Crimson Desert, the new medieval fantasy action-adventure game from Pearl Abyss, lets players perform one of WWE’s most iconic moves, the RKO, on enemies. Most gamers probably don’t think of wrestling moves when medieval combat comes into play, but Crimson Desert players are finding out that the game is unexpectedly packed full of them, and that discovery is hitting them outta nowhere.
Released on March 19, Crimson Desert is making a pretty strong first impression, with a top critic average of 79 on OpenCritic and a mostly positive user rating of 73 percent on Steam. Fans have applauded its vast open world, diversity of gameplay, and even life-sim-like immersion, though there have been complaints about Crimson Desert‘s controls in combat. A patch is coming soon to fix that issue, and fans who have already worked their way around the controls are finding out that there are a surprisingly large number of ways to dispatch enemies, including some that are bound to turn the heads of pro wrestling fans.
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Crimson Desert’s Kliff Makes a Surprisingly Great Pro Wrestler
Just a few days after its release, some players are discovering the Crimson Desert protagonist Kliff seems to be something of a pro wrestling aficionado, as his grappling skills have been shown to include a repertoire of moves that look like they’re taken right out of WWE and AEW. These impressive hand-to-hand fighting abilities have been captured in action by players, including Reddit user Intelligent-You-7002, who shared a brief video detailing some of the special unarmed moves featured in the game. During the 56-second-long clip, Kliff approaches a group of enemies and knocks three of them back simultaneously with a flying dropkick, and when the one in front doesn’t fall over, he finishes him off with an RKO. He then hurdles over a fourth enemy, driving him to the ground with a German suplex, before running over to another group and taking them out with moves that include a standing powerslam, an enzuiguri, and a few diving lariats.
For those not in the know, the RKO is the finishing move of WWE Superstar Randy Orton, a 14-time world champion and one of the company’s longest-tenured active stars, with his debut having taken place back in 2000. A modified and stylistic jumping cutter, the RKO involves Orton leaping at an opponent, grabbing them around the neck bicep-to-throat, and dropping flat onto the ground, driving their face into the mat. It’s a versatile move, designed to be used on opponents of any size, and its lightning-quick application has made for some shocking WWE moments. The popularity of the move can be felt in pop culture even outside the pro wrestling fandom, as its meme-worthy appeal has resulted in tons of videos of people falling flat on their faces, with footage of Orton and real WWE audio commentary spliced in announcing the move’s name, often topped off with the exclamation “outta nowhere!”
Grappling is just one type of combat featured in Crimson Desert. Kliff is able to equip a variety of one-handed swords, maces, and daggers, two-handed axes, hammers, and greatswords, and ranged weapons that include bows, rifles, pistols, and hand cannons. Meanwhile, grappling offers an unarmed option for combat, learnable by both Kliff and Damine, and leveling up its skill tree will allow players to unlock additional moves.
Pro wrestling grapple moves aren’t the only unconventional medieval tools that Kilff has at his disposal. While the game features fantasy-inspired mounts like horses and dragons, players can also unlock missile-firing A.T.A.G. mechs in Crimson Desert during its 10th chapter. Additionally, Kliff’s Axiom Force ability allows him to fire a gravity-manipulating beam of light from a hand attachment, and some players have noted that it makes him look a bit like Metroid‘s Samus Aran.
- Released
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
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Pearl Abyss
- Publisher(s)
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Pearl Abyss
