The Bloodline is one of the best WWE storylines in recent memory, if not all time. Following his return to the ring in 2020, Roman Reigns would turn heel and take Paul Heyman as his manager, win the Universal Championship in a No Holds Barred Triple Threat match against Braun Strowman and defending champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, bring his cousins Jimmy and Jey Uso under his leadership to form The Bloodline, adopt the moniker of The Tribal Chief, and have a record-breaking championship run to boot. Roman Reigns' dominance in recent years was one of many contributing factors to his99 Overall Rating inWWE 2K23, but it’s highly likely thatWWE 2K24dials this back for a couple of reasons.
It’s worth noting that WWE 2K24 has not been officially announced as of this writing. However, as an annualized series, it’s very likely fans can expect a confirmation of its development early next year.
It’s important to note just how important Visual Concepts' decision to give Roman Reigns a 99 rating is. The prior game in the franchise,WWE 2K22had Roman Reigns sitting pretty at a 95 Overall Rating. That represents a significant jump. Only a handful of superstars, in the history of WWE 2K games, have ever even made it over 96, and the highest-rated superstar at any given point before Roman Reigns was The Undertaker—who had a 98 once before. Visual Concepts has said, in the past, that it’s a combination of many things with his dominance in the ring and in storylines being one of many reasons, and that’s understandable. Rating this many superstars is an unenviable position, and it’s hard to ignore Reigns' accomplishments throughout 2022 and heading into 2023. However, 2023 as a whole has been a different story.
Roman Reigns Has Only Wrestled 11 Matches Throughout 2023
It may sound like a surprising statistic, butRoman Reigns has only wrestled 11 matches throughout 2023as of this writing. Of those, he has only defended his championship five total times: against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble, against Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber, againstCody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39, against Main Event Jey Uso at SummerSlam, and against LA Knight at Crown Jewel. While he has had a few more televised appearances than that, they haven’t always involved matches, and his appearances throughout the summer and into the fall have been far and few between.
There’s also no indication that he’ll appear anymore for the rest of the year, asSurvivor Seriesis getting closer by the day with no indication or storyline to justify his appearance there. Reigns started 2023 rather strong, but the past few months have seen his momentum grind to a halt. Many fans, understandably, believe that time is just passing before Reigns drops the belt to Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.
Roman Reigns' Rating in WWE 2K24 Has to Change
In comparison, he wrestled 52 matches throughout 2022 and had a much more present and domineering run during this time, even when he wasn’t in a match. It would definitely seem his historic run as champion is coming to an end, though it’ll be interesting to see how he returns in early 2024 and how the road to WrestleMania goes for him. That said, if his dominance prior to therelease ofWWE 2K23is what convinced Visual Concepts to give him a 99, that very same justification would likely result in dropping him a few points. As a note, this is also the same justification for someone like Gunther, who had an 89 inWWE 2K23, to jump a few points.
Furthermore, not only is there a general lack of matches that could contribute to this, but it seems most of his matches nowadays involve some form of distraction or interference on Roman Reigns' behalf. Zayn, although reluctantly, managed to distract Kevin Owens at least once during the Royal Rumble before Zayn turned on The Bloodline. Jimmy Uso would attack Zayn at Elimination Chamber, with Jey Uso also appearing and there being some drama over a chair. Solo Sikoa attackedCody Rhodesearly on in his WrestleMania 39 match with Reigns, getting ejected from ringside. Jimmy and Jey Uso would also look to intervene before being fought off by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, but Sikoa was able to sneak back into the ring to interfere with the match again. Jimmy would attack Jey at Summerslam, and Sikoa and Jimmy interfered at Crown Jewel.
There have been plenty of interferences on Reigns' behalf throughout his run as The Tribal Chief, but it stands out even more when his five title defenses of the year all involve them to some degree as well. As such, that should impact how Visual Concepts views his “dominance” within the ring and in the variousBloodline storylines.
Of course, it’s very unlikely that Roman Reigns' rating is completely gutted either. As aforementioned, his rating inWWE 2K22was 95, and his history alone is more than enough to justify not dipping below that. It could even be as minimal as dropping him to a 97 or 98 Overall Rating inWWE 2K24, but the lowest he’ll probably go is 95 or 96. That’s ultimately up to Visual Concepts and fans will just have to wait and see how Roman Reigns plays inWWE 2K24.
WWE 2K23
WHERE TO PLAY
Expanded features, gorgeous graphics, and the ultimate WWE experience. Hit the ring with a deep roster of WWE Superstars and Legends including Roman Reigns, “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and more!2K SHOWCASE: INTERACTIVE SPORTS DOCUMENTARY: Play through the key moments and toughest opponents of John Cena’s storied 20-year WWE career. And in a franchise-first, take on the role of each marquee opponent - some of WWE’s greatest of all time - as you aim to take down Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect.IT’S WARGAMES: The fan-favorite action-packed WarGames makes its debut in WWE 2K23 and delivers heart-pounding 3v3 and 4v4 multiplayer mayhem inside two side-by-side rings, surrounded by a double-steel cage!YOUR SHOW, YOUR CHOICESWith MyGM: take the reins of a weekly show and compete against rival general managers for brand supremacy. Now featuring more GMs to choose from, additional show options, multiple seasons, expanded match cards, and more match types for up to 4 players.YOU HOLD ALL THE CARDS: Collect and upgrade cards of WWE Superstars and Legends to build the ultimate faction and compete for global dominance in MyFACTION, now featuring online multiplayer!DEFINE YOUR FUTURE IN MyRISE: Walk through the curtains for your WWE debut and shape your career as a WWE Superstar with the decisions you make along the way through distinct storylines - The Lock and The Legacy.THE UNIVERSE IS ALL YOURS: WWE Universe Mode is the ultimate sandbox that puts you in charge of WWE, from Superstar rosters, feuds, champions, weekly shows, and more!
