As A Wrestling Fanatic, WWE 2K24’s Showcase Mode Feels Unfulfilling

Wrestling has more than one popular game, whether it’s the Smackdown vs Raw titles or even classics like Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain on the PS2 and WWF: No Mercy on the Nintendo 64.

But it is safe to say, whether you like them or not, the 2K Games and Visual Concept have successfully created a true brawler simulator series with the WWE 2K games, with the latest 2K24 being bigger and better than ever before in the series, as stated in my review.

However, despite how I enjoyed everything so far and still am, the brand-new 40 years of Wrestlemania Showcase mode this year had me initially excited when jumping in for the first time. Still, I would’ve never guessed that excitement and happiness would slowly disappear like tears in the rain.

The Missing Matches And Wrestlemanias Are A Slap To The Face

Right off the bat, I’ll go on a limb and address the elephant in the room: the major issue with this year’s Showcase mode. Firstly, I understand how the developers couldn’t access specific wrestlers that I won’t name, including those who passed away, had major controversies related to WWE, or just aren’t even with the company anymore.

But c’mon, you can’t just expect me to keep quiet on how they entirely skipped a few Wrestlemania events in a mode that specifically highlights the 40 years of its profound legacy in WWE? Matches such as the Triple Threat bout from Wrestlemania 24 are absent, and what had me even more baffled was the absence of Undertaker Vs. Triple H in their End of an Era match at Wrestlemania 28.

Matches i wish were in WWE 2K24 Showcase Mode
byu/LukeDIronFistCage inWWEGames

Look, I’m not trying to entirely tarnish the work put in here, as WWE 2K24’s Showcase mode still has some great matches, such as the bizarre Wyatt vs. Cena Firefly Funhouse match and all-time classics such as Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13.

But for crying out loud, if you had the audacity to put the match where Brock Lesnar ended Undetaker’s legendary Wrestlemania streak, you certainly could’ve added matches like Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan or even AJ Styles vs. Undertaker in their cinematic-stylized Boneyard Match.

Quantity Doesn’t Justify The Quality

As I slowly progressed through the Showcase mode at my pace, still with bitter feelings under the surface, when it came time for the current-day Wrestlemanias, it hit me that they actually added some unnecessary matches to the mix here. Yes, I’m talking about Bianca Belair vs. Asuka at Wrestlemania 39 since I’ve already mentioned my disdain for Brock and Taker’s match at Wrestlemania 30.

2k24 missed opportunities in Showcase mode.
byu/CaptainAwesome0912 inWWEGames

Before you raise your pitchforks at me, I love and respect both the women in this match, especially Asuka, but there is no way this match had the ‘Wrestlemania feel’ to it. The prior match between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte is much better, so this whole idea of forcing quantity with Wrestlemania 39 just because it was the recent one felt completely uninspiring to me, or if that was the reasoning behind its presence here.

While I’m on the subject of quality, the difficulty of that match aside, man, that Triple Threat Match at Wrestlemania 35 between Ronda, Charlotte, and Becky was just tedious to experience. I could even hear Ronda calling planned spots in the match, which they didn’t even bother muting. And then, of course, I had to also see that botched finish by Becky again.

Takeaway

I know there are a bunch of other common issues that people have with WWE 2K24’s Showcase mode, such as the awful progression objectives or even the lack of commentary (which is replaced by the most generic dramatic music). However, I’d still give credit where it’s due to 2K for recreating some decent matches here, even if they’re sometimes terrible to relive in a video game.

A part of me thinks next year’s installment might have a solid showcase again, similar to how much I loved John Cena’s showcase in WWE 2K23. But then again, they really had to blur and censor a bunch of stuff during matches in this game, so I’m not even sure how they can screw up expectations again, even if they didn’t want to.

Still, don’t let my criticism of the mode get your hopes down. The 40 years of Wrestlemania is still a good way to relive the greatest of what WWE and WWF had to offer back in the day. Plus, who knows? If you missed them, playing these matches, like Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels, might motivate you to actually watch them.