While there are plenty of exceptions to the rule, it's worth noting that WWE 2K video games are only as good as the WWE product. It all starts and ends with Raw, SmackDown and various Premium Live Events (PLE). WWE 2K20 and the disaster it was is worth noting because it was released in 2019, not a great year for creativity in WWE, and this happened before the return of Roman Reigns as Tribal Chief in 2020. A leap year and improved WWE product later and WWE 2K video games were good again.
Well, that's before the slump he experienced in the WWE 2K26. It's not a complete flop WWE 2K20but it's the worst game released in the last few years. And not so coincidentally, WWE is at its worst creatively in years. After Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee pulled out of the WrestleMania main event storyline, there was hope, however slim, that the storytelling could get back on track. Honestly, it's been off for longer than WrestleMania 42, but the truth is simple: it doesn't seem to be shaping the WWE Backlash card the way WWE needs it to creatively. And this will damage all related products like the next one WWE 2K video game.
Every WWE 2K26 Unlockable (Superstars, Championships & Arenas)
Complete guide to unlocking all 177 Superstars, 40 Arenas and 51 Championships in WWE 2K26.
Roman Reigns (C) vs. Jacob Fatu for the World Heavyweight Championship
To be clear, Roman Reigns Vs. Jacob Fatu is an absolute money match that deserves to headline WrestleMania one day. I absolutely appreciate our Tribal Chief and in fact hope that his full-time return will help restore prestige in WWE storytelling. If Jacob Fatu has no fans, I'm dead. It should probably even be with one of the Big 4, not against recoil. SummerSlam, Survivor Series or Royal Rumble are the stages they deserve, and the transition from Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns vs. it's a bit rough – but worth it for the potential storytelling.
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And while the promos are definitely in the right direction and this is the best match on the card yet, thanks Bloodline, why are we bringing back another Mystery Caller storyline after what just happened with Pat McAfee and Randy Orton at WrestleMania? Why is the main event, built with a simple but effective Bloodline narrative, once again tainted like WrestleMania Night One? I have no doubt that Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu are going to tear the roof down in the ring, but the storyline is more exciting than it needs to be. And most of the card doesn't suit this matchup.
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breaker (with Paul Heyman)
Unfortunately, The Vision's storyline has been undermined by injuries to Seth Rollins and Bron Breaker, and hopefully this new direction for The Vision will work out. He's got talent, he's got storytelling potential, and Paul Heyman is involved. Hopefully this is something that gets promoted as the year progresses and the developers move on. But if Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu are the top of the card, it feels like an opener and a solid “second position” but the rest of the card doesn't hold up.
Trick Williams (C) vs. Sami Zayn for the WWE United States Championship
I'm all for a bit of silliness and levity, especially for more family and kid-oriented stories, but why are we getting a story about a gingerbread man costume? I can't imagine anyone thinking that's a good idea. Especially in the headline picture of the midcard, where these titles seem to be less prestigious by the day. That's not Sami and Trick's fault — they're talents with a capital T — but it feels creatively lackluster. Why is this the choice instead of Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther, though Gunther's attack feels a little out of range? Maybe it was added at the last minute so we have more championship matches, maybe WWE will break out of their standard 5 match card, but I doubt it.
Iyo Sky vs. Asuka
Iyo Sky vs. Asuka is a good match and I believe both will deliver in the ring. They are fantastic wrestlers. But creatively, it was always a filler story that had its core — Kairi Sane — plucked from recent WWE releases. Good creativity and good storytelling can create stakes that elevate a good story in the ring, and this feels like an undeserved ending to a story that didn't really get a chance. I honestly doubt we'll get any development for these wrestlers after Backlash, and that's the bigger problem.
Who is that character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)
Danhausen & Mystery Wrestler Vs. The Miz and Kit Wilson in a Tag Match
I love Danhausen. I hate how much of this makes me feel like I have to make it clear that it's not aimed at the talent in question; Danhausen, his mystery partner, The Miz, Kit Wilson – it was a fun story. But it doesn't feel like a PLE match to me; feels like a weekly rivalry to be settled on SmackDown. Worse than that, it appears to be arbitrary team representation for the reported Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll vs. Randy Orton and Pat McAfee, which was eventually abandoned. Worse than that, recent editions of WWE have been absolutely killing the Tag Team Division.
WWE breaks up with The New Day, members of the MFTs, Wyatt Sicks, Motor City Machine Guns, and then has the guts to continue with a tag team program? It's almost like the company is proud of their current tag team division.
WWE 2K27 Vs. Backlash
All of this is to say that I choose to see hope in story lines like Roman vs. Jacob, Bron vs. Seth, but that each story should be held to a similar level of prestige. Instead, we're getting matches that have been undercut by creativity instead of elevated, and it definitely feels like that's the era of WWE we're in right now. And what's good for the goose is good for the rodent, but what's bad for the WWE product is bad for the WWE spin-off. I hope I'm wrong, but then WWE 2K26 review, WWE 2K27 feels destined to end up as a 3/5 Backlash card.
- Released
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March 12, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Blood, Language, Obscene themes, Violence, In-game purchases (includes random items), User interaction
