Although Becky Lynch isn’t the sole cover star for WWE 2K20, she is the first woman to be featured on the video game’s cover. Still, 2K has a lot to do when it comes to showcase women in their video game.
WWE 2K20 is a step in the right direction for the video game franchise. Not only will Becky Lynch be the first woman featured on the cover, but players will also have a chance to use women in MyCAREER mode.
While it would have been nice to see Becky on the cover alone, Roman Reigns’s star status and inspiring connection with fans make him deserving of the spotlight. And just having Becky on the cover represents some progress from 2K.
That said, being able to be a women’s wrestler in MyCAREER is also a big deal. Women playing 2K will get a chance to be a character who actually looks like them. Users can go up against the likes of Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, or compete for the prestigious NXT Women’s Championship before working their way up the ladder to face the cream of the crop.
Despite this progress, WWE 2K still has a ways to go when it comes to portraying women as equal to men in their video games. Here are three ways they can do a better job of featuring women’s wrestling in WWE 2K20 and beyond.
The Ratings Gap
One of the biggest issues I have with WWE 2K’s video games is the gap in ratings between women and men in the game. Why is it that the highest rated full-time women in WWE 2K19 were rated 85 (Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair), whereas the highest rated men were above 90?
In total (65!) playable male characters were rated higher than Charlotte, which is just ridiculous. You cannot tell me that there are that many wrestlers in the game who are better than Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Asuka, or the other top women on the roster.
And Trish Stratus and Beth Phoenix being rated 85 as two of the highest-rated female legends whereas the top male legends are all hovering in the high 80’s? Laughable. Absolutely laughable.
WWE 2K20 needs to have several women in the 90’s, including their cover star Becky Lynch and several women of the past. I want to see Trish, Lita, Jazz, and others rated as highly as the male legends.
Not Enough Playable Characters
This is also a huge issue. There is a glut of playable male characters in WWE 2K, to the point where Kevin Owens ’18 and regular Kevin Owens were in the 2K19 game. There are four versions of Daniel Bryan, three Ric Flairs, and specific years given to others like John Cena and The Miz.
Zero. Yes, ZERO women have a specific throwback character. There’s no Sasha Banks 2015 from NXT. No throwback legend for Trish, Naomi, or Lita to a set year. And if they did this, it’d be more likely we could get a specific “Showcase Mode” for legendary women, just as we’ve seen them for Stone Cold Steve Austin and Daniel Bryan in recent years.
That needs to change, but WWE needs to also have more legends in WWE 2K games. I want to see Melina. I want to see Kelly Kelly. I want to see Torrie Wilson. I want to see Victoria. If male wrestlers no longer affiliated with WWE can appear as legends in the game, then why can’t wrestlers inducted in the Hall of Fame or appearing at Raw Anniversary shows be in there?
It’s easy for WWE to make it happen and have 2K feature a richer roster of women from the past. Give me Awesome Kong. Take my money, damn it!
I’m sure more fans would be willing to purchase WWE 2K20 if these legends were involved, and it doesn’t take much effort to make them playable characters.
Intergender Wrestling
Because of the rumored details of the fabled deal with Mattel, getting intergender wrestling in a video game officially affiliated with WWE could be a difficult task. But WWE is having mixed tag matches that include more intergender spots, such as Baron Corbin hitting Becky Lynch with the End of Days in a mixed tag match that had both the Universal Title and Raw Women’s Title on the line at Extreme Rules.
Of course, Nia Jax had the biggest intergender wrestling moment in WWE this year, shining in the Royal Rumble. She eliminated rising star Ali before absorbing finishers from top male superstars like Randy Orton.
WWE 2K20 should enable users to engage in intergender wrestling matches, such as Charlotte Flair vs. Roman Reigns or any number of possible dream matches. Imagine pitting Bayley and Finn Balor against each other in an IC Title match. Or how about Trish Stratus vs. Shawn Michaels? Or Sasha Banks vs. Seth Rollins?
The possibilities are endless. WWE 2K20 making use of mixed tag matches is a big plus, but it should only be a matter of time before intergender wrestling is seriously explored. Equalizing the ratings between men and women could help with that, too.