Originally conceived as a project by producer Dave Wishnowski in response to a poster on a video game site's discussion board. When criticizing the generally deaf ear that the industry's leading publishers were turning towards wrestling fans, someone asked: "If you think you can do better, why don't you make your OWN game?" Production started shortly thereafter, in late 2002.
During the initial design phase, a roster of over 120 characters was designed by Alek Talevich representing a total of eight different international wrestling organizations. A ludoplay for a "story mode" was also written, which would allow the player to plot a dynamic career path through the wrestling culture of countries such as Japan, Canada and Mexico. This iteration of the game was never realized due to budgetary constraints; following Talevich's departure from the company in 2006, a new roster was created, featuring characters designed by various members of the art and programming team.