WWE 2K25 Underground Match Preview: A promising addition

One of the new match-types in WWE 2K25 is Underground, which first made its debut on Raw in 2020, before becoming a staple of the developmental NXT brand.

If you’re unfamiliar with Underground, it’s essentially a no-DQ match where only submissions or knockouts grant victory. Underground has no pinfalls or countouts, and it’s not illegal to use weapons. Sounds quite standard for a no-rules type match, right?

Check out the WWE 2K25 trailer below!

Unlike more traditional matches in WWE, Underground has a ring with no ropes and unpadded turnbuckle posts. During my hands-on preview with WWE 2K25, I quickly realised how much of a weapon the unpadded turnbuckle posts are when I charged my opponent into one, busting them wide open with blood pouring from their head.

The ring is also surrounded by NPCs that frantically smack the edge of the ring apron and react to the action. While these NPCs aren't lumberjacks (an old-school match where if thrown outside the ring, the lumberjacks would attack you before throwing you back in), they are part of the real Underground aesthetic and add to the authenticity of the game mode.

Admittedly, it was strange seeing this match type in WWE 2K25. After all, when we Irish Whip an opponent to the edge of the ring, we’re used to them springing back off the ropes. Instead, when an Irish Whip is performed, Superstars will now stumble at the edge of the squad circle or fly onto the canvas floor.

Playing as Rhea Ripley versus NXT upstart Kelani Jordan, one of the added details that I appreciated in the Underground match was when reversing a move at the edge of the ring, my character performed a dragon corkscrew which sent my opponent flying to the outside. If this were a traditional match, they would have been supported by the ropes and remained in the ring. So, given more time, I can’t wait to see what other tweaks are made that set Underground apart from a traditional match and how it all translates into the video game.

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Once I felt my time was nearly done with the Underground match, I triggered Rhea Ripley’s Pumphandle Powerbomb, otherwise known as the Riptide, planting the unfortunate Kelani Jordan to the canvas for the knockout victory.

Other than the ring apparatus, much of what sets the Underground match apart from traditional matches is its atmosphere. The darkened lighting, the spotlight centred on the ring, with wrestlers smacking the ring apron … that atmosphere was captured better than I expected in WWE 2K25.

It remains to be seen if the Underground match alone will have enough variety to keep me engaged and wanting to return for more. I’ll certainly find out when WWE 2K25 releases roughly a month from now.

WWE 2K25 will be released on 14 March 2025 for the standard edition or 7 March for the Deadman and Bloodline Editions on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.