. Mash the face button that appears to defend.

Iron Man

This match is a 15-minute match that will count the number of count outs, in-ring pinfalls, or submissions each Superstar tallies. The highest score when time expires wins. There are no disqualifications and there’s a bevy of objects under the ring to choose from, but countouts will score a point. Rope breaks cancel a pin or submission attempt.

Ladder Match

In the Ladder Match, the goal is to bring a ladder to the center of the ring under the spotlight. Climb it and grab the prize above to win. Sometimes the prize is a championship; often it’s a briefcase of cash. There are no pins, submissions for victories, disqualifications, or count outs.

The key to this match is to damage your opponent enough so they can’t pull you off the ladder when you’re reaching for the prize. There are chairs under the apron if you want to do some serious damage to your opponent. Hit them with the ladder too (as long as you’ve got it in your hands, right?).

TLC Match

is similar to a Ladder Match, except there are tables and chairs thrown into the mix. Wedge the tables in the corners and Irish Whip your opponent into them to score damage and give you time to get up the ladder.

Last Man Standing

In a Last Man Standing Match, it’s all about counting out your opponent for a 10-count—no pins, no submissions, just a KO. Grab objects from underneath the ring and go to work on your opponent. If you go down, the referee will start counting to 10 and you’ll have to play the pin mini-game for the duration of the count.

Submission Match

Only submissions are good here. No count-outs and no pins. However, you can get disqualified if you try to soften up an opponent with an object. Use the Limb-Targeting System to attack the arms and legs, and then finish with a submission.

Table Match

A Table Match requires that you put your weakened opponent through a table to win the match. The table can be set up, leaning, or lying flat. There’s no restriction where the table smashing can occur, so up the ramp, ringside, in the ring—it’s all legal.

The quickest and simplest way to win is to weaken your opponent, lean a table in the corner of the ring, and then Irish Whip your opponent into it. If they are worn down enough, they’ll go right through for the win.

Tag Team

In the Road to WrestleMania, WWE Universe, and in other play modes, you can team up with other Superstars and control them as Tag Team partners. Some basic controls exist for these scenarios, both in tagging in your partner and in “teaming” up with your partner in a two-on-one situation within the match.

Involving your partner from the apron can be a very successful strategy to quickly take control of the match. Prior to the start of a 1P match, you can choose to control partners or not. If you choose not to, or if you’re playing a 2P game, you can play from the apron if you tag out.

Hot Tag Mini-Game

*A “hot tag” becomes available when a Superstar has been in the match for two consecutive minutes and has become critically damaged. Approach your partner and hot tag to have your partner come in and tear it up. After the tag, buttons appear on-screen.

Press these before your opponent does to win the mini-game and you will greatly damage your opponent and boost your momentum to a Signature move.

Tornado Tag Team

This type of Tag Team Match has both teams in the ring, battling it out two-on-two at the same time. Other rules can be in effect as well, so if it is a Steel Cage Match or TLC,for example, those rules apply.

Elimination Tag Team

In this Tag Team format, all team members must go down by whatever rules are selected in a given match. If it’s a Table Match, you have to put each member of the opposing team through a table. If it’s a normal match, all the normal rules apply. Work your way all the way through a team to victory.

Mixed Gender Tag

Rule #1: Boys cannot hit girls. It’s an automatic disqualification. You can’t even assist from the apron with a grab! However, girls can hit boys, so whale away.

Triple Threat

This is a three-person battle with everyone out for themselves. Whatever rules are in place after that (Ladder, Table etc.) are just as in a one-on-one match.

Fatal 4-Way

This match type is exactly like a Triple Threat, except one more Superstar is thrown into the mix. Every Superstar for himself (or herself)!

Battle Royal

In this format, you are seeking to be the last one left in the ring after everyone else has been tossed over the top rope. Make your opponent groggy against the ropes or in the corner, and then press grapple to start a mini-game.

A button will appear on screen, and the first one to press it gains the advantage. If the groggy Superstar wins, he fights his way back into the match. If the attacking Superstar wins, he dumps his opponent over the top rope.

You can double-team these events too. Just press grapple to join in on a mini-game.

There’s a bottom rope mini-game too, when the opponent is lying on the apron. Press grapple to activate the game. If you’re the attacker, press grapple when the slider is in the red. The red area will grow and fill the bar; if that happens, you’ve won. If you’re defending, mash the face buttons to shrink the red area until it disappears.

Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble is simply a Battle Royal with the options for 10, 20, 30, or 40 Superstars to battle it out for top-rope elimination. The match starts with the first two Superstars in the ring, and a new Superstar will be introduced every minute and enter the ring fresh.

Elimination Chamber

This match is a six-person match. Two Superstars start off in the ring and one more is released from a pod outside the corners of the ring each minute. Pins and submissions eliminate Superstars, and the last one left in the ring is the winner.

Irish Whip opponents into the pods and the surrounding cage to score vicious damage and weaken them quickly. Often, when you’re outside of the ring it allows you to go one-on-one with an opponent with less fear of an attack from your rear.

If there are three of you, team up on the odd man out to make the elimination happen more quickly.

Gauntlet

A Gauntlet Match is a one-on-three normal match that has “the one” working through an elimination of all three to win—essentially three one-on-one matches with no rest between for you. You’ll battle each opponent one at a time, but you’ll be facing fresh Superstars.

Championship Scramble

Put your championship on the line! This match is a five-minute, five-person match where every in-ring pin or submission that occurs wins the championship. When a Superstar scores a pin or submission, they become the champion.

If another pin or submission occurs that Superstar is the new champion. Since all the AI Superstars run around breaking up pins and submission attempts, a good strategy is to work on their bodies with the Limb-Targeting System, and then try a submission in a corner.

Against human opponents this can be a very interesting scramble!