WWE 2K23 Early Reviews: 10 Major Details We Learned
1. New Pinfall System Leads To Epic Kickouts
Although the submission system in WWE 2K23 will remain the same, pinfalls have been overhauled this year with a new mini-game that will lead to more epic kickouts, rather than a two-finishers-and-you're-down system.
Pinning itself will remain the same; flicking down the right analog stick gets you in the pinning position. A new timed mechanic will see a bar pop up with a moving red bar inside that turns green when the cursor touches it. To kick out, a player must flick the right analog stick up when the bar is green, though as per Smacktalks, hitting X on PlayStation and A on Xbox will still work as well.
Current reviews suggest that kicking out is now easier than it was in WWE 2K22, however, this is expected to become more of a challenge as the match progresses and you sustain more damage as the bar you're expected to reach in order to escape a pin will decrease in size.
Despite this new mechanic, the old button-bashing mini-game is confirmed to still be in 2K23 and can be changed in the options menu for players who feel more suited to the old format.