Video games have technically been around in some capacity since the late 1950s, but the industry really blew up in the last 30 years or so. The last few decades have seen video games gross more money than movies and music combined, making video games one of the world's largest entertainment industries. While gaming used to be a relatively niche hobby, it's now part of the mainstream, and so it's no surprise that today's celebrities and athletes grew up with gaming as a big part of their lives, including professional wrestlers.
Many of today's pro wrestlers are gamers, livestreaming their gaming sessions on Twitch and referencing video games in their promos, gear, and matches. Video game references can be found in WWE and AEW, but they're also seen on the independent circuit as well. Just recently, an indie wrestler by the name of Kidd Bandit referenced the popular Kingdom Hearts franchise in their match by hitting their opponent with a keyblade wrapped in barbed wire.
A clip of this has gone viral on social media, with Kotaku providing a more in-depth report about Kidd Bandit and their July 22 match against Drexl at the Prestige Wrestling Nonstop Feeling event. The match was billed as a Devil's Playground match, which essentially operated under deathmatch rules, meaning the wrestlers were able to use weapons in the fight. Besides the barbed wire keyblade, thumbtacks and a stapler were also used. The crowd on hand seemed to enjoy the action, but it may not appeal to wrestling purists.
This is far from the first time that video games have been referenced in professional wrestling. There have been numerous video game references on WWE and AEW television over the last few years, with wrestlers dressing up as video game characters for their entrances or talking about games in promos. Some wrestlers have gone as far as to name their moves after video games, with one of the most notable examples being former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. Omega's finishing move is called the One-Winged Angel, named after Final Fantasy 7 villain Sephiroth. He also has a knee strike called the V-Trigger, which is a nod to Capcom's Street Fighter fighting game series.
Sometimes it's not even the wrestlers making the video game references. On AEW TV, it's not uncommon at all to see signs in the crowd arguing about video games. A recent trend has seen AEW fans argue about JRPGs specifically, with various signs claiming one game is better than the other or providing hot takes about some of the biggest Japanese role-playing game franchises.
With an increasing number of pro wrestlers doubling as gamers, it's likely that fans will see video games incorporated into more matches down the line. We've already seen people strangled with a GameCube controller and hit with a barbed wire keyblade, so who knows what will happen next.
Source: Kotaku