After more than 7 years in development, Pro Wrestling X, an independent PC wrestling game, which aims to combine "the fun of WWF No Mercy with the depth of Fire Pro Wrestling," now stands on the cusp of completing a Steve Austin-sized ascent onto the roster of industry powerhouse, STEAM.

In under 24 hours, Pro Wrestling X's second career crowdfunding attempt quickly surpassed its $6,400 Kickstarter goal, ensuring that the latest version of the game will find its way onto nearly 250 backers' computers sometime this year.

Whether that release comes through Pro Wrestling X's own website, or through STEAM's Early Access program, is an outcome that has yet to be booked.

According to the project's founder, Dave Wishnowski, whom Operation Sports interviewed during Pro Wrestling X's first go-around, the game's return to Kickstarter serves two purposes:

1) To allow the game's programmer and artist to "work together full-time for the next few months." The majority of Pro Wrestling X's development, to this point, has been a part-time hobby for all involved.

2) To add a successful Kickstarter to Pro Wrestling X's record. Valve always considers a project's crowdfunding history when it is deciding whether or not to publish games for STEAM Early Access.

Thanks to today's accomplishment, Wishnowski believes that wrestling fans could, "very feasibly, have the next sexy PWX in [their] hands at an early stage, on STEAM, within a few months."


15 months have passed since Pro Wrestling X first appeared on Kickstarter. The game's 2012 fundraiser was unsuccessful, earning less than 30% of its $75,000 goal -- the amount needed to support an entire year of full-time development.

Unlike many failed Kickstarter projects, Pro Wrestling X did not run off and disappear from the Internet after absorbing that initial chair shot.

The comeback began with Pro Wrestling X Uprising, a downloadble Alpha build that was quietly released through the game's official webpage.

Revenue from the 2012 Alpha was used to purchase improved development tools, as well as hire a new artist and a new programmer. After several months of work, Pro Wrestling X's antiquated graphics and animations were rebuilt to meet modern standards.

Momentum continued to build when, a few weeks ago, Pro Wrestling X's STEAM Greenlight campaign finally broke into the fan-voted service's top 100 games.

If, in the coming weeks, Pro Wrestling X continues to rank among STEAM's top 100 titles, the developers believe that a "green light" from Valve will be forthcoming. If offered a spot in the program, Pro Wrestling X's Early Access version plans to include the following features:

Wrestler Movement -- Standard 8-way directional movement; running; Irish whips; climbable turnbuckles; entering/exiting the ring to the floor; blocking/parrying/hold escape system (think WWF No Mercy); picking up a downed opponent; taunts; pins

Grappling -- 4 front-facing grapple moves; 2 back-facing grapple moves; 1 turnbuckle grapple move; 1 finisher

Strikes and Submission Holds –- 3 standing strikes; 2 ground submissions; 1 ground strike; 2 leaping turnbuckle attacks.

Extras –- 2 playable characters; 1 base arena; all moddable

Controls –- Keyboard and USB gamepad support (XBox 360 controller compatible)

Wishnowski promises that, "With enough funding, we can start tackling our dream feature list, [including] special match modes, environments and deep character customization."

Pledges for Pro Wrestling X's new Kickstarter will stop being accepted on April 7.


Are you excited about Pro Wrestling X? Post your impressions in the comments below.