I played football as a kid and as a young & dumb LEO I put my tackling skills to good use more than a few times on unarmed suspects. I was bigger than some pro linemen and when I hit someone, they stayed down, fight over.
On occasion I'd apply a choke hold on the way down and he'd wake up in handcuffs. Those were the days.
And no, a weapon wouldn't have made a difference in tactics or outcome in most cases.