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According to Insider Gaming’s senior editor Mike Straw, who has covered the WWE 2K series in the past, there are a “lot of rumors that CM Punk is the favorite to be the WWE 2K26 cover athlete”. If CM Punk is the cover star, it’s plausible he could be the focal point of WWE 2K26’s Showcase mode, similar to past cover star athletes.
Mike Straw hasn’t confirmed CM Punk is the cover star athlete, but he says, “it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest”. CM Punk is unlikely to surprise many as he’s one of the three biggest stars in the company alongside Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. Cody and Roman already graced the covers of WWE 2K24 and 2K25, meanwhile, CM Punk hasn’t since WWE 13, largely thanks to leaving the company in 2014 before returning in 2023.
Typically, the newest WWE 2K cover star athlete is revealed in late January. The WWE 2K23 cover star was revealed as John Cena on January 23, 2023, and Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, and Bianca Belair were all revealed for 2K24 on January 22, 2024.
Roman Reigns was leaked as the cover star for WWE 2K25 on January 8 but wasn’t officially unveiled until January 28, 2025. Roman Reigns’ cover was actually revealed in a live segment on RAW for Netflix, so it’s possible history could repeat itself for 2K26 for maximum exposure.
WWE 2K26 CM Punk cover rumors ignite hopes for Showcase mode
Showcase mode isn’t confirmed for WWE 2K26, but it’s likely to return as it has been a staple of the series since 2K22. Typically, the cover star is also the focal point of the game’s Showcase mode, with 2K24 the only outlier.
Rey Mysterio was the cover and Showcase mode star for 2K22, same for John Cena in 2K23, and WWE 2K25 was a unique twist focusing on the historic family tree of The Bloodline, a faction led by Roman Reigns.
WWE 2K24’s Standard edition was graced by Cody Rhodes, with Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair as the cover stars for the Deluxe edition. However, the WWE 2K24 Showcase mode celebrated 40 years of WrestleMania, although Cody, Rhea, and Bianca all had matches.
If CM Punk is the cover star, there’s a large pool of matches that would be great for WWE 2K26. Some of Punk’s biggest and best matches include John Cena, The Undertaker, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Drew McIntyre. Punk’s biggest ever rivalry is arguably Jeff Hardy, but he’s part of TNA.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select believes there’s a “significant chance” that AAA stars will join the WWE 2K26 roster, but TNA is more complicated. This is because WWE is now the parent company of AAA, following their acquisition earlier this year, whereas WWE and TNA’s relationship is strictly a partnership. However, if any TNA stars do join WWE 2K26, Sapp believes Matt and Jeff Hardy are the most likely.
WWE 2K26 is slated to release in Q4 Fiscal 2026, which basically means before March 31 next year. So far, we’ve only gotten a brief look at the game through Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze filming content, presumably an introduction to MyGM mode, just as they’ve done since 2K23.
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