When we were young ones, the world of wrestling briefly held our fascination. Then we stopped being 8 and moved on to more mature things (such as Mario Kart 8).

Pro Wrestling launched on the NES in 1986. It’s one we didn’t own, but its legend burns bright thanks to a glorious bit of retro gaming broken English.

One phrase that’s helped the title transcend gaming generations to keep it in popular conscience. A winner is you? Indeed. Indeed.

Beat People Up in Pro Wrestling on the NES

This one was made by Nintendo R&D3 and launched on the Famicom Disk System (a NES peripheral) in 1986. Pro Wrestling (プロレス—Puroresu).

It eventually made it to the NES for its North American and European release (1987), plus it had a run in the arcades.

There’s nothing overly special going on here. You get a roster of six wrestlers to choose from:

1. Fighter Hayabusa (Japan)
2. Giant Panther (America)
3. Kin Corn Karn (Korea)
4. King Slender (America)
5. Starman (Mexico)
6. The Amazon (Unknown)

Once you’ve made your decision, then you head into the ring to beat the crap out of each other. Moves include body slams, piledrivers, and punches.

Naturally we’d have chosen The Amazon as the amphibious beast monster clearly isn’t human and its country of residence is unknown. Such enigmatic traits are very endearing for younger brains.

Even more thrillingly, mid-match the player may LEAVE THE RING (albeit only for 20 seconds).

Also, there’s an in-ring referee. This was also very rare back in the day and Pro Wrestling was one of the first titles to boast such advanced technology.

That may sound unexciting, but for gaming back in 1986 stuff like that was pretty unique and added a whole new dimension of fun to otherwise quite limited gameplay.

All of which was noted in contemporary reviews, with the iconic (and not easily satisfied) Famitsu magazine in Japan handing it 30/40. It even won 1988’s Best Sports Game in Computer Gaming World magazine. A WINNER IS YOU!

That leads us to the whole point of covering this game anyway.

The one bit of broken English (Engrish) that’s now a popular internet meme. A legend. A moment of life-affirming joy in the face of muscle-bound adversity.

The Joys of A WINNER IS YOU

And if that glorious video demonstration wasn’t enough, here’s the thing in equally glorious screengrab form.

This ending screen plays if you, yes, win a wrestling match.

It’s one of the more deflating things about NES gaming. You’d complete some long, arduous, not always exactly enjoyable romp of a game, and all in the expectation you’d get a rewarding ending screen.

Given the technical limitations of the NES, there wasn’t room for a massive ending sequence or the like. But, still… bit naff. That is until 40 years later!

The term is now celebrated online and used in gaming communities. Often for ironic or sarcastic purposes, we should add, but even so. A winner is you.