As folks start learning more about the soon-to-be-widely released WWE game, They will probably see the franchise return to what many folks would have called a blemish on their record. No worries, though; the WWE 2K25 MyRise gamble pays off where its spiritual predecessor, WWE2k20, does not. WWE 2k20 gets terrible reviews, but it’s not on MyRise.
People complained about the litany of bugs, the old roster, the bad graphics, and more. However, the story mode from that year was not beloved, even if some of their characters have grown to be. It was sprawling and tedious, with an absolutely terrible villain and one particularly hapless hero. So how exactly are the stories the same, and why is it suddenly working?
Two Superstars, a Single Story
In WWE 2k20, you could play as either Red, a no-nonsense WWE superstar who looks like she is destined for greatness, or Tre, a man who was also in the game. Their stories connect from start to finish, and they have a relatively long one, too.
It didn’t work as intended, with Red being far and away the actual protagonist and Tre being a sorry comedic relief for a story that was almost entirely comedy to begin with. His success is accidental or because of Red. She, on the other hand, doesn’t need him at all.
Check out #WWE2K20’s MyCAREER mode featuring both male and female MyPLAYER characters! More details: https://t.co/yjF8BkqIxs pic.twitter.com/ZTIT4t8hG1
— #WWE2K25 (@WWEgames) October 8, 2019
In WWE 2k25, you also get to play as two different superstars. One is a man, and one is a woman, with the same dynamics as Red and Tre. Both wrestlers are entirely voice-acted. They both share a single story with just one endpoint. The bare bones of the story are the same; the difference is the branching storyline. Red and Tre had but one path forward.
Your protagonists in MyRise Mutiny make decisions that change the way they interact with one another and the cast around them, making everything feel more cohesive and the characters less tiered.
WWE 2K25 MyRise Skips the “Kid Gloves”
Regardless of who you pick to play as first in WWE 2k25 MyRise (and you do get to pick), they are presented as a big-time draft pick, going number one overall. Triple H touts them as the leader of a new era in WWE, with all the pomp and circumstance that come with that.
Right from the start, you are swimming with the sharks, a real WWE Superstar in the making. WWE 2k20, though, was coming off the success of 2k19, which saw a great story where your protagonist “Buzz” started at a fictional indy promotion BCW.
In crafting the beleaguered epic of Red and Tre, WWE took the wrong lessons from BCW. Red and Tre wrestled at the iconic promotion, too, and just about everywhere else WWE could think up for a wrestler trying to break out. In fact, the game actually spends a noticeable chunk of time reliving their time in HS, where they remain as big as they do in the rest of the gameplay.
Some stops away from the WWE ring are great and would never have happened before 2k took control. However, it can be too much of a good thing. By skipping the formative years and keeping this story light on the backstory, you can spend more time doing what everyone wants in the MyRise mode, living out your WWE story.
A Compelling Foil for Players to Face
It is not controversial to dislike WWE 2k20’s main event heel; the fictional Ronda Rousey, stands in Brooklyn Von Braun. She is dislikable, as all villains are. Her go-away heat has more to do with the almost cartoonish way she clearly portrayed Rousey, who had recently left the WWE. That and she was just annoyingly present at all the right moments.
With that mode having two protagonists in name, only the male heel she partners with, a cybernetic Samoa Joe (seriously), feels as much an afterthought as Tre does to Red.
Overall, a confusing and unsatisfying victory over an obnoxious MMA fighter you have never heard of is the big payoff of decades of wrestling. While it may have felt nice to call out the things Ronda said before she left, it did nothing for the fans.
If you couldn’t tell, this is a Mutiny! Current and former members of NXT have united under one cause – – we will no longer stand by and be treated like third-class citizens! We will not stop until NXT is the one and only brand left standing in WWE! #NXTMutiny #WWE2K25 pic.twitter.com/Ptv3RhN6Py
— ℭ𝔢𝔡𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔨 𝔇. 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡 セドリック・D・ブラッド (@VampireBleesed) March 7, 2025
In WWE 2k25 MyRise mode, the heels, without spoilers, are NXT. Specifically, a new brand that took over the brand under the direction of many a current star and some famous alum of the developmental brand’s history. They call themselves NXT Mutiny, and they are looking to dominate the WWE after taking over NXT proper.
The rivals you face are real WWE stars, so they instantly carry more weight. Yes, an invasion angle is pretty standard in wrestling. No, that doesn’t make it any less interesting when done right.
WWE casts the right stars as the enemies and makes NXT Mutiny look much cooler than it has any right to be on paper.
WWE 2K25 MyRise Uses Games Features
The reason why you can make the single story work in this year’s game is the reintegration of intergender wrestling into the series. Now, either of your primary characters can save the day, as no superstar is off-limits for you to take on with your protagonists.
The game mode also features some of the newer match types, like the Underground match, which makes gameplay not only varied but also lets you learn the ropes while playing through the narrative.
Lastly, as mentioned, the branching stories add some unpredictability even if you “know what happens.” That is yet another new feature that WWE was able to weave into MyRise.
In the last several games, not just WWE 2k20, MyRise felt isolated. The character outside that mode didn’t exist, and neither did the rest of the gameplay additions. It was you vs your rival for a world title.
The matches would vary for PLEs and such, but that was it. Outside of WWE 2k20, you would do it as a man and then have a similar journey as a woman, or vice versa. The way you can take on the same match from different angles depending on who you pick and the conscious effort to showcase new match types make MyRise the first mode to try once you get your copy of the game.
What to know about WWE 2K25 MyRise
The point that WWE and 2k are really pressing this year is that you can’t play through this once. They programmed a way to keep your stats and try out different choices and characteristics, which are bigger now, to unlock more content and see how the multiple branches end.
Even one change to an otherwise similar playthrough could send you down a different path as you confront the Mutiny in WWE. MyRise isn’t publicized much, but it should be.
WWE took an idea from their worst game and made it work. That takes real courage and creativity. Now Tre and Red are not the only dual antagonists in WWE 2k lore, and the newer model wins by a mile.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE/2K Games – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on WWE 2K25 and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
You can check out WWE programming on Netflix (Raw), USA Network (SmackDown), The CW (NXT), Tubi (WWE Evolve), A&E (WWE Superstar Sunday – Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and Peacock (WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on YouTube, and catch fast-paced action on X (WWE Speed).
