WWF WrestleMania 2000

WWF WrestleMania 2000 for Game Boy Color is a 1999 professional-wrestling game developed by Natsume and published by THQ. Built around the World Wrestling Federation’s late-1990s roster and presentation, this portable edition is a separate game from the Nintendo 64 release that shares its name. Rather than adapting the console game’s 3D engine, it stages compact 2D bouts on the Game Boy Color, turning the WWF licence into a handheld one-on-one or team wrestling experience.

Matches are viewed from the side in a ring that can scroll as the action moves around it. The Game Boy Color’s A and B buttons perform context-sensitive actions, so an attack depends on where the opposing wrestler is positioned. Once the two wrestlers lock up, directions on the Control Pad combine with the buttons to select different grappling moves. Every wrestler also has a signature finishing move, but it is tied to that character’s bio-rhythm system and can only be attempted when the relevant meter is ready, adding another consideration before going for a pinfall.

The game includes 16 selectable WWF wrestlers and several ways to use them. Championship Mode supplies the central solo challenge: choose a wrestler, work through a sequence of matches in pursuit of the WWF Championship, and see television-style scenes between bouts. A Training Mode lets players practise moves against an opponent who does not fight back, while the options allow difficulty, music, sound effects, time limits, and match sets to be adjusted.

For shorter sessions, Vs. Mode is built around a standard singles contest and Tag Team Mode presents two-on-two matches. Survivor Series asks the player to form two three-wrestler sides; competitors meet one at a time and the defeated wrestler is removed, continuing until one team has no wrestlers remaining. Gauntlet Mode instead tests endurance by sending a chosen wrestler through consecutive fights against the rest of the available lineup. Cage matches add another stipulation to the game’s wrestling selection.

WWF WrestleMania 2000 also supports two players through the Game Link Cable. That connection turns the portable game into a head-to-head singles match, with normal and cage-match choices available. The link feature, the variety of solo modes, and the distinct finishing-move timing give the Game Boy Color version more structure than a single exhibition-only wrestling game, while its limited roster and two-button controls keep its design tailored to the handheld.

Released during the WWF’s Attitude Era, WWF WrestleMania 2000 preserves a specific snapshot of the company’s television persona on Nintendo’s color handheld. Its Championship Mode, team formats, training option, and link-cable multiplayer make it a notably different companion to the better-known Nintendo 64 title. For players exploring late-1990s WWF games on Game Boy Color, it is a self-contained Natsume production rather than a scaled-down copy of the console release.