What if The Thing Was A (Competitive) Pokémon?
The Thing was designed to be a dominant force in singles and doubles with his demanding presence once he hits the field. Being able to lock down the enemy’s switching and not being able to be forced out, he controls the pace of the battle (assuming he doesn’t take a Choice Band Surging Strikes). Most of his learnset is based on his experience as a boxer and wrestler, which is why you see rare moves like Sky Uppercut and Coaching. Thing’s biggest threats (from my perspective) would be Urshifu Rapid Strike, max Defense Zamazenta with Body Press, and any strong special attacker.
The reason Urshifu Rapid Strike is such a threat is because of its ability to bypass defensive gimmicks with Surging Strikes, which always crits and ignores stat changes. If Thing tries to bulk up or boost its Defense, Urshifu can break right through it. Likewise, max Defense Zamazenta with Body Press can shrug off Thing’s physical blows while hitting back with a powerful STAB Body Press that takes advantage of its colossal Defense stat. Special attackers in general are scary for Thing because his Special Defense isn’t quite on par with his Physical Defense. Even though he can shrug off most physical hits, a strong Thunderbolt, Psychic, or Aura Sphere from the right Pokémon can soften him up enough for cleanup later.
Despite these counters, Thing’s strengths far outweigh his weaknesses in most scenarios. His signature ability makes him immune to phazing moves like Roar or Dragon Tail, so once he’s in, he stays in until he decides to leave. This alone messes with a lot of strategies that rely on forced switches. His movepool also lets him act as a team player in doubles. With Coaching, he can boost his partner’s stats, he can even learn Wide Guard to block spread moves like Rock Slide or Earthquake, making him invaluable in formats where spread moves reign supreme.
What makes Thing really stand out is his base stat distribution. His Attack is monstrous, so even without setup he’s hitting hard. His HP and Defense are high enough to let him trade blows with some of the bulkiest Pokémon out there. Many players would want to run him with a moveset that includes Drain Punch to keep him healthy, Knock Off to remove items and cripple defensive walls, and his rare Sky Uppercut to hit Flying-types who think they’re safe. Some niche sets could run Bulk Up to turn him into an unbreakable wall that hits back twice as hard.
This is my first concept, and first post here ever, so be sure to give me strong feedback!