Fire Pro Wrestling: 2nd Bout (1991) built on Combination Tag’s foundation with deeper timing windows, expanded movesets, and a refined match tempo that championed pacing over spam. The PC Engine installment amplified the puroresu ethos—credible limb work, escalating offense, and the storytelling logic of near-falls—cementing the franchise’s identity as “wrestling chess.”

Rosters leaned on thinly veiled homages to Japanese and international stars, each mapped to moves that encouraged distinct strategies: chain grapplers lived in the mid-game, high-flyers capitalized on precision, bruisers punished sloppy timing. Tag-team AI improved, making ring-cutting and save attempts feel organic. Presentation tightened with cleaner sprites and more nuanced animations that sold impact and fatigue.

2nd Bout is remembered as the moment Fire Pro’s core loop crystallized. Mastery demanded patience—soften opponents, protect your stamina, and build to finishers—rewarding players who understood momentum as a resource. It set the table for the series’ long reputation as the thinking fan’s wrestling game.