16 Things Fans Should Know About WWF No Mercy On Nintendo 64

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WWE has had a long-standing with releasing yearly titles for a handful of different video game consoles. One of the highest-rated titles was the Nintendo 64's WWF No Mercy. The game was developed by AKI Corporation and Asmik Ace Entertainment and was published by THQ on November 14th, 2000 in North America. Even years after its release, its influence is still felt as the recently released AEW: Fight Forever has taken many design cues from this N64 classic. Despite only being a yearly title and being released over two decades ago, No Mercy featured countless things that fans might not know about it currently.

Wrestling games were a dime a dozen back in the early 2000s. During the Attitude Era and subsequent following years, there were so many titles released that it was hard to keep up with. Nowadays, fans are lucky to get one major wrestling video game released, but two decades ago, that wasn't the case.

One of those titles that were released was WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64. The Nintendo-exclusive title was exclusive to the console and was the follow-up to WWF WrestleMania 2000. While WWF No Mercy was loved at the time by fans, newer players might not have been able to play this classic WWE game.

UPDATE: 2023/08/25 16:30 EST BY ETHAN SCHLABAUGH

WWE has had a long-standing with releasing yearly titles for a handful of different video game consoles. One of the highest-rated titles was the Nintendo 64's WWF No Mercy. The game was developed by AKI Corporation and Asmik Ace Entertainment and was published by THQ on November 14th, 2000 in North America. Even years after its release, its influence is still felt as the recently released AEW: Fight Forever has taken many design cues from this N64 classic. Despite only being a yearly title and being released over two decades ago, No Mercy featured countless things that fans might not know about it currently.

16 European Censorship

All video games have to go through a rigorous censorship process to make sure it is suitable for many audiences around the world. WWF No Mercy was one of those titles that had some things changed from the PAL version and the ESRB title.

WWF No Mercy came out in North America on November 14th, 2000, and in Europe on December 15th, 2000. That month-long gap allowed the developers to fix some glitches the game faced and also decided to remove blood. Interestingly enough they kept the First Blood stipulation and the effects but removed the crimson mask on the wrestlers.

15 Massive Roster

In 2000, wrestling games weren't the same as they are today. There was no 2K Creations Club to download extra wrestlers, and there weren't over 100 people to play as there is today. However, in 2000, WWF No Mercy had an excellent roster.

The title featured over 60 playable wrestlers, which was a huge improvement over WWF WrestleMania 2000. Players are also able to modify the models in the game and change their attire as well.

14 Creation Ability

While there was no creation club back in 2000 and not many online capabilities, there was still an extensive creation suite available in WWF No Mercy. For the time, the features of the Nintendo 64 were far ahead of the time.

In the game, players can create a wrestler with a lot of customization options. In addition to that, they can customize wrestlers already in the game, entrances, move sets, and more.

13 Continued Support

With the usage of things like emulators, WWF No Mercy still receives constant updates and recreations in the form of mods from the fanbase. Players have completely transformed the game from the 2000-2001 roster to different eras and companies such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and even All Elite Wrestling.

Fan favorite mods include WCW Feel The Bang, WWF Legends, Showdown 64, and Forever Indy that feature total revamps of the game's menus, roster, arenas, and even some new moves.

12 SmackDown Mall

In addition to the ability to create wrestlers and modify a lot of stuff in-game, WWF No Mercy has a whole load of purchasable options for players. The way that players can get custom outfits, additional characters, moves, and more, is by going to the SmackDown Mall.

In WWF No Mercy, players earn coins by playing and winning matches. Once they've got that cash, they can go to the SmackDown Mall, and buy items. While not a physical location that players can walk around in, it's still a cool way to have players unlock things in-game.

11 Game Boy Color Version

WWF WrestleMania 2000 received a Game Boy Color port just a month after the release of the Nintendo 64 title. Gameplay was drastically different and included a much smaller roster due to the limitations of the console.

WWF No Mercy was going to receive the same treatment before the plans for the port fell through and were scrapped altogether. The port would have been the first to feature the create a wrestler mode but scaled down of course.

10 Transfer Pak Interactivity

The Nintendo 64 loved its different accessories including the Rumble Pak, 64DD, Mouse, etc. One item that received a little bit of attention was the Transfer Pak which was mostly used alongside the Pokemon titles.

WWF No Mercy was planning to use it alongside the release of the canceled Game Boy Color version. The two games would connect and unlock hidden items and transfer points from the SmackDown Hotel.

9 Backstage Brawl

When WWF No Mercy was released, wrestling games only had a couple of match types. It was generally 1 on 1, tag team, and possibly a Battle Royale or a hardcore match if lucky. WWF No Mercy added a lot of additional match types, such as the Ladder match.

However, this game also was one of the first to allow players to brawl backstage. While it wasn't the first title, it did it well, which stood out from prior games such as WCW Backstage Assault, where gameplay was rough.

8 Multiple Unused Wrestlers

The WWF No Mercy roster has over 60 wrestlers to use, and the ability to create 18 wrestlers to play as. However, the massive roster (for the time anyway), was somehow almost bigger, as several performers were cut from the title.

It's not entirely uncommon for wrestlers to be removed from a game due to them being released, but what is rare, is for them to remain in, but remain unplayable. For example, Big Show was taken off television around the time that WWF No Mercy was released, so he's not available to play. However, if fans had a Gameshark or a way to mod the game, they could use him, or other cut performers, such as The Headbangers.

On top of the multiple-cut wrestlers such as The Big Show and The Headbangers, WWF No Mercy also scrapped a few other items as well. Smaller items include different face textures for characters like The Rock and a sound byte.

The biggest thing that was scrapped was a part of the Game Boy Color title, a new Championship path. The path is listed as "No Mercy Game Boy Color" in the menu and had a storyline featuring your character being introduced by The Rock and feuding with Triple H for the WWE Championship.

7 Records Menu

Another major cut item from WWF No Mercy was the idea of having a records menu that kept track of players' wins, losses, number of matches, and win percentage. The previously mentioned sound byte is the announcer saying "Records".

Another AKI title would include this as it was featured in Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 for anyone wanting to keep track of who they used, their wins, and losses.

6 Full Entrances

WWF WrestleMania 2000 Jeff and Matt Hardy

Now the last cut item that has been dug up by data miners and fans was the entrances of wrestlers. During development, AKI wanted to have full entrances for all the playable superstars in the game.

For one reason or another, that idea had to be scrapped, people speculate either because of glitches or cartridge space. Oddly enough No Mercy's predecessor WWF WrestleMania 2000 had full entrances.

5 Championship Mode

One of the biggest selling points of any wrestling game is career mode. WWF No Mercy was no different, as they had their own career mode, dubbed "Championship Mode", where players chase titles in the WWE and try to win matches.

This career mode actually has branching paths, and the story can go different ways depending on the actions of the player. It wasn't a Telltale-style game where players made decisions like that, but the branching paths and unique stories were impressive for the time.

4 Survival Mode

One of the unique things about WWF No Mercy was the Survival mode. This mode, which has aged very well with time, saw players try and defeat as many opponents as possible, and last as long as they can.

This is one of the key ways for players to earn coins and buy items from the SmackDown Mall. While this mode was really fun and unique, it wasn't used past WWF No Mercy for some bizarre reason.

3 Regarded As Of The Greatest Wrestling Games Ever

Match screen for Tazz vs. Kurt Angle in WWF No Mercy

22 years after WWF No Mercy was released, players still play it today. The game still has a good online community, and players mod the title. The main reason is that it's still regarded as one of the greatest wrestling video games ever, despite it coming two decades ago.

At the time, the title received excellent reviews and was regarded as one of the best titles of 2000. However, the game has aged even better with time, thanks to its unique modes, incredible gameplay, and customization options.

2 A Rumored Sequel Called WWF Backlash Was Cancelled

Due to the success of WWF No Mercy, the teams at AKI Corporation and Asmik Ace Entertainment began working on a sequel. Sadly, the title never saw the light of day, and details are sparse as to what the game would've looked like. The rumored title for the game was WWF Backlash.

It's mainly speculated that the game was canceled due to the Nintendo 64's lifespan coming to an end, so the title was scrapped. Luckily, WWF No Mercy received two spiritual successors in EA's Def Jam Vendetta, and Def Jam: Fight for NY. While not wrestling-related, the gameplay is quite similar.

1 Inspired AEW: Fight Forever

While WWF No Mercy didn't get a real sequel, and only got a spiritual successor, the title's influence is still felt today. Fans today are still clamoring for a game similar to the Nintendo 64 title, and WWE developers have previously stated that they look back at this title for influence.

Its influence is on full display in the AEW Fight Forever video game. Developers for that title have sourced the game as one of their influences, and even got WWF No Mercy's director, Hideyuki Iwashita, to join their development team.