WWE 2K25 launches this weekend, although those of you with the Deadman and Bloodline editions may well have already been playing for the past few days. If you have, you will have likely experienced the new installment’s Bloodline Rules match; 2K’s take on WrestleMania 40’s chaotic main event, and the best new match type added to the series in years.
Making WWE 2K Feel Fresh Every Year Is A Tall Order
The Debuting Legends Are Getting More Obscure Every Year
Coming up with fresh ideas for a series that releases a new game every 12 months can be hard. Even more so for WWE 2K than other series with annual installments as, unlike Madden and NBA 2K, there aren’t new players and rosters to factor in and make the game feel fresh, even if it’s more or less the same as last year’s offering.
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There will be changes, of course, and the revolving door on WWE’s roster means there will always be changes to make. There are also always more legends to add, although with New Jack making the cut this year, I get the feeling that well is starting to run dry.
No offense to the late ECW legend, but there’s no chance any of you thought we would ever see New Jack in a WWE game.
All of that means each year, 2K needs to come up with something to make the next game in its WWE series feel fresh, and more importantly, make fans feel like it’s worth dropping $70 on. This year, one of those things is the Bloodline Rules match.
Anything Goes In Bloodline Rules
But That’s Not The Best Part
the rock making his final boss entrance in wwe 2k25
For those unfamiliar with Bloodline Rules, it’s basically yet another term for anything goes. Add it to a list that already includes No Holds Barred, Extreme Rules, Hardcore, Falls Count Anywhere – should I go on? What sets it apart from all of those is the onus on outside interference, and that’s what makes WWE 2K’s take on the match type so much fun.
2K’s Bloodline Rules matches begin with two Superstars in the ring. That doesn’t change until one of you has filled your signature bar. Once full, you can summon someone from the locker room to come help you out. The match then becomes a two-on-one affair until your opponent is able to summon their own plus one, or until you get another signature and tip the scales even further.
The allies you summon will stay with you and keep battling until the match is over. Each player can summon up to three allies each which means that, by the time everyone has arrived, what started as a somewhat civilized singles match will have devolved into an all out brawl, spilling out of the ring and up the ramp.
You Can’t Choose Who Comes Running
Seems As If The Rock Might Have Upset His Grandad
As for who will come running down that ramp when you call for help, that’s the best part – it’s entirely random. Well, at least I think it is. You can’t choose who comes to your aid, although sometimes the allies do make sense. Naomi sided with me when I was Bianca Belair, for example, and Roman Reigns came running down the ramp when I needed help as The Rock.
However, WWE 2K25’s Bloodline Rules matches are at their chaotic best when the Superstars you summon make no sense at all. The next wrestler to run down the ramp and help me while I was fighting for my life as The Final Boss was Bret Hart. In that same match, my opponent, Stone Cold Steve Austin, had High Chief Peter Maivia, The Rock’s grandfather, helping him out.
WWE 2K’s new match types rarely keep my attention beyond a quick look. “Oh, you can cram someone into the back of an ambulance to win a match now? That’s cool, I guess.” Bloodline Rules matches are the first new match type in recent memory that I’ve not only continually gone back to, but have become my first port of call when I’m not playing a specific game mode.
I’m hoping the gimmick doesn’t wear off any time soon. It’s still early days, of course, with WWE 2K25 not even technically released at time of writing. If nothing else, the desire to see who comes running down that ramp whenever someone puts out the call will keep me going back. Here’s hoping something historic goes down during WrestleMania 41’s main event so that the folks at 2K have something just as good to add to WWE 2K26.
- Released
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March 14, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen // Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Visual Concepts
- Publisher(s)
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2K Sports