| Pro Wrestler |
 |
| A wrestler in the very specific sport and art of Professional Wrestling, where many of the rules of other grappling sports need not apply (especially when the referee is distracted). Most pro wrestlers in non-wrestling video games are set apart from the rest of the cast by possessing incredible strength, a large stature, and powerful grappling moves. These characters are often in their pro wrestling gear, like tights, tall wrestling boots, and wrist wraps. This less orthodox form of wrestling has produced many very unorthodox individuals. Some professional wrestlers have incorporated other fighting styles into their move sets, either from knowledge prior to their wrestling days or efforts to deepen their offensive cache. Martial artists who become wrestlers, like Keiji Mutoh (the Great Muta), often bring their fighting skills into the squared circle, while wrestlers who started brawling before entering the sport rarely leave their street fighting methods behind. Back in the "old days," a wrestler's battles didn't just happen from bell to bell, as altercations could happen anywhere and at any time. Whether it was a bar brawl started by some drunken sap trying to test the legitimacy of the sport by challenging the wrestler or opponents catching their competitors unaware (like the infamous video-taped beating of Dusty Rhodes at the hands of the Horsemen), it seems only natural that pro wrestlers would find their way into the beat 'em up genre of video games. While wrestlers were originally huge enemies in video games, it is arguably Final Fight's Mike Haggar who popularized the idea of the having the strongest player character in a beat 'em up be a wrestler. Most scrolling brawlers with a pro wrestler in the playable roster usually have an even bigger and more intimidating wrestler in the enemy ranks. |
| Characters |
|
| Game list: |
| Burning Fight, Brawl Brothers (SNES)/Rushing Beat Ran (SFAM), Double Dragon II (arcade), Double Dragon II (NES), Final Fight, Ginga Ninkyouden, Knuckle Bash, Ninja Gaiden (arcade), Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2, Ring of Destruction: Slam Masters II, Saturday Night Slam Masters, Ultimate Fighter (SNES), Vendetta/Crime Fighters 2 |
Return to top of the top of the page