Advert: This game was loaned for review through the UK Board Game Review Circle. All opinions are our own.

“Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?” No? Good, because we’re not talking about WWE’s dramatised entertainment wrestling but the real sport of wrestling. Think less The Rock, more AC Slater (kudos to anyone who gets this reference!), as today we’re grappling with WRSTL by Glasgow Wrestling Club. 

Let’s get in the ring!

Key stats

2 players
10-30 minutes
7+ years

Publisher: Glasgow Wrestling Club

Theme: Sport, Wrestling
Key mechanics: Dice rolling, Card play, Spinner board

Game overview

On your turn you draw and resolve a card from the action deck. 

If it’s an Attack card, the first thing to note is whether it says you automatically score (or lose!) any points. If you do, then take these points now – they represent a successful strike that can’t be defended against. Otherwise, you roll the Phoenix Dice (a custom D12) and look for one of the following results: 

• Blue Phoenix: Your attack hits and you score the points on the card. 
• Red Phoenix: Your opponent defends against your attack! No points are scored and your turn ends instantly. 
• Tusk the Referee: Discard your card, but draw a card from the referee deck and follow what it says. 

If your turn hasn’t ended, you can spin the Phoenix Spinner! Outcomes include: 

• Taking another turn (rather than the turn passing to the opponent)
• Your opponent counter attacking (play moves on and it’s the opponents turn) 
• Pinning your opponent and winning the game right then and there. 

The first player to have 10 or more points at the end of their turn wins, unless you win instantly by pinning on the spinner. In cases where this doesn’t happen, there are a few other ways to win:

• The other player receives 3 referee cautions and is disqualified. 
• The action deck runs out, and you have the most points.

The spinner determines ties – get the pin to win!

Our thoughts:

The character designs that Glasgow Wrestling Club have used throughout the game are colourful and child-friendly, and for some reason made me think of the ‘Sing’ characters. They are the club mascots – Honey the Badger, Komodo the Dragon, Pride the Lioness, Grey the Silverback Gorilla, and Paws the Bear – and as friendly as they look I have no doubt that each one could suplex me into oblivion. And because the game uses real wrestling moves and other wrestling terminology, it’s a great way for parents or wider friends and family of a budding wrestler to share or show interest in their wrestling hobby. 

I was a little surprised by the choice to use only luck-based gameplay mechanics. I’m no expert on wrestling but I imagine good wrestlers make solid strategic decisions in the ring, but none of that is carried through into the gameplay, which relies on a random card draw, followed by a dice roll, and then on some occasions a spinner to determine the outcome of your turn. I would have liked the designer to give the player more agency: rather than playing the top card of the deck, the player could have one or two cards in hand so when they draw a card they could pick one to play. I appreciate the game is designed for young children (7+) but based on other games in this age range I think the children would be able to make a few meaningful decisions.

The referee would call an infraction if I failed to mention that the WRSTL’s proceeds support the Glasgow Wrestling Club, and therefore helps to support, train and motivate its members young and old. So it’s a great way to support grassroots wrestling in the UK.

Final verdict

If you have a family member, especially a young kid,  with an interest in wrestling then this could be a good way of showing interest in their hobby, or motivate them to join in with a family game night. However, with the limited player agency, I think there are better games out there for the target age group, especially if they already play card or board games – albeit not many are about wrestling.