Pro wrestling is one of the greatest forms of media there is when it comes to storytelling. And I don’t say that lightly. Though it’s not without its cheesiness and camp, there is something so primal and gratifying about wrestling’s ability to make you get behind (or loathe) a character, despite it being well known that it’s a simulated sport. Because it’s the biggest game in town, WWE has been home to many of these amazing and poetic stories in the past. And to commemorate them, the WWE 2K series has long done the annual Showcase mode which tells the history of some of WWE’s most over and beloved figures.
In WWE 2K25, the Showcase mode was built around Roman Reigns and the Bloodline. And rightly so. For half a decade now, the Bloodline and Reigns’ ascent has been one of the most captivating stories on television and helped in part to put pro wrestling back at the forefront of the modern cultural zeitgeist.
But what other stories are out there that WWE can re-tell as part of 2K‘s nod to wrestling history? While there are certainly dozens of stories out there, we’ve chosen three that are tailor-made for a future WWE 2K Showcase mode.
Eddie Guerrero’s Legacy
Easily one of my favorite professional wrestlers of all time, Eddie Guerrero was a character that you just had to see to believe. Incredibly charismatic, athletic, crafty, and with a great mind for in-ring psychology, Eddie was the complete package. And his career with WWE deserves to be immortalized in a Showcase mode.
Debuting in WWE (then the WWF) back in 2000, Guerrero had a slow build to becoming a main event star. At first, he was brought in as part of The Radicalz, a group of former WCW stars who defected from the Atlanta-based promotion. From there, after a stint of being Chyna’s love interest, he was released from WWE due to issues pertaining to substance abuse, forcing him to reestablish himself on the indie circuit.
After getting clean, he was brought back into WWE, where he quickly established himself as a rising star. After a brief stint with the Intercontinental Championship on Raw, Guerrero was shifted over to the SmackDown brand, where he would align himself with his nephew Chavo and enjoy a great tag-team run as one half of Los Guerreros.
Despite not being WWE’s idea of a prototypical world champion in the early 2000s, Eddie’s charisma and connection with the audience earned him a WWE Championship opportunity against Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004 — a match he would win in front of a raucous crowd. It was one of the best redemption stories in wrestling history. Unfortunately, Eddie’s story would have a tragic end when, in November 2005, he passed away unexpectedly due to a heart attack, cutting short a brilliant career.
While Eddie’s career is the stuff of legend, I understand why WWE would be reluctant to go in-depth on it. To tell Eddie’s story, you also have to talk about Chris Benoit, who is the definition of persona non grata in pro wrestling lore. Eddie debuted alongside Benoit as part of the Radicalz, and the two were inseparable during their careers. But that doesn’t mean that Guerrero’s career is any less deserving of a WWE 2K Showcase.
The Many Faces Of Bray Wyatt
Like Eddie, Bray Wyatt had an up-and-down WWE career with high peaks, low valleys, and a tragic end. An afterthought as a part of the Nexus faction in 2010 (and having the unfortunate ring name Husky Harris), Windham Rotunda — the son of Mike Rotunda, or “IRS” as he was known in WWE — was sent back to development territory Florida Championship Wrestling where he worked day and night to reinvent himself. Eventually, a new character was born: Bray Wyatt.
Wyatt — portrayed as a cult leader — led the infamous Wyatt Family faction that at one point included Luke Harper, Erik Rowan, and later, Braun Strowman. His dark, cryptic promos quickly became a highlight of WWE’s on-air product. And despite questionable booking decisions, Wyatt endeared himself to WWE fans with his work ethic, captivating promos, and psychology. On paper, Bray Wyatt’s original WWE run wasn’t all that bad and did include a brief stint with the WWE Championship in 2017. Unfortunately, creative differences got him put on the shelf.
In 2019, Wyatt debuted a new persona, known as The Fiend. Presented as a killer-clown alter-ego, The Fiend quickly became one of the hottest properties in WWE at that time, selling merch like hotcakes. But it didn’t take long for WWE’s puzzling booking to again catch up to Wyatt as his controversial match against Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell 2019 was maligned by fans. Eventually, Wyatt would be able to partially recover, winning the WWE Championship from Rollins at that year’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view and having an acclaimed cinematic “Firefly Fun House” match at WrestleMania 36 against John Cena. But in the long run, the damage was done. Soon, more questionable booking decisions would cause a rift between Wyatt and WWE brass, eventually leading to his release from the company in 2021.
Never one to be held down, Wyatt again reinvented himself while away from WWE. And after Vince McMahon’s alleged misdeeds, WWE would soon have new leadership in Triple H, creating an environment where Wyatt had a better opportunity to succeed than ever before. Wyatt would return to the company in late 2022 and create a new character. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get much of a chance to show it. In early 2023, Wyatt would be sidelined with an undisclosed illness, which would keep him off WWE TV indefinitely. Tragically, this illness would lead to his death in August 2023.
Wyatt’s ability to overcome questionable creative decisions and constantly reinvent himself is one of wrestling’s greatest stories of perseverance. And had his life not been tragically cut short, he’d likely be cemented as one of the all-time most creative people in wrestling history (if he isn’t already). A WWE 2K Showcase studying his multiple different personas over the years would be a great tribute, and one many WWE fans and 2K gamers would enjoy.
Cody Rhodes: From Undesirable To Undenyable
I don’t know whether to call Cody Rhodes’ ascent to being the guy in wrestling an underdog story. On one hand, it’s hard to consider the son of one of wrestling’s most legendary and beloved figures. But on the other hand, Cody’s career was at one point considered to be dead in the water, forcing him to pave his own path.
Cody’s story began as a blue-chip prospect within WWE’s developmental system. Gifted with a mind for the wrestling business and movie-star good looks, Cody looked destined for WWE greatness. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, he never quite got a chance to showcase his talents in WWE, eventually leading him to leave the company in 2016. But instead of fading into obscurity, Rhodes made a name for himself on the indie circuit, eventually becoming the leader of the infamous Bullet Club in New Japan Pro Wrestling. And after that, he helped form AEW, the closest thing WWE has had to competition since WCW folded in 2001.
But even after all that, Rhodes would eventually find himself back in WWE. Only this time, he had accrued enough experience and success to warrant top billing. He also came with a goal: Finishing the story. Back in 1977, Rhodes’ father, Dusty, won a match for the WWE Championship. But due to the win coming by way of countout, Dusty didn’t win the title. This is what fueled Cody’s desire to win the WWE Championship — not just for self-gratification, but to right the wrongs of the past and ensure that wrestling’s top prize would become part of the Rhodes’ family legacy.
After two years’ worth of build and anticipation, Cody Rhodes made that dream a reality when at WrestleMania 40, he pinned Roman Reigns to become WWE’s top dog in one of wrestling’s most glorious and emotional moments ever.
And unlike the other two stories we’ve suggested, this one doesn’t have a sad and tragic ending — this story is still ongoing. And maybe by next year, enough time will have gone by to justify Cody getting his own 2K Showcase.
#Storylines #Deserve #WWE #Showcase
