WWE 2K25’s bloody new match type is its ‘Final Destination, no items’ mode

digitaltrends.com:

As a professional wrestling simulator, the WWE 2K series is already a complete package. It doesn’t just offer a massive roster of wrestlers and arenas, but a long list of match types too. Ladder matches, TLC, backstage brawls — you name it, and it’s there. What more is there to add in a game that already has it all?

WWE 2K25 has a few answers this year, including a new kind of battle: underground matches. During a recent hands-on preview, I gave the option for a spin in a series of hard-hitting matches. While it certainly isn’t a game-changer, it might just be the best new mode for casual players who want to make a complex battle system just a bit easier to pick up and play.

The hook of underground matches is simple: The ring has no ropes. Players battle on a flat canvas that only has its corner turnbuckles in place. A few onlookers stand directly at ringside, though the match still happens in a normal arena full of fans. There are no pinfalls or submissions. Players only win by knockout after taking down their opponent’s health, similar to the way backstage brawls work. It makes WWE 2K feel more like a standard fighting game.

While that’s just a slight rule change, it does create some fun moments that change the flow of battle. Fights feel more physical since they’re more about staying close to my opponent and slugging it out rather than running the ropes are climbing turnbuckles for high-flying spots. In one match, I pitted Ethan Page and The Rock against one another in a hard-hitting — and bloody — slugfest. It’s not quite a UFC fight, but it’s the closest the 2K series has ever come to reaching that tone.

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The lack of ropes opens the door for some fun spots. In one match, I controlled Jade Cargill through a Liv Morgan beatdown. The crowning moment of