After 2021 marked the first time in franchise history that a WWE 2K was not released during the calendar year, the popular wrestling series made a triumphant return in 2022. Of course, many avid gamers feel that the franchise has taken a dip since the late 2010s when it began showing too much repetition, a lack of innovation, and most notoriously, becoming saddled with far too many technical bugs and glitches.
That said, WWE 2K22 has earned positive reviews, perhaps marking a permanent return to form for the once towering sporting franchise. To contextualize the game’s success as it relates to the overall franchise, a host of hilarious memes tell quite a story.
Disappearing Equipment
Source: @MrMacho419
As the WWE 2K series has worn on, its reputation for having hilariously atrocious in-game bugs and glitches has increased dramatically. But even before hitting an all-time low in WWE 2K20, suddenly disappearing equipment inside the ring during a wrestling match has become commonplace.
Whether it’s steps, folding chairs, ladders, or other in-ring tools, the in-ring apparatus simply up and vanish without a trace or a hint of a warning. As such, Marc Bravo pokes fun at the classic Sponge Bob “Ight Imma Head Out” meme, articulating how quickly fans were ready to flee the scene after such technical hiccups.
Downgraded Graphics
Source: ThisGenGaming
After 2K put its name in the tile via WWE 2K14, many fans feel that the game has the best overall graphics to date. In a side-by-side comparison meme that speaks a thousand words, the glaring difference between 2K14 and 2K18 sums up the franchise’s decreasing impact.
Indeed, 2K14 marked the absolute pinnacle of detailed graphics featured in the franchise that simply waned as the annual releases advanced. When 2K18 was rebuked for its underwhelming visuals, the series rebounded with 2K19, only to deliver its worst entry of all in 2K20, reinforcing the glaring inconsistencies the meme points out.
All Downhill From Here
Source: Quickmeme.com
Staying on the perception that WWE 2K14 marks the absolute summit of the series to date, another hilariously accurate meme suggests that experiencing every other entry will leave players out in the cold. Indeed, it’s all downhill after experiencing the high-water mark set in 2K14.
Of course, the meme also refers to Thumper the South Park skiing instructor, who, despite improving Stan’s performance on the slopes, made everyone’s life pretty miserable in the process. Until WWE 2K19 came about and WWE 2K22 added exciting new wrinkles, it’s also how most wrestling gamers felt about the franchise.
No Love For The Divas
Nowadays, female wrestling is even more eventful and exciting than most male wrestling. However, back when WWE 2K15 was touting itself as the most realistic game in series history, it didn’t necessarily mean relegating women to the backseat as mere Divas. The meme serves as a sly barb aimed at the game for failing to give the female wrestlers their chance to shine.
While the Diva matches would usually last three to four minutes long, they’ve since been supplanted by much larger events like the Royal Rumble, Hell in a Cell, and Iron Woman matches that far more accurately reflect the role of women in the wrestling ring.
The Pre-Order Bonus Angle
Source: Me.me
One thing WWE 2K players know to be true is how the series constantly gives fans what they want, only to let them down shortly after. One prime example of this is the consecutive pre-order bonuses, which offer customers a chance to play some of the coolest, and most badass characters.
From 2015 to 2017, fans got to fight with Sting, Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, and Goldberg, three ultra fierce warriors worth the price of admissions. But then, in 2018, Olympic wrestler Kurt Angle was added to the mix, once again marking a major disappointment for fans who began reinstilling faith in the franchise. Kurt Angle is an accomplished wrestler in his own right, but he pales when compared to the others. Notice Angle’s friendly smile compared to the snarling grins of the others.
Arbitrary Ratings
Source: Imgflip
As every WWE 2K fan can attest, the inaccurate ratings of various wrestlers from game to game are at best arbitrary and at worst nonsensical. Take Roman Reigns for instance, who despite coming off an abysmal year of real-life WWE wrestling, somehow managed to secure the top ratings in 2K18.
Moreover, the hysterical split-image meme also alludes to the ridiculous fact that no matter how badly one punishes an opponent in the ring, they will inevitably land their custom finishing move out of nowhere. The priceless Pauly D reaction is particularly on point.
You Can’t See Me
Source: Know Your Meme
As most WWE 2K fans are aware, personal catchphrases continue to play a huge role in setting the personalities of various wrestlers apart. No catchphrase became more familiar in franchise history than pro-wrestler-turned-actor John Cena‘s legendary “You Can’t See Me” slogan, which has been ribbed countless times in meme form.
Yet, few memes cleverly use a play on words as effectively as this one, which turns Cena’s classic tough-guy catchphrase into an acronym for the Intensive Care Unit, a place where Cena sends most of his wrestling opponents to rather than staying in himself.
Unhappy Family
Source: The Sportster
After appeasing fans with 2K19, Visual Concepts took over and immediately drove the franchise into the ground with WWE 2K20, often hailed as the worst wrestling game on record. The unbearable number of glitches aside, the opening roster of characters seemed to already accept their miserable fates.
Famed WWE superstars Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, and Undertaker look particularly lachrymose, even the typically-beaming Kurt Angle looks sad and subdued compared to his recent appearances in the franchise, alluding to the miserable gameplay to come in 2K20.
Curious Camerawork
Sources: Reddit
Staying on the 2K20 debacle, one Redditor earned 11K upvotes for creating a laundry list of problems with the game, including one hilarious comparison between the graphics in the game versus its predecessor. With a droll blurb added by The Gamer, it apparently took a whole year for Visual Concepts to develop a camera zoom. Or not.
At first blush, it appears as if 2K20 made vast improvements by employing a bigger camera to widen the canvas and give gamers a bigger scope. Alas, judging by the identically-framed image of John Cena and his towel, it appears as if the designers simply recycled the image with a zoom function, once again reiterating how dismal the 2K20 experience continues to be.
Glitches
Source: The Gamer
While the vanishing equipment inside the ring comprises some of the most glaring glitches in franchise history, 2K20 took the level of ineptitude to a whole new hilarious level forever immortalized in meme form. The above image is supposed to resemble pro-wrestler Becky Lynch, but due to the shocking graphical glitches in her character render, the person looks more like Pennywise had a baby with the Crypt Keeper. Yikes!
Marking an absolute nadir in the franchise, which forced gamers to bounce back in a big way with the acclaimed WWE 2K22, the notion that 8th generation Intel Core processors have led to such poor graphic renderings sums up where the franchise has evolved over time.
