Wrestling has been one of the most popular spectator sports across North America for decades, with an estimated 11 million fans of WWE in the USA alone. During the 1990s, the sport’s influence spread around the world, and it is now broadcast to more than 180 countries.
In the early days of WWE’s global domination, it managed to gain traction despite viewers being limited in the ways they could watch it. Now, it is going from strength to strength thanks to the plethora of ways that fans can experience it. There are now countless options for people to enhance and supplement the sport through apps and games.
Fan Involvement Extends to Video and Online Games
Ever since the early days of wrestling, the sport has been adapted into related games. Indeed, of all the competitive physical activities out there, this is one of the best at translating into a digital form. Other popular sports such as rugby and cricket have been nowhere near as successful.
There have been more than 100 wrestling games over the years, with some of the earliest including MicroLeague Wrestling on the Amiga and the Commodore 64 in 1987 and WWF WrestleMania on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. More recently, the WWE 2K titles published by 2K Sports have proven to be massive hits. Playing these games gives wrestling lovers a chance to imagine what it would be like to be their favourite stars in the ring, and there’s no doubt that the series’ main demographic is people who already watch the sport.
There are some ways that wrestling has branched out in other areas of gaming to allure people who may not have been interested in the sport before. For instance, there’s the WWE Legends Link and Win game which is one of the top games in the slots market. This industry is booming, and that’s highlighted by the sheer choice of casinos. Now, players can find out the best paying casino online using aggregator sites that list them based on their bonuses and reviews. They can also check how much the potential winnings are. The fact that these sites exist shows how many people play online slots, and it was a wise move by WWE to commission an offering in the sector.
Join Specialist Wrestling Forums and Get Involved
Thanks to the rise of Twitch, it’s now possible to watch people play these digital versions of wrestling online. There are many streamers playing the WWE 2K games, and this can be another fun way to complement the real thing. Indeed, there will always be matches on if you choose these channels, whereas you have to wait for the weekly events of the WWE.
When watching gamers play online, you can also chat with the other spectators. This is a great way to meet like-minded wrestling lovers and talk about the most recent matchups and controversies. Joining WWE forums is another excellent aspect of the rise of the internet, and there is always an interesting discussion to get involved in. Social media is home to numerous options, along with specialist sites run by super fans. There are also forums that focus on the sport in its Olympic format, giving fans another way to get into the action.
The emergence of live streaming in the mainstream means that it’s now easier than ever to band together with other fans and watch events at the same time. Watching matches on your own can be entertaining, but it feels so much more enjoyable when you can share the emotions with other hardcore fans. If you’ve never had the chance to get down to one of the many special WWE events, joining friends online is the next best thing. Of course, many of these are pay-per-view events, so it’s important to make sure you are watching them via legal streams.
Aside from playing games, watching people enjoying digital versions of wrestling, and contributing to forums, there are now more related WWE apps than ever. You can use these to keep up with all the latest news and make sure you never miss anything important. If you aren’t using all the channels at your disposal, are you really a true wrestling fan?