AEW Fight Forever

AEW Fight Forever offers wrestling fans an alternative to the WWE 2K series. The foundations for what is a promising wrestling title are certainly there, and as wrestling fans know, some of the most fundamental mechanics in a wrestling game are the counters and reversals.

AEW Fight Forever has taken a similar approach to the AKI wrestling games up to WWF No Mercy on the N64. While it lacks the accuracy and feel of No Mercy and even WWE 2K23, with some practice and the correct methods used here, players stand a better chance of regaining the match momentum to get a win.

How to do a Reversal and Counter in AEW Fight Forever

Much has been said about AEW Fight Forever being inspired by the AKI-developed wrestling games on the N64. What made those games superior to other wrestling games was the ability to reverse a counter and counter a reversal.

Wrestling matches can go back and forth between skilled players, and it felt like a wrestling match. The transitions aren't as smooth in AEW Fight Forever, but with timing, a good player can, for example, reverse a move to get the back position only to lose it again when their opponent counters it. Use the following tips to learn how to have a sim-like wrestling match:

The Controls

Grapple Reversals/Counter	LB on Xbox, L1 on PlayStation, L on Switch, F on the keyboard
Strike Reversals/Counter	RB on Xbox, R1 on PlayStation, R on Switch, R on the keyboard

Unlike WWE 2K23, the reversals and counters in AEW Fight Forever are assigned to two buttons, like in WWF No Mercy. Players must time their counters based on the type of attacks their opponents will initiate. It is challenging to predict how and when an opponent grapples or strikes, especially as the animations don't have many tells. Moreover, predicting what moves come next is even more problematic when the opponent has the player's wrestler in a grapple position because they can strike and grapple from the grab.

Watch the wrestler's animations, they are fast, but the CPU and many human opponents will usually begin an attack with a strike and follow it up with a grapple hold. Try and watch their patterns, but keep an eye on the wrestler's hands and learn how to press the counter button just as they move. Don't give up if the opponent has the player's wrestler in a grapple hold, press the strike or the grapple reversal buttons to attempt a counter.

Change The Settings

Unfortunately, guessing whether an opponent uses grapple or strike attacks is too luck dependent. Thankfully, there is a setting that players can adjust to make reversals and counters a lot less challenging. Use the following steps to add another way to reverse and counter:

At the title screen, press the Y button on Xbox, Triangle on PlayStation, or X on the Switch.
Highlight and select the Options tab under Game Settings.
Press the RB/R1/R button to highlight the Controller option.
Switch Easy Countering on. This means players can counter with grapple and strike buttons.

Don't be fooled by the title of Easy Countering. Players still need to time it, but grapple and strike counters are consolidated into one grapple or strike button and are more responsive than the shoulder buttons for reversals. So pressing A/X/B can reverse strikes and grapples without needing to guess the opponent's next move.

Controller Layout

In addition to adjusting the Easy Countering method, players can change their controller layout and swap the button layout so the reversal and counters are swapped out to the face buttons instead of shoulder buttons. To change the controller layout, use the following steps:

At the title screen, press the Y/Triangle/X button.
Select Options.
Highlight the Controller Settings.
Select Customize Controls and change the button layout.

Use Training Mode

AEW Fight Forever - Training mode options

The best way to learn how to counter and reverse wrestlers in AEW Fight Forever is to practice. The best way to do this is to utilize the game's Training mode under the Exhibition tab on the main screen. It's a little lacking in features compared to a sports fighting game like UFC 4, but players can still program their opponents to attack so they can learn how to counter attacks without worrying about getting pinned and submitted. To program a wrestler in Training mode, use the following steps:

Press the pause button, and select Com Difficulty to change it to the desired mode.
Highlight Com Behavior and adjust the wrestler's actions from Aggressive, Normal, Stop, Strike Guard, and Grapple Guard.

Unfortunately, players can't adjust their opponent's specific actions. However, to learn how to reverse strikes, select an aggressive brawler like Jon Moxley or counter grapples by picking a technical wrestler like Bryan Danielson.