Listen, I am a diehard Cody Rhodes fan through and through. His entire story and journey resonate with me: how he was something undesirable, how he went into business for himself, how he became undeniable in the wrestling world, and how he returned, set his eye on Roman Reigns' title, and fought tooth and nail for two years to achieve that goal. I was lucky enough to attend both Royal Rumbles that he won, I was very much part of the #WeWantCody Movement, and my wife had to endure far too many tirades from me about The Rock and that whole situation. I was so happy when Cody Rhodes was announced as one ofWWE 2K24’s Cover Stars, alongside Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, and I was also a little miffed when theWWE 2K24Showcase ended with his loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. I understood it, of course, but c’mon.
One day, I need Cody Rhodes on the cover again, or I need a full showcase for The American Nightmare at least. That’s not going to beWWE 2K25, I feel, because he was already the cover for this year. I mean, he could go back-to-back like he did at the Royal Rumble, but I don’t think so. I am super excited to see who is put on the cover, to see what the Showcase entails, and all the other improvements that Visual Concepts makes, but there is one thing I need - a Bloodline Showcase. Now, more than ever, feels like the right time.
Why WWE 2K25 Needs to Acknowledge Roman Reigns and The Bloodline
I think there are two reasons that this needs to happen, one is mechanical and the other is futureproofing. I love, love, love Rey Mysterio; he’s easily in my Mount Rushmore of WWE. HisWWE 2K22Showcase was a lovely walk down memory lane, but the mechanical problem of that Showcase is that players were Rey Mysterio in every match. It’s fun and it’ll happen again someday, surely, but it’s something that cannot be repeated too often. Visual Concepts made improvements in this area by letting players be folks who beat John Cena inWWE 2K23, and of course,WWE 2K24focused on WrestleMania. That’s a mechanical thing, but it’s not as big of a possible problem in a Bloodline Showcase because there are at least five people players could be, depending on which matches were selected:Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Sami Zayn, and Solo Sikoa. (Reigns would no doubt be in an overwhelming number of these matches, but it’s enough breathing room).
The second is that The Bloodline is a long story, one that doesn’t seem to be ending yet, and one that could easily one day be too long to fit in a single Showcase. In many ways, it’s a bit like WrestleMania at this point.WWE 2K14featured Thirty Years of WrestleMania,WWE 2K24features Forty Years of WrestleMania, and I’ll betWWE 2K34will feature Fifty Years of WrestleMania. This is something I expect to happen with The Bloodline eventually too. Think about it: WrestleMania 40 was basically The Bloodline’sAvengers: Endgamemoment, something so big that setting up the next phase is taking time and patience.
The New Bloodline is An Interesting New Story
It would seem The Bloodline is in the second phase of its storytelling. Roman Reigns' return atSummerSlamin 2020, through his formation of The Bloodline and his run as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, to The Tribal Chief’s loss at WrestleMania 40 is Phase One. Solo Sikoa’s New Bloodline, Reigns' presumed return at SummerSlam 2024, what I assume is a Bloodline Reunion turned Bloodline vs. Bloodline at Survivor Series, and eventually, a Rock vs. Roman match at WrestleMania 41 (which is acceptable now since Cody can hopefully move on) ((The Rock is totally behind Solo Sikoa, right?)) are all excellent starts to this second phase. I mean, really I don’t know where this new Bloodline direction is going to go, but I do know it feels like a new story.
Best Possible Bloodline Matches for WWE 2K25
Narrowing down four years of Bloodline domination into a Showcase is already hard enough, but if I had to pick, I’d go with these matches for quality/variety’s sake:
Imagine if this was also narrated by Roman himself or, better yet,Paul Heyman.
Ultimately, the point is the entire Bloodline story hit all its big moments and finished on a strong note (Thank you Roman!). A game dedicated to that seems like a given and I need it because, if this second storyline picks up and hits another stride, it could be prime material for a “WWE 2K: Bloodline sequel.” Trying to cover all of this + whatever comes next would simply be too much. Would I cry anytime I had to face and beat Cody Rhodes in this game? Yes. Do I also acknowledge my Tribal Chief and The Bloodline’s story? Yes. Now, it could be literally anything else. I’m there whatever it is, but I mean, yeah. The Bloodline story and all its ins and outs has been hailed as cinema, as the best story in professional wrestling today, and it needs a game (and I need that game), plain and simple.
WWE 2K24 40 Years Of WrestleMania Edition
WHERE TO PLAY
Celebrate the greatest spectacle in sports entertainment with the WWE 2K24 Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition, packed with all of the bonus content from the Deluxe Edition, Nightmare Family Pack, and more!The Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition includes:Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition Bonus Pack, available Summer 2024, featuring the WrestleMania 40 Arena, as well as Gold MyFACTION* cards, and alternate WrestleMania attires for Triple H (WM 30), Rhea Ripley (WM 36), ‘Macho King’ Randy Savage (WM 6), Charlotte Flair (WM 33), and Rey Mysterio (WM 22)**.Deluxe Edition Bonus Pack featuring Gold MyFACTION cards and alternate attires for Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair.Nightmare Family Pack featuring Undashing Cody Rhodes with his iconic cowl and mask, vintage ‘76 Dusty Rhodes and ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham, Stardust, and an exclusive MyFACTION character of the Mattel ‘Defining Moments’ Bruised Cody Rhodes action figure with Gold MyFACTION card, Dusty Rhodes ‘76 MyFACTION card, and Pharaoh Manager card.Season Pass features five post-launch DLC character packs, including the MyRISE Mega-Boost Pack, and SuperCharger Pack.Showcase Superstar Unlock that automatically unlocks all playable Superstars from 2K Showcase of the Immortals.
