smarxist posted:

a fully kayfabe-less wrestling game where you have to work poo poo out with your fellow wrestlers before hitting the ring and then manage your presence during the match so that you're in the right spot to catch people, take bumps, do tag moves, etc. that were worked out beforehand would be a super interesting design space to explore, and the better worked the matches and other segments are, the better the crowd response would be

if you were just A Wrestler in a promotion and had to be a good worker to advance, get over, and slowly gain more input on what matches and angles you work and eventually position yourself to capture and defend a title, manage injuries, personal routines, merch, etc.

it would probably appeal to like, 5% of wrestling fans, but hey as long as we're dreaming lmao

edit:
i just feel like there's so little to be done with what happens in the ring at this point, especially if you're approaching it from the "wrestling is real" angle, w/ health bars and taunts and super moves and poo poo, idk