For as long as most of us can remember,WWEhas been a force in the video game world. Even when they release less than stellar entries (we’re looking at youWWE 2K20), they’re among the most popular releases each year. Along with quality gameplay and sweet graphics, the fans often want something with a compelling story.
Luckily, plenty ofWWEgames have featured story modes that delivered in that aspect. Whether it was “Road to WrestleMania,” the new “MyCareer” mode, or one of the most obscure modes from the past, you may be sure there were some great stories. A few were even better than what we’d get on WWE programming. Without further ado, here are the 10 best story modes in WWE games.
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Updated on April 6th 2022 by Patrick Mocella:With the release of WWE 2K22, WWE video games seem to be back on track after the past few years saw WWE as a laughingstock in the gaming space. While the return of GM mode is attracting all the attention, WWE games have historically had some very fun storylines. 2K22 may not crack the upper echelon of storylines in WWE games, these games from decades past gave the players entertaining reasons for why they pummeled their opponents in the squared circle. With a lot of these entries being about the Road To WrestleMania modes, perhaps there will be a return to this format in future 2K games.
20Breaking The Undertaker’s Streak - WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2011
WhileThe Undertaker’s legendary undefeated streakhas since been broken by Brock Lesnar, at the time ofWWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2011’s release, it was still very much alive. That made for the perfect storyline which tasked players to embark on a quest to be the first wrestler to score a win over The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Selecting from either R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler, John Morrison, Kofi Kingston or a custom superstar, you scratch and claw to earn your chance while facing off in a battle royale with Undertaker’s Druids and other wacky matches. These matches involve even collecting “souls” that you earn from facing off against prior opponents of The Undertaker like Jake Roberts and Jimmy Snuka. It is very out there, but ultimately entertaining.
19Triple H Reforms Evolution Or D-Generation X WWE SmackDown Vs Raw 2009
Stables are a huge part of WWE history and Triple H himself was the leader of two of the biggest ones; Evolution and D-Generation X. InWWE SmackDown Vs Raw 2009the player must choose between either reuniting one or the other playing as Triple H on the Road To WrestleMania.
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Having the option to either be a babyface with Shawn Michaels or to turn heel alongside Randy Orton and Batista. The two different paths are great fun and is a brilliant idea for a video game.
Unfortunately for fans during the years of the THQ WWE video games, women’s wrestling was not a major part of WWE programming. The women in WWE were treated primarily as eye candy and as professional athletes second. Thankfully, THQ and Yukes gave us a feature storyline for Mickie James inWWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2010.
Mickie James entered the WWE as a stalker of Trish Stratus, but this storyline sees Mickie James being on the other side of the coin as Natalya is obsessed with being friends with James. This storyline also sees a women’s Royal Rumble almost a decade before WWEmade it an annual tradition on their TV shows.
17The Legends Return To WWE Raw - WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2007
WWE often gets accused of relying too much on old legends for their businessbut inWWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2007that train of thought takes center stage in this storyline from the game’s season mode.
An exhibition match between Roddy Piper and Mick Foley goes wrong, but it’s soon revealed to be a ruse as the two are upset that their exhibition match on Smackdown didn’t get the proper hype it deserved. You square off with the likes of Bam Bam Bigelow, Roddy Piper and Mick Foley in this storyline, and it’s always fun to see legends get incorporated into WWE game storylines.
16WCW Invasion - WWE ‘12
One of the most maligned storylines in WWE history is without a doubt theWCW/ECW Invasionstoryline in 2001. It is seen as the biggest missed opportunity in WWE history and while the real-life version sucked, a redux of this storyline inWWE ‘12is far superior.
The storyline starts out innocently enough with Kevin Nash returning as Raw general manager and planning a one-night WCW reunion show, but it quickly becomes clear that Nash has returned to invade WWE from within with his former WCW comrades. Even more daring is that WCW actually succeeds and briefly turns WWE Raw into WCW Nitro before the player’s custom wrestler teams up with WWE stars like John Cena and The Undertaker to stop WCW once for all in a Hell In A Cell at Starrcade. It’s absolutely bonkers in all the right ways.
15Attitude Era Mode - WWE ‘13
To this day, some wrestling fans will cry out for a return to the late 1990s style of WWE programming called “The Attitude Era”. While that is likely to never happen, WWE fans did get ahuge load of nostalgia inWWE ‘13’s"Attitude Era Mode".
While the main focus of the mode only goes to WrestleMania 15, players take control of key performers of the era including Undertaker, The Rock, Mankind and of course Stone Cold. The presentation of this mode is impeccable and even after WrestleMania 15 is over there is a slew of bonus matches from 2000/2001 that showcase later stage performers like Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho. For those who beg for more Attitude Era, it’s here.
1430 Years Of WrestleMania - WWE 2K14
AfterWWE ‘13’s beloved Attitude Era hit the scene, Yukes’ was hard-pressed to come up with something to top it. While it wasn’t as good,2k14’s30 Years Of WrestleManiawas a ton of fun too.
Showcasing at least one match each from WrestleMania 1-29, every legend a gamer could want is playable in this mode. The matches for the most part are showcased with the appropriate grace they deserve. With in-match objectives to complete and brand new video packages hyping up each bout, this is the nostalgia any WWE fan can appreciate.
13WWE Day Of Reckoning
An oft-forgotten series of WWE wrestling games, thepair ofDay Of Reckoninggames on the Gamecubeplay like a mix of the N64 AKI games and the THQSmackdowngames. Not only were they solid grapplers, but the story mode in these games are great, but the edge goes to the first one.
Players take control of their custom character as they ascend up the ranks of either Smackdown or Raw. If they choose Raw, you will join Triple H’s Evolution stable and if they choose Smackdown, they will be a part of Undertaker’s New Ministry stable. Twists and turns happen as the story rolls on, and finally it ends with you facing your stable’s leader at WrestleMania for the world title. It’s not as crazy or complex as others on the list, but it’s still a great deal of fun.
12Rey Mysterio & Batista - Smackdown Vs Raw 2009
For the most part, story modes in wrestling games are single-player based which is usually the right way to go, but some multiplayer stories have existed in WWE games, and it was pulled off well inWWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009.
While you can play this single-player, the real joy is having yourself and a friend play as Rey Mysterio and Batista who go on a journey to become WWE Tag Team Champions. However, their success as singles stars eventually puts them on a collision course at WrestleMania with the World Heavyweight Champion on the line either in a 1v1 match or a triple threat with Edge depending on what happens at the February PPV. From the branching paths to how much more fun playing against another human is, this is a vastly underrated story mode.
11Chris Jericho’s Mystery Attacker - Smackdown Vs Raw 2009
Our first entry will start a trend. The “Road to WrestleMania” mode from theSmackdown vs. Rawfranchise is often considered the best story mode in a wrestling game. Each playable character had their own unique journey to go on as they headed towards the biggest show of the year.
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InSmackdown vs. Raw 2009, Chris Jericho was the focal point of an intriguing mystery. As soon as Jericho finishes his first match, he istargeted by someone using his own cryptic messages against him. Each match and segment brings you closer to the reveal of who is the masked man behind it all. And it culminates with a WrestleMania match for the WWE Championship.
