Wrestling Moves in Non-Wrestling Games (Concept)

Wrestling Moves in Non-Wrestling Games

CONCEPT

While piledrivers, clotheslines, and suplexes might seem at home in wrestling games, many professional wrestling moves have found their way into other video game genres. Brawlers and fighting games are commonly home to these moves, with Mike Haggar's piledriver being a classic example.

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Overview

Beyond the genre of professional wrestling games, it is not uncommon to find the moves of the "squared-circle" in other types of video games. Brawlers, actions titles, even role-playing games have been known to include moves typically more suited to giant men in spandex costumes.

Beat 'em Ups

The brawler, or beat 'em up, genre frequently features wrestling moves in a non-wrestling setting, typically due to the large muscle-man archetype found in that style of game. Final Fight's Mike Haggar (Character) and Streets of Rage 2's Max are classic examples of this type of character. Modern day iterations on brawler-style gameplay, such as Dead Rising (Game) and No More Heroes (Game), continue the tradition of incorporating wrestling maneuvers in beat 'em ups.

Fighting Games

The fighting game is home to numerous examples of wrestling moves being performed outside of a wrestling match. Many "grappler" characters, such as Zangief (Character) in the Street Fighter series, are either professional wrestlers or utilize professional wrestling maneuvers as part of a grapple-based attack. Other notable professional wrestlers in fighting games include Tekken's King (Character) and Virtua Fighter's Wolf Hawkfield (Character).

Other Genres

While the inclusion of wrestling moves in fighting games and brawlers makes sense given the style of gameplay, other genres have included wrestling moves as offensive tools. Batman: Arkham City, Saint's Row: The Third, and other actions titles, have incorporated wrestling grapples in melee combat. The NFL Blitz (Franchise) series, including the spiritual sequels in the Blitz: The League series, made use of a variety of professional wrestling moves, typically seen after plays on the field. The firearm-focused Resident Evil series has employed professional wrestling moves. Even roleplaying games have followed this trend, with Final Fantasy VI's Sabin suplex attack being a notable example.

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