WWE 2K26: 7 Rumours You Need To Know

Like most franchises that function under an annual-release schedule, the WWE 2K series traditionally abandons complete transformation to highlight incremental gameplay tweaks, up to date rosters, and more refined physics and graphics. Still, the pre-release hype that emerges every January consistently generates the same level of buzz that accompanies the latest "major announcement" leaving Tony Khan's Twitter drafts, and it's easy to see why.

All it takes is one speculative gamer sharing a 160p-quality screenshot of Torrie Wilson and your mind darts to the possibility of 2K and developers Visual Concepts preparing a Torrie-themed Showcase Mode. Can you even imagine getting to experience a digital recreation of that time her actual elderly father necked the much-younger Dawn Marie before suffering a kayfabe death?!

That won't happen, mercifully, but seriously: Why is it always Torrie Wilson?

The rumour mill for WWE 2K26 began swirling on Christmas Eve when @WWE2KLeaks on X (who correctly shared the entire 2K25 DLC rundown) posted a .GIF of Mr Iguana, thus hinting at the viral sensation's virtual debut. Since then, rumours of the game's cover star, release date, modes, match types and roster have been heating up considerably.

Nothing's a formality just yet, so expect the speculation to continue...

CM Punk will be placed under the microscope for WWE 2K26's Showcase Mode, and it won't be any good.

As reported by Mike Straw, the Executive Editor at Insider Gaming, the Punk-fronted Showcase will follow a similar formula to 2K's more recent offerings. It'll do away with the standard best-of career highlights by placing a spotlight on three distinct sections of matches: Punk's favourite matches from his (WWE) career, a series of 'what if' scenarios had Ol' Punker not hightailed his way out of WWE in 2014, and a horde of fantasy matches that were never realistically able to happen.

That sounds great until you scan the possibilities.

CM Punk's noted favourite matches in WWE - vs. John Cena (Raw, February 2013), vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania 29), vs. John Cena (Money in the Bank 2011) - have already been covered in a previous Showcase (admittedly a decade ago). However, with such a vast history, rehashing the same content is unappealing even to the most ardent Punk enthusiasts. The fantasy section could be fun, presuming it's headed up by dreamy digital showdowns with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Kevin Owens, and not Kevin Nash circa-2011.

As for those 'what if' scenarios? Be prepared to lose to Triple H at WrestleMania XXX, brother.