As wrestlers duke it out in the squared circle, the screaming fans surrounding them are waging a different war over which JRPG is the best – be that Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or even Mother 3. This is mostly being argued through the signs that wrestling fans typically bring to a weekly WWE, AEW, or Impact event to either show their support for their favorite combatant, voice their disdain for a particularly despised heel, or simply to get some time on camera with an eye-catching slogan.
There also seems to be a strong connection between wrestling and video games, and not just because companies like WWE and AEW have been at work bringing their blend of scripted drama and high-flying athletics to the virtual realm over the past few years. Superstars like The New Day’s Xavier Woods are lifelong gamers, even going as far as making appearances on gaming-based channels like the recently-rebooted G4. Other wrestlers have even made guest cameos in non-wrestling titles, such as Dave Batista's turn as a DLC skin for Marcus Fenix in Gears Of War 5 or the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s brief but memorable appearance in 2013’s Saint’s Row 4. Thus, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that wrestling fans are just as passionate about which video games they prefer - and the battle they have been waging has been just as long and deep-rooted as some of the onscreen rivalries that have played out in the ring.
As reported by Kotaku, wrestling fans have been using their homemade signs to announce which classic JRPG is their favorite, as well as take shots against the ones they don’t like - and this feud has been going on for years. The first instances of this fan war trace back to 2019, where Botchamaina’s Maffew Gregg documented signs that read “Final Fantasy VIII Sucks,” “Final Fantasy 8 Is Filth” and “Final Fantasy VIII Is Underrated” on Twitter. This has since carried on throughout the past three years, and while the argument was first sparked over Final Fantasy, it has since spread onto other JRPG franchises. At shows as recent as last week, fans have been waving signs to declare that “Kingdom Hearts Sucks,” “Persona 5 Sucks,” and one humble request for Nintendo to “localize Mother 3” - something that even Terry Crews has requested after 15 years. Check out these signs and more in the Twitter posts below:
While this last request will probably go unanswered, JRPG fans have had a lot to talk about over the past few years. Square Enix finally released Final Fantasy VII Remake last year to great success, with more installments on the way alongside the scarcely-seen but still discussed Final Fantasy XVI. Meanwhile, Persona developer Atlus is planning a special project in honor of the franchise’s 25th anniversary this year, following a blockbuster 2020 thanks to Persona 5 Royal and the Steam release of Persona 4.
Whatever new JRPGs come from these announcements will surely add fuel to the ongoing debate among wrestling fans – a group that is infamously passionate about what they love - and hate. It doesn’t seem like the war over which RPG reigns supreme is going to let up anytime soon, but at least there will be some memorable signs at wrestling events for months or even years to come.
Source: Kotaku, forever tired/Twitter, CyanPlaza/Twitter