The WWE has a long history of elite female superstars, and while this aspect of the business does not tend to get the same amount of TV time or push as the male roster, it's hard to ignore modern talent. Folks like Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, and so many more represent the best of the best for the WWE female division, and WWE 2K24 would be the perfect time to represent it with the best of the best: Rhea Ripley. It should be noted that neither publisher 2K nor developer Visual Concepts has publicly said anything about the next entry in the franchise, but it's a safe bet.
Not only should Rhea Ripley grace the cover alone, being the first solo female superstar to ever appear as a cover star in a WWE 2K game (as Becky Lynch appeared alongside Roman Reigns in WWE 2K20), but she deserves to get the rare 99 Overall Rating. In fact, that's just the tip of the iceberg for Mami's potential.
WWE 2K24's Rhea Ripley is a Record Breaker
There are certainly some behind-the-scenes decisions when it comes to picking a WWE game cover star that fans will never know, but their popularity is a clear factor. Choosing Rey Mysterio for WWE 2K22 and John Cena for WWE 2K23 may suggest that the developer wants to pull from bonafide, if somewhat still active, legends, but Rhea's well on her way there. Picking her now would be getting ahead of a potential crowd as more and more talent comes into the WWE. Her dominance in the ring, in her character work, in her work with The Judgment Day, and the fact that she plays a big role in putting Dominik Mysterio over as a heel are all arguments in and of themselves. Becky Lynch was the first woman to grace a WWE 2K cover, if with a caveat, and she was the highest-rated woman ever in a WWE 2K game with her 96 rating in WWE 2K23.
However, Rhea has held a much more dominant place in the WWE over the past year or so, practically ever since The Judgment Day began. She's also the highest-rated member of The Judgment Day in WWE 2K23 at a 90, meaning it can only go up. Her rise to and dominance as Women's World champion will no doubt push that higher, and there's reason for it to go all the way to 99. Not only has she put on great matches aided in great storytelling, but her road to WrestleMania itself began with a record run in a Women's Royal Rumble match, lasting 61 minutes and 8 seconds to also become the first woman to win the match after entering in the first spot. She has broken record after record, and her role and rating in WWE 2K24 should reflect that.
If Rhea Ripley were to grace the cover of WWE 2K24, it's likely the Showcase Mode would be associated with her as well. WWE 2K franchise history says that the cover star doesn't have to be featured in the Showcase Mode, but as WWE 2K22 and WWE 2K23 do it, it stands to reason WWE 2K24 will as well. One issue with Showcase Mode and active talent is that there's not as much history to pull from, yet Ripley has had a lot of matches that would be worthwhile as part of The Judgment Day and from her time on NXT, opening the door for a fun "Road to Mami" throughline for her matches. Furthermore, WWE 2K23 smartly sidesteps the issue of playing as the same superstar by playing as whom Cena lost to, but some of Rhea's matches could be talked about from her perspective but played by another member of The Judgment Day.
While no means exhaustive, some great matches for her Showcase could be:
- WarGames Match (NXT TakeOver 2019)
- Rhea Ripley vs. Piper Niven (2019)
- Raquel Gonzalez vs. Rhea Ripley (NXT Halloween Havoc, 2020)
- Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley (WrestleMania 37, 2021) (This follows her debut on Raw)
- Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania Backlash 2021
- The Judgment Day (Edge, Damian Priest, Ripley) vs. AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and Liv Morgan.
- A playable Royal Rumble styled after her 2023 win.
- Ripley and Balor vs. Edge and Phoenix (Elimination Chamber, 2023)
- Ripley vs. Flair (WrestleMania 39, 2023)
While perhaps not as viable as these matches, it would also be interesting to play the matches she interrupts. For example, it would be great to play as her when she helped Balor and Priest win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at Payback, where she speared Kevin Owens through a table. Either way, there's a lot of potential across her relatively short history with the WWE.
Rhea Ripley is the current WWE Women's World Champion, she is the seventh Women's Triple Crown, the fifth Women's Grand Slam champion, and the youngest Grand Slam champion in WWE history. She has effectively led Judgment Day, played a big role in contemporary WWE storytelling, and more. If anyone deserves to be the first solo female superstar on the cover of a WWE 2K game, it's Rhea Ripley. If any female roster superstar deserves the 99 Overall Rating, it's Rhea Ripley. Whether it is actually WWE 2K24 or a later game, Rhea Ripley gracing the cover of a game feels like a matter of when, not if.
WWE 2K24 is confirmed to be in development.