WWE 2K26’s New Cover Star Returns After 14 Year Absence

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For the past ten years, the cover of the WWE 2K series has showcased some of wrestling’s biggest names, including The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, AJ Styles, and Rey Mysterio. WWE 2K26 will continue this tradition with another legendary superstar, marking their first return to the cover in 14 years.

CM Punk, also known as the Second City Saint and current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, is the cover athlete for WWE 2K26. It’s a fitting choice, as he hasn’t been on a WWE game cover since WWE 13 – before the series became WWE 2K. After leaving WWE in 2014, Punk returned in 2023, and now he’s back on the cover, which you can see below.

CM Punk recently shared his excitement about appearing on the cover of a video game for the second time, calling it a childhood dream come true. He particularly enjoyed working on the 2KShowcase mode, where he could share his honest story about his career, including key matches, moments, and controversies. The game will allow players to experience his most memorable WWE moments firsthand and tackle challenges he never got to in real life.

CM Punk Is More Than Just The Cover Star of WWE 2K26

Okay, so getting on the cover of WWE 2K26 is huge, but it’s way more than that with CM Punk! The big 2K Showcase mode is going to be all about his career – seriously, they’re letting you relive a ton of his most iconic moments. And get this, it’s not just a straight-up retelling; they’re adding some cool twists to things, which I’m really excited about!

The 2K Showcase mode will highlight memorable matches and moments from CM Punk’s WWE career, including both his past and recent runs, starting with his surprising return at Survivor Series. It will also let you experience dream matches that never actually happened. While the full list of matches isn’t available yet, the potential combinations are vast.

As a huge fan, there are a couple of CM Punk moments I’d love to relive. First, his SummerSlam 2011 win against John Cena, where he actually unified both WWE Championships – that was incredible! And I can’t forget his Money in the Bank 2008 cash-in on Edge for the Championship, a real shocker! Of course, everyone wants to see the Pipe Bomb again, but I’m honestly not sure how they could even do that in a Showcase mode, it was so unique.

Since coming back, a match with John Cena would be fantastic, and seeing his matches with Drew McIntyre – particularly their Hell in a Cell bout – would be amazing. His win against Gunther would also be a highlight, and it’d be fun to revisit his mixed tag team match with his wife, AJ Lee, against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins at WrestlePalooza.

The standard version of WWE 2K26 will cost $69.99. If you pre-order, you’ll also get the Joe Hendry Pack, which includes the playable character Joe Hendry, a shirt for him, a special card for the MyFACTION mode, and an exclusive in-game emote.

WWE 2K26 will release on March 13, 2026.

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2026-01-30 21:40