WWE 2K24 Teases Match Type That's Been Missing for 10 Years

gamerant.com:

WWE 2K24 is bringing back Special Guest Referee Matches for the first time in 10 years, and now the developers have posted a brief teaser of the stipulation. During certain wrestling matches, the usual official is replaced by someone who usually doesn’t have this job, such as another WWE 2K24 wrestler. This can add drama to a given storyline, as the replacement referee in question more often than not has a personal bias (at least in kayfabe) toward or against one of the competitors, which could impact their enforcement of the rules during the match.

The Special Guest Referee stipulation was introduced to the WWE video games with WWF Smackdown in March 2000, and it was a recurring mechanic in the wrestling games to come up until WWE 2K14. In these matches, players could take the role of an in-ring official and dictate the rules of the contest, although later games would have them be forcibly removed from the match if they abused their authority too much. More recent WWE 2K games didn’t have Special Guest Referee matches at all, causing a wave of excitement when it was announced that the stipulation was coming back in WWE 2K24.

A brief snippet of a Special Guest Referee match was recently shared on the official WWE 2K24 Twitter page, giving fans a quick look at the WWE 2K24 special match type in action ahead of March 5. It starts with a stream of social media posts asking for Special Guest Referee matches before cutting to a match being officiated by Randy Orton. The Viper is shown counting a pinfall, only to decide against putting his hand down for a third and final time. When Solo Sikoa questions Orton’s judgment, he replies by delivering his signature RKO to the disgruntled Bloodline enforcer.

The Special Guest Referee Match is just one of the classic stipulations being re-introduced in WWE 2K24, much to the joy of wrestling fans who missed being able to play through these contests in older WWE games. Some of the other returning special match types include Casket