A lot has happened since the last WWE game hit shelves. Daniel Bryan returned to the ring! Shawn Michaels is about to! John Cena’s run as a full-time wrestler ended, and Ronda Rousey’s began! The first all-women’s PPV and multiple super stadium shows were added to the schedule! Brock Lesnar finally dropped the damn title! Phew, that’s a lot of exclamation marks! Given the change in the air, it would be especially disappointing if WWE 2K19 was yet another by-the-books outing.

Since taking over the license in 2013, 2K Sports has been turning out mostly humdrum WWE games hampered by frustrating mechanics, missing features, and a general lack of polish (the lazy WWE 2K18 left me particularly unimpressed). WWE 2K19 includes some much-requested features, like a revamped story-driven MyCareer and the return of 2K Showcase mode, but is it enough? Does WWE 2K19 grab that shiny brass ring or continue the series’ Curt-Hawkins-like losing streak?