Predicting WrestleMania 40 with WWE 2K24’s MyGM Mode

WrestleMania 40 is right around the corner, with the card being incredibly stacked. The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin'” Rollins are set to main event Night 1 of WrestleMania, with the victory setting the stipulation for Cody Rhodes’ confrontation with Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the Main Event of Night 2. Seth Rollins will also be defending his title, the World Heavyweight Championship, against Drew McIntyre on Night 2 as well. Of course, the question on everyone’s mind is who is going to walk out of WrestleMania 40 victorious, and we recently used WWE 2K24‘s MyGM Mode to “predict” the outcomes.

Of course, WWE 2K24‘s MyGM Mode is not real-life and these are not real predictions, but it’s a lot of fun to replicate PLEs in MyGM Mode either way. To accomplish this, we set up a session with three human players (all us) representing the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brands. We drafted certain match-ups to each brand, while spending the early weeks of the season using Talent Scouts to acquire missing wrestlers after the draft. Around week 12, we made sure everyone was in the proper Face/Heel role and adjusted those who weren’t (The Rock and AJ Styles) before wrapping up any rivalries with low-level or other chosen talents.

It is not possible to have a superstar wrestle more than once on one card in MyGM Mode, so to facilitate the tag match and title defenses, we hosted The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins on the Week 20 PLE. We then immediately shifted Rollins to the brand with Drew McIntyre, gave Seth the belt, and started that feud. All other matches were simulated at WrestleMania on Week 25, using low-level or other talents to fill in the rest of the card per brand. No Power Cards or anything like that were used to modify any match, instead letting the AI purely pick the winner via simulation. These predictions are accurate to the WrestleMania Card as of the March 29 episode of SmackDown.

NOTE: The following matches could not be simulated either due to limitations in gameplay options or missing/DLC characters in WWE 2K24:

— The Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder Match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship (Judgment Day vs. DIY vs. Awesome Truth vs. The New Day vs. A-Town Down Under vs. New Catch Republic)

— Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL

— Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee vs. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar (Currently Unconfirmed for WrestleMania 40)

The Bloodline (Rock & Roman Reigns) vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins

Tag Match Sets Stipulation for Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns on Night 2

Not long after Cody Rhodes confirmed he would face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, which is his right as the Royal Rumble winner, Rock and Roman Reigns would issue a challenge: a tag match on Night 1. If The Bloodline wins, then the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match on Night 2 would be Bloodline Rules – anything goes. If Cody and Seth Rollins win, then The Bloodline would stay out of the match (doubtful).

WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode Prediction

Per the simulation, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins beat The Bloodline. If this were to happen in the real world, it stands to reason that The Bloodline would still interfere on Night 2 – but because this was the stipulation, we booked Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns for a one-on-one, standard singles match for the World title.

Real-World WrestleMania 40 Prediction

While this could happen, it feels unlikely. The best approach with Triple H’s booking and storytelling is The Bloodline winning, letting the match on Night 2 be an absolutely chaotic and ultimately brutal match. The Bloodline winning this match doesn’t mean Cody isn’t going to win the title, either way.

Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley

For the WWE Women’s Championship

Bayley would win the 2024 Royal Rumble and use it to challenge Iyo Sky, knowing and seeing how Damage CTRL was ready to turn on her at a moment’s notice. In the weeks since, she’s been a Face dealing with the fallout of her Heel behavior, and it’s been great storytelling.

WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode Prediction

Bayley wins the WWE Women’s Championship, per WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode’s simulation.

Real-World WrestleMania 40 Prediction

Bayley winning at WrestleMania feels like the right move, especially with how over she is right now.

Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch

For the Women’s World Championship

As the winner of the Women’s Elimination Chamber, Becky Lynch was able to challenge the other Women’s World title holder, “Mami” Rhea Ripley. For some, this is a dream match-up worthy of WrestleMania. The build has also involved other people with beef against Rhea Ripley, notably Nia Jax and Liv Morgan, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they somehow intervened. That said, a straight-up one-on-one might be the best call here, and we didn’t have any interference based on loose speculation like that. It just feels like it could happen in theory.

WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode Prediction

Rhea Ripley retains against Becky Lynch in this simulation of WrestleMania 40.

Real-World WrestleMania 40 Prediction

This match could go either way, but very few would be upset if Rhea Ripley retained here. However, some cracks are showing in The Judgment Day, and losing any more gold could easily be the breaking point.

Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn

For the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Sami Zayn would beat Chad Gable in a Gauntlet Match to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 40. This follows a couple of weeks where Sami was looking for his “in” at WrestleMania, and a lot of doubt followed his victory in the Gauntlet Match that Sami could beat Gunther. Chad doesn’t believe it, Gunther doesn’t believe it, and Gunther insists Sami doesn’t believe it either.

WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode Prediction

According to WWE 2K24, it seems Chad and Gunther were right, with Gunther retaining against Sami.

Real-World WrestleMania 40 Prediction

This is another tough match to predict. On the one hand, Gunther’s dominance is unquestionable, while Sami rising against the odds would be great for storytelling and be super emotional with all the doubt piled on too. If Sami were to win, then Gunther’s path to World Title pursuit would also be more open. Either way, whoever walks out the champion of this match is going to define the IC title for the next few months, and there are a lot of directions WWE could go.

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles

Singles Match

AJ Styles earned proved himself the antagonist of this rivalry when he flew across the world just to attack LA Knight at Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia. While they had a few exchanges before then, this moment cemented their rivalry, which led to another beautiful moment: LA Knight attacking AJ Styles at his home. This incident is reminiscent of older WWE and set the stage for an emotional match at WrestleMania 40.

WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode Prediction

LA Knight emerged victorious during this simulation of WrestleMania 40.

Real-World WrestleMania 40 Prediction

While some may be upset that LA Knight isn’t in a title match at WrestleMania, given how incredibly over he still is, it’s worth highlighting how this is his first WrestleMania match. It’s against one of the best wrestlers in the world, too. AJ Styles putting LA Knight over here just makes perfect sense. In a recent interview with Fightful, LA Knight wouldn’t promise it’s a show stealer, but he did say it’s going to be good. That’s all fans really need out of this match.

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Brother vs. Brother, Uce vs. Uce

After Jimmy cost Jey the Undisputed WWE Universal title during the Tribal Combat match at SummerSlam 2023, Jey would leave WWE. He would resurface not long after on a new brand, Raw, with new music, a new moniker, and a new chance as a singles wrestler. However, he quickly found himself in a few tag matches while his feud with his family simmered. Now, with Cody once again challenging Roman, the Usos find themselves in the same ring again. Instead of defending titles like they did at WrestleMania 39, they are facing each other.

WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode Prediction

Jey Uso is the winner in this simulation.

Real-World WrestleMania 40 Prediction

This feels like the right call, but the match may be ultimately dependent on how The Bloodline tag match goes, the plans for the Roman vs. Cody match, and more. The storytelling of the brothers’ feud, after this, is still wide open.

Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship

WWE United States champion Logan Paul is good at making enemies, with the champion quickly gaining the ire of Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. Logan would strike Randy with the brass knuckles at Elimination Chamber, while Kevin Owens would get disqualified in a match for getting caught with Paul’s knuckles. All of this, including Paul’s interference with Randy and Kevin’s match against Pretty Deadly on SmackDown, have built up to what should be a pretty good match.

WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode Prediction

Kevin Owens becomes the new United States champion at WrestleMania, per WWE 2K24.

Real-World WrestleMania 40 Prediction

This match is near-impossible to predict. Kevin Owens would be a good winner, but there’s a case for Randy winning it or even for Paul retaining it. If Cody Rhodes becomes Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania 40, a loss here for Randy could be good fuel for a heel turn and feud between himself and Cody.

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

for the World Heavyweight Championship

Drew McIntyre is easily the “Hater of the Year” so far, mocking CM Punk’s injury at the Royal Rumble, calling out Seth Rollins every chance he gets, and chasing his moment in front of the fans with a packed, in-person WrestleMania. It’s simple: Drew hates Seth and CM Punk, and that’s feeding families.

WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode Prediction

Unfortunately, Drew does not take home the gold in this simulation.

Real-World WrestleMania 40 Prediction

Predicting World titles is either super easy or super hard, but it feels like Drew is destined to win here. Not only does he legitimately deserve it for helping WWE during COVID, as he did, but it would lead to some great moments throughout the new year. A Drew vs. CM Punk feud has so much potential, and this could eventually lead to a Seth and CM Punk feud as well. CM Punk is at WrestleMania 40 on commentary, at least, so perhaps this match isn’t as cut and dry as MyGM mode might think.

Damian Priest cashing in his MITB contract against the Heavyweight Championship or WWE Universal Championship should not be counted out either. It’s hard to say what he does with it or if he even does anything with it at WrestleMania, given his own Title Defense is taking place as well.

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

For the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

The biggest match on the Grandest Stage of Them All is, without a doubt, Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. After failing to beat Roman at WrestleMania 39, the two would not interact much at all until Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble for the second year in a row. Cody would give up his shot at Roman, however, after venom-laced yet honey-laden words from The Rock convinced him that The Rock vs. Roman Reigns was the bigger match and the right call for the company.

This changed at the WrestleMania press event where Cody officially challenged Roman, leading to a heel turn for The Rock. Because of the We Want Cody movement, not only is Cody getting his match at WrestleMania 40, but fans are also getting to see Heel Rock for the first time in years. All of the drama leading into this match feels like a powder keg ready to explode, as The Bloodline and Cody’s allies will no doubt be watching…and probably involved.

WWE 2K24 MyGM Mode Prediction

Because of the stipulation of the tag match, this was booked as a clean, one-on-one match between Cody and Roman. In this scenario, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes becomes the Undisputed WWE Universal champion.

Real-World WrestleMania 40 Prediction

WWE 2K24‘s conclusion here is perfect, but it’s not likely to be clean. Regardless of who wins on Night 1, The Bloodline is not going to let Roman face Cody one-on-one unless The Rock is a double agent, as some believed for a short period of time. After The Rock bloodied Cody, that no longer seems like a legitimate possibility. Perhaps the most interesting scenario would be a Bloodline Rules match where Cody’s allies, or at least those wronged by The Bloodline, by Roman, and historically by The Rock, form a “shield” (after Seth’s promo) around the ring to stop their interference, forcing a clean one-on-one. That’s fantasy booking, of course, but the match is no doubt going to be a highly emotional, overstuffed, and absolutely over-the-top showdown on The Grandest Stage of Them All.