Although WWE 2K24 has yet to be announced, many are expecting the game to come next year with various quality-of-life improvements, new features, and more to put it over WWE 2K23, and an upcoming match at Madison Square Garden highlights one way this is possible. As it stands, WWE 2K24 is expected to be announced at the Royal Rumble, fitting the pattern established over the last two years. Such a pattern would suggest that WWE 2K24 will release in March 2024, but fans should take that with a grain of salt until the developer confirms it one way or another.
Still, anticipation is high after the successes of WWE 2K22 and WWE 2K23. One area where many fans may hope to see some improvements is in the match types, as the selection is pretty standard fare with no “wow type” matches. Visual Concepts did take a step forward with this thanks to the addition of WarGames in WWE 2K23, and at the time, developers told us that the iterative process of match types could see one set up another. For example, having multiple referees in WarGames could give them the standard operating tools needed to add Special Referee matches down the road (though this is not confirmed for WWE 2K24 or beyond). While this is an exciting venture, so too would be the possible addition of a Bull Rope match after Cody Rhodes’ upcoming bout against Shinsuke Nakamura.
WWE 2K24 Announcement Could Be Coming Soon
New evidence suggests that 2K Sports could soon be pulling the curtain back on the inevitable, but still unannounced, WWE 2K24 video game.
WWE 2K24: The Bull Rope Match
As recently announced, Cody Rhodes will face Shinsuke Nakamura in a Bull Rope match at Madison Square Garden on December 26. Unfortunately, this is a house show and therefore untelevised, meaning fans not in attendance won’t really be able to watch the match via legitimate means. It’s unfortunate, given how exciting it is and how rare more “out-there” match types are in WWE. It’s also unfortunate because this match type is special to Rhodes; it was considered the specialty of his late father, Dusty Rhodes, who wrestled Superstar Billy Graham in the very same match at the very same venue, Madison Square Garden, back in 1978. Needless to say, it’s an emotional affair for the American Nightmare.
This is Cody Rhodes’ second Bull Rope Match after it was rumored for his feud with Brock Lesnar. His first was ROH Supercard of Honor XI against Jay Lethal.
For the uninitiated, a Bull Rope match sees two wrestlers attached to a 14-foot bull rope, ensuring they cannot create a lot of distance between the two. Use of the rope and cowbell is considered legal, and victory is determined by pinfall or submission. Some strap matches like the Bull Rope match also stipulate that the wrestler has to be able to hit all four corners of the ring, though this is a much, much less common condition of the stipulation. But because it is so rare, it would make a great addition to WWE 2K24.
The vast majority of WWE 2K23 match types are won by pinfall or submission, save for match types like the Royal Rumble. This is to be expected, but at the same time, it creates a certain flow of the game. That’s not a bad thing, but adding new match types that interrupt that flow would introduce some good variety into the game. A Bull Rope match, with the option to interact with all four ring corners while beaten, weak, and knowing an enemy can yank the rope at any time, would be a perfect match type to do just that in WWE 2K24.
Other Match Types WWE 2K24 Should Add
While a Bull Rope match is not a common venture in WWE and it’s important that the video game world of WWE 2K be able to replicate real-world events, there’s certainly something to be said about match type variety in WWE 2K games. Just because it’s not commonly hosted in the real world doesn’t mean fans should be able to play with various match types in the games. Alongside the Bull Rope match, it would be great to see new or returning match types from past games like the following:
- First Blood (first wrestler to draw blood wins)
- Buried Alive (throw an opponent in a six-foot grave and bury them, even if this is commonly reserved for The Undertaker in WWE)
- Special Referee (players can control the referee and influence the match)
- Three Stages of Hell (wrestlers have to win 2 out of 3 back-to-back match types. An example of this is Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ 2002 Armageddon Three Stages of Hell match, where they competed in a street fight, a steel cage, and a ladder match)
WWE 2K23
$31 $70 Save $39
WWE 2K23 promises to be both the biggest and best game in the franchise to date, with expanded features and a huge roster of current and former WWE Superstars. The game features multiple modes, including 3v3 and 4v4 multiplayer modes. In addition to causing carnage in the new WarGames mode, players can relive some of John Cena’s most iconic moments in the ring courtesy of this year’s Showcase mode.
- Released
- March 17, 2023
- ESRB
- T FOR TEEN: BLOOD, LANGUAGE, SUGGESTIVE THEMES, VIOLENCE
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- Metascore
- 82
