Summary
Before the new features, modes, and wrestler rankings are announced for a brand newWWE 2Kgame, the first thing that usually drops to get fans excited is the front cover. Though these covers tend to be fairly minimalistic, over the years, the developers have gotten pretty creative and experimental with how they showcase the cover of each new game, resulting in a few of them becoming instantly recognizable, even among non-wrestling fans.
It’s common knowledge by this point that every front cover will feature a superstar who has either made a big impact on the industry over the last year, or who isconsidered a legendin the wrestling business. Inserting these individuals onto the cover art is one thing, but being able to make the image stand out with style and vibrancy is what can help take a cover to a whole new level.
Up until2K20was announced, each cover only featured a single wrestler who would take up the entire page. This time around though, to celebrate the emergence of popular female wrestlers in the business, primarilyBecky Lynch, the cover showcased the two giants of the men and women’s divisions posing back to back.
The demanding presence that both Becky and Roman showcase on this cover lets players know right from the get-go that these are the top dogs, and the wrestlers they will likely be seeing very often when playing online. Though it would have been nice to have added some extra flare for the background, this cover is still great nonetheless and a loving show of acknowledgment to the women’s division which had come very a long way by then.
Though many legendary wrestlers were born out of the Attitude Era, by far the most popular at that time was none other than “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Before this loudmouthed and rebellious babyface would enter the ring, fans would get an indication he was ready to rumble upon hearing a wall of glass being shattered to pieces, which plays at the beginning of his entrance theme.
This is referenced in the2K16cover where small glass shards can be seen floating around as Austin lifts up his arms while sporting his iconic black sleeveless skull jacket. Despite being quite minimalistic, Stone Cold manages to bring this cover to life with hisinfectious charismaand badass sense of style.
The most electrifying man in all of sports entertainmenttakes center stage for the2K14cover, and it’s fair to say this image does an excellent job at conveying the hype and excitement that fills an arena whenever this iconic star walks in. While the Rock himself can be seen screaming into a microphone as part of a promo, there’s a glowing red mist that swirls around him in the background, almost as if his unrivaled energy is seeping out from his body.
Despite this being the very first WWE game published by 2K, they managed to immediately get people excited for what was to come with this iconic cover which can appeal to longtime fans and newcomers alike thanks to how eyecatching it is.
After featuring a few legends on the covers of the games, 2K eventually decided it was time to give a modern superstar the chance to become the face of the next entry, and in 2018, there was nobody more deserving of this than Seth Rollins. After his successfulWrestleManiacash-in in 2015, Seth would go on to have a legendary run from then on, entering into feuds with the likes of Randy Orton, AJ Styles, and even Roman Reigns, his former Shield partner.
Needless to say, Seth had become a major player in WWE, and so it only seemed fitting he would be able to pose on the front of a game eventually. While the red streaks that surround Seth already give this cover a very explosive and vibrant aesthetic, what also makes it stand out is how Seth stares directly at the player, as if he’s inviting them into the game. It’s also a nice touch that he wears his “Beast slayer” attire for this cover, which is arguably Seth’s most iconic outfit to date.
2K decided to switch things up a little bit for this cover. Rather than opting for another bright red background, they instead used a kind of multicolored motion effect which trails offRey Mysterioas he performs a splash, resulting in an utterly captivating front cover which oozes creativity and style.
The way Rey Mysterio is posing on the cover, like some kind of animal ready to pounce on their prey, is another nice addition which helps to remind players of just how fast and agile this legendary luchador really is, even at his current age. 2K tried something new for this cover, and it certainly paid off given how jawdropping it is to look at.
AJ Styles, also commonly known as “The Phenomenal One”, was a wrestler many people never thought would come to WWE, considering he had already established a strong reputationover in Japan. After making a surprise debut in 2016, though, AJ would go on to have a plethora of classic matches, including against John Cena, and while his incredible in-ring skills helped shoot him to stardom, his look and aesthetic also bolstered his image, and eventually led to him being featured on a game cover.
For the2K19cover, AJ can be seen hitting his signature hand signal while red sparks fizzle from behind him and his long hair flies forward, as if his own energy is fueling him up for the next fight. AJ’s first and last cover for the2Kgame series has become one of the most recognizable among fans due to how flashy and stylistic it is.
It’s clear that the folks at 2K really went above and beyond when crafting the cover of2K24. In stark contrast to a lot of the more minimalist covers that came before, this one is packed full of small details to look out for, but when looking at it in general, this is a piece of artwork that fed into the epic journey ofCody Rhodes, who was still yet to have won the title by that time.
As a result, fans can see several images of Cody, including him screaming out his intro song, wearing his signature “Nightmare” coat, and standing on the top turnbuckle where he is putting his passion for the sport on full display. It’s also nice to see more effort put into the color coordination, with the deep reds being complimented by subtle blue tints that lean into Cody’s whole “American Nightmare” gimmick.
