CM Punk Is The WWE 2K26 Cover Athlete

At Survivor Series 2023, CM Punk made his shocking return to the WWE. This was a man who had been infamously served termination papers on his wedding day and seemingly burned every possible bridge that would let him return to WWE.

As they always say, though, never say never. That saying has led us to today, where 2K is announcing that CM Punk, your current World Heavyweight Champion, is not only your cover athlete for WWE 2K26, but the main focus for the game's upcoming Showcase Mode.

As a kid, I could only dream of being on the cover of a video game," said CM Punk about appearing on this year's cover. "Now I join a very exclusive group of WWE Superstars who have done it twice." Punk was previously on the cover of WWE 13.

This year's Showcase Mode will take fans on a journey through CM Punk's career. This includes his most famous matches, as well as some fun what-if scenarios. 2K Games confirmed that we'll be seeing some dream match-ups that would have taken place had Punk never left WWE in 2015, but weren't ready to confirm what those matches are quite yet. CM Punk will be narrating the Showcase Mode as well and spoke about what that means to him.

I enjoyed the experience of narrating the 2KShowcase, which gave me an opportunity to tell fans the straight, unfiltered story of the moments, matches, and controversies in my career. Players will get to step into my boots, relive some of my proudest WWE moments, and take on challenges I never had the opportunity to face.

WWE 2K26 Will Include Requested Iconic an Wrestler in its Roster

In total, there are four versions of WWE 2K26 available at retail. Your standard edition, with CM Punk on the cover, will run you the traditional $69.99. Those who pre-order will gain access to the following:

• Joe Hendry Pack, including the playable Joe Hendry WWE Superstar, Joe Hendry cosmetic shirt, Joe Hendry MyFACTION EVO card, and Joe Hendry Spin Island emote. Also comes with the WWE 2K26 base game (digital version).

For $99.99, you can acquire the King of Kings Edition, formerly the Deluxe Edition. This features, you guessed it, Triple H on the cover, and includes the following:

• WWE 2K26 Standard Edition
• Joe Hendry Pack
• Ringside Pass Premium Season 1
• 32,5000 VC
• King of Kings Pack, including playable Superstars such as Triple H '98, Stephanie McMahon '00, and the Triple H Signature Taunt Emote for The Island

Then there's the Attitude Era Edition, which retails at $129.99. You'll get all the previously mentioned content, as well as access to Ringside Pass Premium Seasons 1-4, as well as the Attitude Era Edition Pack, which includes the highly requested Kane '98 WWE Superstar.

Finally, we have the Monday Night War Edition, which will also come with the WrestleMania 42 Pack, Ringside Pass Premium Seasons 1-6, and the Monday Night War Edition Pack, which features Superstars such as Shawn Michaels DX, Macho Man Randy Savage ‘98, Rowdy Roddy Piper ‘98, the WCW Thunder ‘98 Arena, and more. This edition will cost you $149.99. The three special editions of the game will also grant you early access to WWE WK26 starting on March 6th, a full seven days ahead of the game's March 13th release date.

Good News, Nintendo Switch 2 Fans!

In addition to Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, WWE 2K26 will release day one on Nintendo Switch 2 and come complete with several features to take advantage of the Switch 2's hardware. 2K confirmed today in a press release that you can expect touchscreen and mouse support, GameShare and GameChat, and the ability to use mouse controls in Creation Suite.

That last tidbit is a big one, as it will give creators more control. I can't wait to see how people take advantage of this, especially since the Switch 2 version of the game supports Image Uploader and cross-platform Community Creations.

WWE 2K25 was one of my favorite sports games of last year, and I can't wait to see how 2K and Visual Concepts build on that momentum.