The EA FC 26 closed beta is officially underway and unsurprisingly, that means new details are being leaked.
Thanks to TikTok user davey_hazard, we know that a famous WWE wrestling finishing move is coming to the game.
No, you can’t RKO your opponents after scoring a goal against them. At least, not intentionally.
But you will be able to kick them in the face with Shawn Michaels’ iconic ‘Sweet Chin Music’ allegedly added to the game.
The move is a regular superkick, seen in wrestling all the time, but done supposedly better by Shawn Michaels.
The four-time WWE champion’s finisher typically had the added theatrics of Michaels stomping beforehand to “tune up the band.”
The move has been referenced in pop culture before, appearing in the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar’s megahit Not Like Us.
The song has over 1.6 billion Spotify plays, meaning it’s probably too expensive to have on the EA FC 26 soundtrack.
Sweet Chin Music was used with a double meaning by Kendrick. Partly to big himself up, his strikes aren’t regular superkicks either.
And in reference to his feud with Canadian rapper Drake, just as HBK historically feuded with Canadian Bret Hart.
Though considering EA FC is developed in Vancouver, this new celebration might be a controversial inclusion.
Wrestling has re-entered the mainstream in recent times, helped by WWE moving to Netflix earlier this year.
Wrestling is in a new golden era with rival company AEW, owned by Tony Khan (son of Fulham FC owner Shahid Khan), also excelling.
And of course, Sweet Chin Music appearing in EA FC 26 isn’t the first time wrestling moves have been used to celebrate goals.
Just look at this celebration by British YouTuber Joe Weller and Logan Paul at this year’s Sidemen Charity Match.
What’s new in EA FC 26?
A lot of new features are coming to EA FC 26, with EA Sports promising to have taken on fan feedback.
One of the biggest changes is the introduction of different gameplay for online and offline play.
Offline modes like Career Mode will utilise realistic, more grounded gameplay called authentic.
While Ultimate Team and Pro Clubs will have faster, more challenging gameplay called Competitive.
New for Career Mode is the introduction of a live manager market with new managers changing club’s tactics.
And EA FC 26 has also introduced Welcome to Wrexham-style documentaries to Career Mode with random events.
As for Ultimate Team, new live events and gauntlets will mean there is always something to play for.
In my seven years of esports writing, I’ve introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I’m most proud of the latter.
