Wrestlers Who Received A Rating Boost

It’s not uncommon for wrestler’s ratings to be altered and tweaked between WWE 2K games to reflect their current standing within the wider roster of superstars. There were plenty of wrestlers who managed to make their mark on the industry in the year 2024; some of whom are fresh faces, others are industry veterans who have seen a sudden emergence in popularity. Needless to say, plenty of notable Faces and Heels have seen a significant boost in their overall ratings for the hotly anticipated WWE 2K25 thanks to their efforts over the past 12 months.

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While these obviously are not definitive rankings of a wrestler’s skill, they provide a pretty accurate estimate of how strong and reliable someone is when stepping inside the ring, which in turn makes them a ton of fun to use in the game itself. It’s time to see which notable superstars have seen a rating boost in the latest entry, WWE 2K25,, and what exactly earned them those few extra in-game points.

7

Dominik Mysterio

2K24 Rating: 83 – 2K25 Rating: 84

Though Rey Mysterio’s son, Dominik, has only gone up by a single point in terms of his rating, it’s a pretty significant step forward for the industry’s biggest Heel. When Dom first broke off from his father and joined the Judgment Day, he was largely presented as being an incompetent wrestler who always needed others to do his heavy lifting for him to win matches.

Over the past two years, though, Dom’s been gradually working his way up the ladder, and now has more than a few memorable wins under his belt, even though a lot of them may still come from outside interference. He even managed to get his hands on the NXT championship, which is no small feat. It feels like Dom is finally starting to feel comfortable with Rey’s signature high-flying luchador wrestling style, but only time will tell whether this will push him up to the 90 rating in the future.

6

Ivar

2K24 Rating: 79 – 2K25 Rating: 81

When the War Raiders won the Tag Team belts near the end of 2024, that was when they truly began to showcase to the WWE universe what made them unique. Ivar, especially, stood out for his mesmerizing high-risk fighting style, which is a ton of fun to use in the games, especially that dreaded Moonsault, which can flatten anyone unlucky enough to be on the receiving end.

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His time in the spotlight has earned him a small but deserved rating boost, allowing him to have an easier time decimating his opponents with his raw strength and speed. While his tag team reign may have been brief, it still did enough to show fans why Ivar is considered such an underrated gem by many old-school wrestling fans.

5

Dakota Kai

2K24 Rating: 78 – 2K25 Rating: 82

Despite being injured a handful of times, Dakota Kai managed to still have a good showing throughout 2024 as a loyal member of Damage CTRL, picking up a nice batch of wins. Though her rating is yet to reach the heights of her close friend, Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai is a wrestler whose in-ring capabilities are only improving with each and every year, so it’s nice to see this reflected in the latest game. Her intense face-off against the immensely talented Lyra Valkyria was a particular match where Dakota really got to show how skilled she really is in the ring.

With her partners seeing a massive rise in popularity over the last year, it seems likely Dakota will be receiving a big push in the near future, so bumping her rating up a little makes sense. It will also just make her more viable in matches against some of the game’s prominent midcard wrestlers, as in the previous games, she felt just a bit too weak to keep up with a lot of people.

4

Candice LeRae

2K24 Rating: 67 – 2K25 Rating: 73

After a long absence for much of 2023, the Poison Pixy, Candice LeRae, was able to reintroduce herself to WWE fans by teaming up with the formidable Nia Jax the following year. Seeing that Nia had been running riot across the entire women’s division, Candice decided to join in on the carnage, and, as Nia’s sidekick, she has been looking far more dangerous over the last few months.

Despite being in the WWE for many years, alongside an NXT legend, Candice LeRay has often felt a little underappreciated in the games, especially considering she has an incredibly fun and unique moveset which sees her pulling off all kinds of high-risk flips. Now that Candice has been pushed over the 70 mark, she’ll feel a lot more effective in-ring for 2K25.

3

Roxanne Perez

2K24 Rating: 78 – 2K25 Rating: 83

Despite technically still being one of the faces of NXT, Roxanne Perez has also been appearing a lot on the main roster, and would even show up at the 2024 Royal Rumble, which she came very close to winning. While Roxanne has always been one of the most highly-skilled in-ring talents from the NXT roster, her newfound heel persona has seen her become a lot more vicious and violent, which has earned her a plethora of wins, including one over the fan-favorite Giulia; though the fresh face on the block would eventually get her revenge.

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If Roxanne continues on this path, there’s little doubt she will become one of the biggest stars in all of WWE, and someone who is likely to rack up more than a few new belts in the future. As a result, it was definitely about time that she received a bit of a boost as far as the games go to reflect how dominant she is starting to become in the squared circle.

2

Chelsea Green

2K24 Rating: 75 – 2K25 Rating: 80

Chelsea Green finally became US Women’s Champion in 2024, and it’s fair to say she’s had a pretty good showing since getting her hands on the belt, especially thanks to her exciting bouts with the likes of Michin. While Chelsea may have started out as fairly weak and naive in the ring, she’s come a very long way over the past year, and, with the help of her loyal ally Piper Niven, has been picking up more than enough wins to earn her a rating boost for the next 2K game.

Green also managed to score a victory against several prolific names during 2024, including Natalya, and even though a little mischief is usually involved in her matches, she’s still proven to be more than capable of holding her own when the cards are down. Those 5 extra ranking points were well-earned for the endlessly charismatic US Women’s Champion.

1

Cody Rhodes

2K24 Rating: 93 – 2K25 Rating: 96

When WWE 2K24 was released, Cody was still in the middle of his ‘story’ of winning the Undisputed WWE Championship from Roman Reigns, who seemed more or less unbeatable by that point due to his Bloodline connections. While 93 was certainly a generous rating, especially for someone who only returned less than five years ago, now that he’s boasting the most valued belt in the sport, his rating has been boosted to highlight his newfound status at the top of the food chain.

At a staggering 96 rating, Cody is one of the highest-ranked superstars in the entire game, which means he’s going to be pretty tough to take down in the ring thanks to that unrivaled durability and grit. One thing is for sure, Cody has been through hell and back to protect his title so far, so it’s nice to see him receiving his flowers for the latest game.