Pressure

It is important to keep the pressure on your opponent. Do not lose the advantage once you have it. The following are three ways to keep the advantage.

Irish Whips

When you have the advantage, you are making the opponent go on the defense and play the reversal mini-game. You want to incapacitate your opponent and make it difficult for them to reverse your attacks, so mix things up! Every attack has a different look, and the reversal window for each attack is different. Irish whips are an exCellent addition to the mix. Slam them into a corner and keep the pressure on with strikes and grapples.

Pick ‘Em Up

When you slam your opponent to the ground or strike them down to the mat, use the right analog stick to pick them up. Even if they start to get up, use this move to put yourself in position to continue the barrage. Flicking the stick up pulls the opponent up to face you. Flicking down pulls them up with you behind them.

Running Attacks

Running is great both offensively and defensively; you can catch an opponent off guard and move out of striking range at the same time. Running strikes and grapples are easily reversed by experienced players, but using some of the more complex running attacks will keep a human opponent guessing while also scoring damage to specific parts. Time your attack for when an opponent stands up and hit them with a running grapple (bulldogs and float-over DDT’s are common choices to inflict damage to the head) in order to take them back down to the mat and maintain control.