2 K Games
Before the first Alexander Melville Bell of Wrestlemania XL has even rung , WWE has a new champ .
As part of this week ’s WWE World fan outcome , the hand-to-hand struggle furtherance held a specialWWE 2K24tournament in Philadelphia . The challenger pair six Superstars up with celebrities , who fought in digital ticket team agree to earn the shiny 2 K Championship . It was a much friendlier kickoff to this weekend ’s heated event , which includes street fight and ladder matches .
2K Games
More than that , it act as a dependable monitor of why the 2 K series ’ current looping works as well as it does . In just a few curt matches , the tourney gave path to some natural in - ring storytelling that had a crowd of fan pant and cheer up . It all ended with a striking conclusion that gave Wrestlemania weekend its first championship coronation — even if it was a Philadelphia Screwjob .
Getting pumped
The WWE World consequence , housed in the Pennsylvania Convention Center this weekend , is a multiday buff event filled with interactive activities and merch . The show has a main stagecoach that host several events this calendar week , include a board with Rey Mysterio and an appearing byCody Rhodes . TheWWE 2K24tournament would shut out Thursday nighttime after a Q&A sitting with The Rock ( who shew up two hours of late , claim he was delayed after watching videos of the Philadelphia Eagles ’ playoff going ) .
As the crowd impatiently waited for the Final Boss ’ arrival , I caught up offstage with the WWE talent on deal who bring in some pre - tournament match . Competitors included Kofi Kingston , Johnny Gargano , The Miz , Jey Uso , Zelina Vega , and Bayley . Each was paired with famous person , from Gabriel “ Fluffy ” Iglesias to rapper Wale . Kinda Funny ’s Greg Miller attend to as a fittingly ill-tempered referee for the event , too , playing the part of a blusterer heel convincingly .
This was my life history when I was a kid !
While the WWE 2 K serial is an escapist fantasy for most players , it ’s more like a task simulator for the actual performers featured in it . When I asked matman on hand what it feel like to play a game like this from the other side , “ surreal ” was a recur answer .
“ It ’s almost surreal , ” R - Truth ( who served as a coach for his Awesome Truth tag team mate , The Miz , during the tournament ) tells Digital Trends . “ I do play game with my tike at home and I revel playing because my fibre is in the secret plan . To see where it ’s depart from to where it ’s at now with everything down to the graphic particularisation of tattoo and brow rings and piercings , it ’s phenomenal . ”
While R - Truth note that it ’s knockout for a telecasting plot to truly capture the spirit and emotion of perform in front of a monolithic alive hearing , he praises the 2 K serial for capturing the nuances of WWE grapple . The New Day ’s Xavier Woods , who host the tournament alongside Tyler Breeze , agrees with that military strength . For him , the surreal part comes from see his real persona amount to life alongside his tradition conception .
“ This was my lifetime when I was a kid ! ” The New Day ’s Xavier Woods says . “ Playing these games , and create myself , and creating stories and how you win the championship . Now , I ’m legitimately in the game . But what ’s even more acute for me is that they took my Create - a - wrestler and put him in the game this year … It ’s cool to have me and what my factual persona is in hand-to-hand struggle , and then the puerility me of what I think I was go to be in wrestling . ”
So , what ’s the most realistic thing about WWE 2K24 according to a grappler ? “ The frustration of not being able to work over Roman Reigns , ” Woods say .
No mercy
After a longsighted wait thanks toThe Rock , the tournament finally plain off on Thursday night . The setup was dim-witted : The six team were split into a three - catch shred - team angle bracket , with the three winners all facing off in a final riddance peer . As before long as the first step match kicked off , I was reminded of what makes the serial exceptional . There ’s emergent storytelling that comes out of its matches , which mirrors the real production astonishingly well .
In the first compeer of the night , The Miz and his partner punched their tag to the finals in a lively porta bout against Team Bayley . That profits promptly set Miz up as a babyface for the tournament with a respectful victory . The second mates had an entirely different narrative , as Johnny Gargano thump Jey Uso and Wale in mere seconds after Wale could n’t plain out of an straightaway compliance attempt ( the rapper would place the blame on drained restrainer batteries ) . That would paint Gargano , the current “ protagonist ” of Xavier Woods’UpUpDownDown YouTube gaming transmission channel , as the dreaded violence to mystify .
In record time!#TeamJohnnyGarganoprogresses in the#WWE2K24Showdown Tournament!@JohnnyGargano@fluffyguy@WWEUsos@Walepic.twitter.com/488nCs3BDS
& mdash ; UpUpDownDown ( @UpUpDwnDwn)April 4 , 2024
When a WWE 2 kelvin match is operating as planned , it can produce some surprisingly thrilling results . The third match would play off Zelina Vega and Kofi Kingston against one another in the skinny compeer of the Nox . The digital match , operating under Tornado Tag rules , was a tense back and forth , terminated with clutch reversals and razor - thin pinfall attempts . It got the crew on its metrical foot , who hoot and hollered at the legitimately spectacular moments . In the end , the trash - talking Kingston , alongside mate Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports , would come out on top , setting him up as the tournament ’s cocky hound .
The most cogent number of storytelling chance before the finale , when The Miz challenged Johnny Gargano for a shot at his UpUpDownDown championship in a one - on - one couple . Gargano begrudgingly obliged , leading to a spirited bout that created the complete steer - in for the proper tournament conclusion . The three teams joined up for an evacuation - flair mate , where the last person support would win it for their team . Both Miz and Gargano ’s famous person pals went out first , leaving the two at a disadvantage against Kingston and Fox .
Perhaps still experience the steam from their last peer , Miz and Gargano would go at one another . That allowed Team Kofi to pick the bones of their weakened opponents and walk forth with a clear victory . It ’s the variety of well - scripted win - tintinnabulation story you ’d see in a WWE catch , one that course come forth through caper . The fact that the audience ate it up like a real match verbalise volume to the simulator ’s current superpower .
Of course , it would n’t be a grappling tournament without one last veering . The 2 K Championship is not a tag smash ; it ’s a solo championship . In a surprise equipment , Kingston and Fox would have to go head - to - head to determine the lawful champion . Greg Miller join , control Cactus Jack as the in - plot referee . A brewing point with Kingston during the show played out in - game , as Miller on purpose screwed Kingston over during a pinfall with a fast three count for Fox .
And so , Wrestlemania XL weekend flummox its first protagonist : Robbie Fox .
And your winner of the@wwegames#WWE2K24Showdown is@RobbieBarstool!pic.twitter.com / HOaQNsbMtd
While it was a surprising outcome , it was ordered booking within the little digital macrocosm the competitors weave over two hours . I could retrace the characters and storylines , enjoying the chaotic tournament as a watcher sport . It ’s the same cause I ’ve drop countless hour see simulated matches in MyGM mood over the last few class ; even computing machine - controlled fights producesome echt amusement . That ’s the surreal joy that R - Truth point to .
WWE 2K24is available now on PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X / S , and personal computer . If you ’re see to watch some real matches , melody in to Wrestlemania XL this weekend , cyclosis live on Peacock .
