All Elite Wrestling would debut in 2019 with huge names like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Cody Rhodes attached to the project. Their inaugural show Double or Nothing in 2019 would set AEW up to be the biggest competition WWE would have since World Championship Wrestling was around. WWE would have a stranglehold on one market during AEW's beginnings, video games.
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All Elite Wrestling announced on November 10th, 2020 that they would be creating a video game alongside former WWE video game creator, Yuke's. Yuke's would part ways with WWE after the release of WWE 2K19 in 2018. It wouldn't be until June 29th, 2023 that fans finally could get their hands on the debut home console title, AEW: Fight Forever. Let's delve into some of the secrets and Easter eggs that fans might have missed when playing AEW Fight Forever.
10 Road To Elite's Introduction Cutscene
One of the starting cutscenes from the Road to Elite mode for AEW: Fight Forever includes Matt Jackson and some other wrestlers somewhat recreating the famous press conference that took place in front of the TIAA Bank Field.
The mode allows players to pick any character or custom superstar that they want. If players decide to pick Matt Jackson however, he will be replaced at the podium with the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes. No changes happen to the dialogue either.
9 Orange Cassidy Road To Elite
Sticking with some fun things players can find in the Road to Elite mode. The mode consists of different options between matches like working out, mini-games, and fans meet and greets. If the player chooses to play as Orange Cassidy for the mode, he will have special dialogue in some of these cutscenes.
When talking to fans or waiters/waitresses, Orange Cassidy will often answer questions with a simple "okay" or "sure". One storyline also has the player losing their gear at the airport, but with Orange Cassidy, he will instead say "whatever" as he is already in his gear at all times.
8 Preset Entrances
Much like the WWE series of video games, AEW: Fight Forever has a list of different preset entrances that are available for your custom superstars. Some will be completely generic motions like raising your hands or taunting the crowd, others however will be references to wrestlers outside All Elite Wrestling.
Some of these entrances include WWE superstars like AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Rey Mysterio, Iyo Sky, and many more. Some of these names also have signature moves like the Styles Clash included in the custom move sets as well.
7 Orange Cassidy Sloth Style
Another fun thing players can do with Orange Cassidy is to stick his hands in his pockets and wrestle. The game has hints during the loading screens and one of them will show players that they can click the right stick on their controller to enable "Sloth Style".
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Doing so gives Orange Cassidy different animations for various moves like hurricanranas and arm drags. This also gives access to Cassidy's signature moves like his kicks to the shin, giving fans a real-life experience with the laid-back wrestler.
6 Different Referees
Anyone who has had the chance to get their hands on the game so far might have noticed that famous AEW referee Aubrey Edwards is a playable character in AEW: Fight Forever, Something fans might not have noticed though is that there are other options for refs in the matches.
Going into the options menu, players can see that they can choose between Aubrey Edwards or Rick Knox as the ref during their matches. Doing so is really just a visual difference as neither have voice lines nor signature movements as the referee.
5 Special Championship Entrances
A handful of wrestlers have a special entrance when they are a champion. Names like Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, & Darby Allin are a few on that list. It works with any belt that they can hold.
Other little Easter eggs with championships include the ability to hold every title that a wrestler holds. Giving a wrestler every belt in the game will include them holding one on their waist and the rest spread across their arms and hands.
4 Barricade Can Be Broken Anywhere
Fans of the WWE video game series will be well acquainted with the fact that you can break the barricade with a finisher but only when pressed up against the corner. AEW: Fight Forever takes that and makes the ability available everywhere and without the use of a finisher.
Diving moves that toss an opponent into the barricade can also break it down. Plus, as a nod to the past SmackDown series of video games, players can climb on top of the barricade and do diving moves off it.
3 Break Entrance LED Screens
Something that has been seen a few times on AEW television is when someone tosses another person hard enough into one of the entranceway LED screens and breaks it. That exact moment can be recreated in AEW: Fight Forever.
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If players make their way up the ramp, throwing an opponent into the screen can disable the visuals. Doing so again can then cause a blurry screen, and proceeding a few more times with crack the glass itself. Players can also grapple against the screen and suplex another person into the screen.
2 Players Can Ride A Skateboard
AEW: Fight Forever includes a handful of wild and insane weapons like a propane tank that explodes on impact, a bag of thumbtacks that can be scattered around the floor, or barbwire-wrapped tables that explode.
Another weapon that AEW fans will be excited to use is Darby Allin's signature skateboard. Besides using it as a weapon against your opponent, players can also ride the board around the arena. If the player bumps into anyone it still acts as a weapon.
1 Secret Ending To The Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch
One of the more exciting features in the AEW video game exclusive match type is the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch. The match happened once on AEW television with Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley facing each other for the AEW World Championship.
The real-life match notoriously went off with a dud when the explosions looked more like sparklers going off. The game instead has the ending that fans wanted to see with a massive explosion, but if lucky, fans can see a secret ending that resembles the real-life match perfectly.
