A "spirit meter" replaces the traditional but more linear energy bar to better suit the momentum of a wrestling match.

However, it also features modes surrounding the winning, defense, and even creation of championship belts which would be entirely absent from the game's immediate successor, WCW vs. nWo: World Tour.

In addition to its WCW/nWo roster, in keeping with the game's title, WCW vs. the World also has several "fictional" foreign wrestlers.

These performers are actually renamed counterparts of real-life Japanese wrestlers that could not be properly represented in the game's American version due to licensing restrictions.

[5] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot noted, "There are some problems with the play, and the sound is a bit lackluster, but the sheer number of characters and options make up for the deficiencies.