Video games and professional wrestling have long had close ties, from classic wrestling arcade games to the WWE trio The New Day being playable in Gears of War 5. Not only has gaming been responsible for getting several people, like Xaiver Woods, into professional wrestling, but the two have had a significant influence on each other. Plenty of wrestlers today have started streaming on Twitch, despite some push-back from organizations like the WWE.
Wrestling video games are a huge part of the industry, such as the Yuke's developed Smackdown!: Shut Your Mouth, but that's not where the connections end. There have also been plenty of instances of video game characters who are wrestlers. These characters represent a wide range of styles from Lucha-libre to sports entertainment. Here are five of the best fictional wrestlers from video games.
1. Mike Hagger
Mike Hagger from Final Fight captures the vibe of many retired wrestlers. Much like Jesse "The Body" Ventura and Kane, Mike "Macho" Hagger translated a successful in-ring career into a political campaign, becoming the mayor of Metro City. Even as mayor, Hagger continued to use his professional wrestling background to enhance the success of his political career, such as when he saved his daughter from the Metal Gear Gang.
2. Juan Aguacate
Juan Agucate from Guacamelee! represents the Lucha-libre side of professional wrestling. Juan represents the classic idea of a Técnico, or good-guy. Guacamelee! is all about a hero concerning a great evil using their strength and power to overcome the villain's cunning. In Lucha-libre wrestling, Técnicos are often depicted as strong brawlers, whilst the rudos (or bad guys) are painted as cunning, technical strategists.
Guacamelee! translates the good and evil aspects of Lucha-libre into a greater story about the dead coming back to life. Juan Aguacate is one of the best fictional wrestlers simply due to how he represents a type of wrestling that's often overlooked. His humble origins as a farmer also help him stand out as a truly heroic character.
3. Killbane
The rudo to Juan Agucate's técnico, Killbane from Saints Row 3 is a terrifying luchador villain who helps run the crime organization known as The Syndicate. Killbane works as a rudo because, despite his frequent use of violent threats, violent outbursts of anger and just actual violence, he stays true to the code of a luchador. Regardless of alignment, luchadors abide by a code that they will never remove their masks.
To a luchador, losing their mask is a shame greater than any form of cheating could bring. Killbane, however, takes this to the extreme, as his ego is damaged whenever someone doesn't refer to him by his ring-name. Killbane even loses his mask in somewhat of a traditional way; by being beaten in a wrestling match by the player character.
4. King
It's not uncommon for wrestlers to treat their characters like titles that are passed on from one generation to the next. Some modern-day examples include Gentleman Jervis Cottenbelly and Sin Cara. In Tekken, King is a title that has been held by two different individuals in-universe. Regardless of who's under the mask, King is clearly recognizable by the jaguar head mask he wears.
What makes King such a great fictional wrestler is that his story is actually based on a common theme from classic luchador films. King's story has him enter the King of the Iron Fist Tournament to raise money for an orphanage he cares deeply about. However, what might be the greatest part of King's character is his rivalry with Armored King. The two have an incredibly close friendship and rivalry, with the latter even seeking the former out, concerned after hearing of King's descent into depression.
5. R. Mika/ Rainbow Mika
Street Fighter does something that modern professional wrestling still struggles to do: creating strong female characters. R. Mika, full ring-name being Rainbow Mika, plays directly to the theatrics of professional wrestling with tons of extra flair added to impress crowds. Granted, there's plenty of valid criticism of R. Mika's highly sexualized outfit and certain special moves, but her attitude and enthusiasm towards professional wrestling shouldn't be ignored.
R. Mika is part of a fictional wrestling organization called Iwashigahama Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. The organization hasn't had a prominent role in Street Fighter's lore, though several other characters have appeared in cutscenes or cameos alongside R. Mika. Female wrestling in Japan, known as joshi puroresu, has helped challenge traditional Japanese gender roles, and while the costumes and personalities can sometimes be a little too much, the burning passion for wrestling shines through the performers.