Summary
In keeping with a time-honored wrestling tradition,WWE 2K25almost made its Samoan wrestlers immune to the common headbutt.WWE 2K25will be centered around the Bloodline, with its 2K Showcase mode allowing fans to recreate and even rewrite famous matches featuring Roman Reigns, The Rock, Rikishi, the Headshrinkers, and many other members of the legendary Anoaʻi wrestling family.
These famed Samoan wrestlers are among some of the toughest competitors in WWE history, as evidenced byWWE 2K25cover star Roman Reigns’snearly four-year run as the WWE Undisputed Champion and Jey Uso’s surprising victory at the 2025 Men’s Royale Rumble earlier in February. Facing off against one of them is already a challenging endeavor, and one move in particular has often proven to be ineffective against a Samoan wrestler in WWE: a simple headbutt. A common running gag in WWE is for a wrestler to try and headbutt their Samoan opponent, only for the latter to brush it off before unleashing some punishment of their own.
In light ofWWE 2K25’s focus on the Bloodline, Visual Concepts developer Bryan Williams revealed that the latest WWE game almost recreated this. While speaking withFightful, Williams noted that his team considered making Samoan wrestlers like Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu immune to headbutts, citing a match between Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre, but ultimately decided against it. He didn’t give a reason why, but it was likely due to balancing issues and trying to avoid a situation in which players would exploit this immunity to headbutts against online opponents.
WWE 2K25 Almost Recreated a Classic Samoan Move
Sure enough,WWE 2K25will have astronger online component in The Island, a free-roaming multiplayer mode similar toNBA 2K’s The City where players can explore a tropical setting themed after WWE Superstars like the Bloodline and its various members.WWE 2K25is also bringing back some offline features from past installments, like chain wrestling and the ability to play intergender matches.
WWE 2K25’s Samoan-centric Showcase is also being refined bydoing away with the controversial Slingshot featurefrom the previous threeWWE 2Kgames and including alternate scenarios to certain historical match-ups, like Roman Reigns’s final title defense against Cody Rhodes at last year’sWrestleMania 40. Gamers will get to play through these matches and try to dominate as the Bloodline and other superstars of the squared circle whenWWE 2K25launches across all current platforms on March 14.
WWE 2K25
WHERE TO PLAY
Celebrate The Bloodline in Showcase. Compete online in MyGM. Expanded gameplay includes intergender wrestling, chain wrestling, barricade diving, the return of Promos + much more!A ROSTER FOR THE AGESWWE 2K25 brings you an unparalleled lineup of current Superstars, Legends and Hall of Famers. The 300+ stacked roster spans multiple generations and features Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Undertaker, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Jade Cargill, and more.2K SHOWCASE: THE BLOODLINE’S DYNASTYThe all-new Showcase, hosted by “The Wiseman” Paul Heyman, celebrates one of the most historic family dynasties in wrestling. Relive legendary showdowns or dream matches between The Bloodline and WWE Superstars and Legends.A UNIFIED MyRISEYour Superstar takes center stage in an all-new intergender storyline with new brawl environments, unlockable arenas, characters, objects and more.MyGM GOES WORLDWIDETake your show on the road with MyGM 4-player online multiplayer! Draft WWE Superstars and Legends to your show’s roster and lead your brand through multi-week seasons.YOUR UNIVERSE, YOUR WAYNew upgrades give greater control over your Universe experience. Promos are back with multiple types and outcomes featuring new cutscenes and branching choices.EXPANDED GAMEPLAYIntergender wrestling makes its long-awaited debut in the WWE 2K franchise! Additional features include the return of chain wrestling, the Underground and Bloodline Rules match types, barricade diving, plus much more.
