Create-a-wrestler



Create-a-wrestler (CAW) is the name commonly given to personas in wrestling games created using a mode that allows modification of a base model.

The WWE series of wrestling games refers to these creations as superstars, and so CAWs are sometimes identified as CASs (Create-a-Superstar).

History
The first notable create-a-wrestler mode was introduced in the game Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium, released only in Japan. Before that, some games featured rudimentary editing systems, one of the earliest of which is the game WWF King of the Ring, released for the NES and Game Boy. In it, a player could edit attributes of a character in the game, but could not modify the character's name, appearance, or moveset.

In America, the CAW mode was not greatly explored until the game WWF Warzone was released for the Nintendo 64.

CAW modes are comparable to create-a-player modes in sports games, in that they allow roster updates. The CAW modes are more extensive, however, because a player is not limited to a specific style of dress. The freedom to create fictional and fantasy characters, as well as wrestlers, is at least part of the draw of CAW-making.

CAWs and the Internet


WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64 featured a create-a-wrestler mode that had more numerous options for customizing your character than any American-released game before it. People created a large and varied number of real and fictional people, and could share their creations by simply typing a part name and color for a small number of areas such as Hair, Shirt, and Gloves. The amount of characters makeable coupled with the ease of sharing them led to a rapid rise in the popularity of CAW formula FAQs and websites.

CAWs can also be shared as parts of CAW Saves, which are collections of CAWs that can be transferred from one person's memory card to another's over the Internet using a third-party device known as a gamesaves device.

Other games, released later on Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and Xbox 360 also feature create-a-wrestler modes that have become popular online. As of 2006, the most popular (and only) CAW mode is found in the SmackDown! vs RAW series, produced by THQ and developed by Yuke's.