Building a wrestler

[pastaskamisama]

I wish to build a wrestler character, no weapons just hand to hand combat and grapples.

My gm has allowed me to re-skin light blunt weapons as fists.

So do you have any ideas?

[Easy_Lee]

Standard advice is bard with expertise athletics and the grappler feat, or a barbarian who dips rogue for expertise. Bard, in particular, makes you useful beyond just grappling and pummeling foes, such as concentrating on a buff or control spell.

[Desteplo]

Rogue1/barbarianX expertise and advantage

Valor Bard (strength) expertise and spell options that provide advantage

[Falcon X]

Rogue 1/MonkX
Take rogue for Athletics expertise and other goodies. Then go completely unarmed with a Monk build, including Grappler feat and maybe Mage Slayer/Anything that gives you more opportunity attacks.

- Get to Level 3 Swashbuckler if you can spare the levels and have some charisma.

[PartyChef]

Don't take Grappler feat!!! It's a trap. You are way better off pushing someone prone while grappling them than restraining them and yourself. There is a guide on grappling around here somewhere. Otherwise, a Bard with enlarge, athletics expertise, and Tavern Brawler (or whatever that feat is, I am away from my PHB at the moment) is all you need.
Side note, besides high level unarmed damage, monks tend to be awful as they are crazy MAD have no access to spells like enlarge and need a feat yo get athletics expertise.

[GlenSmash!]

Entertainer or Gladiator Background. Barbarian for Advantage on grapple and shove attempts while raging. Take the Brawny feat, or levels in Rogue or Bard to get double proficiency in Athletics to further help with grappling and shoving. Getting Hex can further help by giving disadvantage on strength checks to you enemies.

[Waterdeep Merch]

If the UA Skill Feats are allowed, fighters are modular and pretty great. The extra feats will let them nab the athletics skill feat and tavern brawler without hampering the rest of your build with ease, you'll get access to all armor, and all that's good. But what puts them over the top are three things: action surge, more extra attack, and the battlemaster subclass. Get someone else to throw enlarge on you when it's necessary and you'll be a good, reliable wrestler. Maybe not the flashiest, but you'll get the job done.

[BigKaiju]

Going a bit sideways from the other advice here, I recommend a combo of Barbarian and Wizard. You don't need much from Wizard, but things like Shield, Shocking Grasp and ESPECIALLY Enlarge/Shrink give you a bigger bag of tricks for more flamboyant WWE style moves when you're not just plain raging. Plus you'll bring your own pyro with Prestidigitation for the performances and distractions.

Plus, at higher levels, Spinning Flying Piledriver, Zangief style. Either Eagle totem or Fly/Jump.

[Kane0]

- Monk or barbarian for unarmored AC
- Monk for extra unarmed attacks
- Rogue or bard or UA feat for expertise in athletics
- Barbarian rage or Enhance Ability for advantage on strength
- Hex for disadvantage on enemy strength
- Bard hireling for theme song and commentary

[GlenSmash!]

Don't take Grappler feat!!! It's a trap. You are way better off pushing someone prone while grappling them than restraining them and yourself.

It's true, Grappler is a disappointing feat. All it's benefits can be obtained by the grapple/shove combo that doesn't cost any feat. And yet ironically it's the only one feat included in the 5e SRD.

[Ventruenox]

If you go the Bard route, consider Lore Bard for the Cutting Words feature. You can use your reaction to reduce your opponent's contest roll even further by the value of a bardic inspiration die.

If UA is allowed, one level of Mystic who takes the Brute Force discipline gets advantage on those grapple rolls due to the psychic focus. Who needs buff spells or rages when you can get advantage with one bonus action?