One WWE 2K24 Showcase Match Sticks Out Like a Sore Thumb

There are a lot of stops on the Road to WrestleMania, and for many fans, one of those will be the upcoming release of WWE 2K24. It drops on March 8, meaning fans can expect more news, Superstar Ratings, and new content reveals in the next couple of weeks. Fans already have a pretty good idea about the general gameplay and Showcase Mode, but many may understandably be looking forward to more news on WWE 2K24‘s MyGM Mode, MyRise Mode, and/or its Universe Mode. However, there’s one match in its Showcase Mode that sticks out like a sore thumb.

Although neither developer Visual Concepts nor publisher 2K has confirmed an exact list of WWE 2K24 Showcase Mode matches yet, a few have been outright confirmed and others have been heavily teased. WrestleMania 5’s Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude, WrestleMania 39’s Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair, and WrestleMania 39’s Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes are all confirmed, while others such as WrestleMania 3’s Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan and WrestleMania 25’s The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels are essentially locked in. This year, WWE 2K24 players take on the roles of the winners in each of these matches, which should be good for match variety. However, for Cody Rhodes fans who have proven their love for the Superstar with the #WeWantCody Movement, beating him as Roman Reigns can feel so, so wrong.

WrestleMania 39’s Roman vs. Cody is a Must-Have Match

On one hand, it feels wrong to smash and stack Cody as Roman Reigns in WWE 2K24, but on the other hand, it’s a marquee match in the history of the Grandest Stage of Them All. It would be impossible to make this the Showcase Mode and yet not feature this match. Playing as the winner also makes sense across the board, but there is something different about this match. For practically every other match in WWE 2K24‘s Showcase Mode, the story is done. The story is not over yet for Cody Rhodes. At WrestleMania 39, he lost to Roman Reigns, and Solo Sikoa, and Jimmy and Jey Uso.

That story has been doing some side quests as of late, but it has returned in full force with The Royal Rumble. Cody became a back-to-back Royal Rumble winner, the first since Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1997 and 1998. The result has been some growing heat with the Bloodline and The Rock’s return, and it’ll be interesting to see how this all leads to WrestleMania. As of this writing, however, Cody Rhodes will officially face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. What happens there and leading up to that main event is up in the air, but WrestleMania 39 is only one stop in this story, where every other in the game would be done and dusted, more or less.

As such, it can feel wrong to beat Cody as Roman, and this is especially true given he is the WWE 2K24 Cover Star. Between general fandom, Cody’s ongoing story, and his role in the upcoming game, it feels so odd that the Showcase Mode “ends” on his loss.

Related

The Rock vs. Roman Reigns SmackDown Segment Flooded with Dislikes

The road to WrestleMania 40 has hit a bump, with the segment setting up a match between The Rock and Roman Reigns becoming WWE’s most disliked video.

So is WrestleMania 40’s Roman vs. Cody Rematch

While it may not have happened yet, it’s clear that WrestleMania 40 is essentially a sequel to WrestleMania 39, with the main event of Roman vs. Cody II being a huge draw. Many fans plan to attend or tune in just to see Cody finish his story, even though it’s not set in stone if he walks out with the title yet or not. It’s a match that obviously does not appear in WWE 2K24, and on the one hand, it could appear in this type of showcase eventually if WWE 2K29 celebrates 45 years of WrestleMania or WWE 2K34 celebrates 50 years of WrestleMania. Or if a future Showcase Mode also focuses on Cody Rhodes’ career. However, that wait is rough, but there is something Visual Concepts could do now in this regard.

Extending the Road to WrestleMania in WWE 2K24 DLC

WWE 2K24‘s Showcase Mode includes 21 matches total, which could reflect roughly half of all the WrestleMania events throughout the year. Notably, some WrestleMania events will also feature multiple matches, meaning some events have more weight than others.

This already sets the stage for WWE 2K24 DLC to come in and add more matches to this Showcase, alongside the standard array of DLC Superstars. (It’s worth mentioning many fans want CM Punk in WWE 2K24‘s DLC roster, assuming his return was too late to make the base roster, and this would be a great way to get one of his WrestleMania matches into the Showcase). This wasn’t done for WWE 2K22 or WWE 2K23, but it makes much more sense here when the matches to pull from are so varied and all so top-notch. Adding WrestleMania 40 to the mix just makes sense for a game celebrating 40 years of the event.

At the same time, WWE 2K24 would be justified in just adding WrestleMania 40 content later on for that very same reason; it is a celebration, in and of itself, of 40 years of the event. WWE 2K24’s Forty Years of WrestleMania edition already promises to add the WM40 arena sometime after launch, and it only makes sense to have a main event match accompanying it. That’s a win-win for everyone involved. Beating Cody as Roman in WrestleMania 39 would be more digestible if Cody beats Roman in WrestleMania 40 and that ultimately serves as the final match of the Showcase Mode, but of course, who walks out of WrestleMania 40 as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion remains to be seen.

WWE 2K24

2K and Visual Concept’s WWE 2K24 highlights a few of WrestleMania’s greatest moments through a Showcase dedicated to the legendary event. The game also has MyRise, MyGM, MyFaction, and many new and returning modes and features.

Released

March 8, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence