How to Break a Grapple Combo in WWE 2K23

One pickle you might find yourself in when fighting an opponent in WWE 2K23 is getting trapped in a grapple combo, during which your foe will grab your character in an attempt to perform a follow-up attack. If you manage to react accordingly, you can potentially counterattack your rival, turning the tables in the wrestling match. However, if you fail to break the grapple combo or react fast enough in WWE 2K23, you might find yourself in a less-than-ideal situation, resulting in defeat. Therefore, knowing how to deal with this particular move is essential for becoming a professional wrestler in the WWE.

Breaking a Grapple in WWE 2K23

Successfully Breaking a Grapple Combo in WWE 2K23

Screenshot by Smacktalks

The success of breaking a grapple combo in WWE 2K23 is dependent on both chance and “knowing” your opponent. This is because executing a breaker relies on pressing the same button as your opponent. For instance, if they manage to grapple you, followed by a light strike, you need to press the same button to break free.

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WWE 2K23 content creator Smacktalks states you can break a grapple combo by correctly guessing if your enemy will perform a light, heavy, or grab attack. In other words, it is a game of “reversed rock-paper-scissors,” which involves choosing the same action as your rival. If you manage to successfully break free, you can then follow up with a combo of your own. However, failing to predict your opponent’s move might spell disaster. Naturally, players might be tempted to mash all of their buttons simultaneously, hoping they execute the same action as their enemy. Such a strategy might work, but the result will be left to RNG.

A better strategy in WWE 2K23 for breaking a grapple combo would be to learn the different combos and wrestling mechanics that players might attempt to perform after executing a grapple. For instance, after many fights, you might determine that numerous opponents feel a light attack is an excellent follow-up strike for a grapple. Therefore, pressing the light button attack might bring in the best results. This “prediction procedure” is the same for strike combos, which involves breaking free of the opponent’s combo by correctly guessing their follow-up attack.