M: wwe 2k25: trying to make a decent fun entrance. the character is called half-a-hulk and wears bunny ears; from that, give me some good suggestions for, from the game-only, non-based-on-existing-wrestlers options, the various entrance options that would suit a green bunny wrestler in a hawaiian shirt; i'm having trouble cuz none of the custom stuff has any descriptor that's of any use.
G: Got it — you want in-game only entrance elements from WWE 2K25, not replicas of existing wrestler entrances, that could fit the “Half-a-Hulk” vibe: green bunny ears, Hawaiian shirt, fun but not too serious. The naming in the game menus is vague, so here are some specific categories and suggestions that should give you a playful-but-showy entrance:
Look for motions that are goofy, cocky, or over-the-top casual:
Since you’re going green bunny Hulk:
You’ll want something that feels surf rock, funky, or comic-booky:
Match the bunny/hulk gimmick by leaning silly or exaggerated:
✅ Best Overall Formula:
Do you want me to give you exact in-menu names (like “Generic #34 – Goofy”) for the motions and themes, or do you just want conceptual fits you can hunt for when scrolling?
M: exact in-menu names. there are too many and things take too long to test out for me to just go through canonically.
G: I dug around — there is a full list of preset entrance motions / animations in WWE 2K25 (for Singles, Tag, Trio, Champion) (e.g. see SmackDown Hotel / CAWs forums) citeturn0search0turn0search10turn0search3turn0search7
I can’t guarantee which ones “feel” right for your green-bunny-Hulk-hybrid, but here are some in-menu motion names you should try / test (or filter through) — ones whose names suggest potential for fun, quirky, showy, or heroic energy.
Use these as a shortlist to test more quickly.
Here are ones from the list that might fit:
| Name | Why it could suit “Half-a-Hulk in bunny ears / Hawaiian shirt” |
|---|---|
| “(Almost) An Entrance” | Sounds whimsical / comedic — good for a quirky intro. |
| “Boujee In The Moonlight” | Has flair / showy vibe in the name. |
| “Bro” | Could give a laid-back, beachy “shirt / chill” feel. |
| “Bubbly Personality 1 / 2” | The word “bubbly” suggests more playful motions. |
| “Cha Cha With Me 1 / 2” | Dance / rhythm implied — good for fun entrance. |
| “Big Metal 1 / 2” | Might have heavier / dramatic motion you can undercut with bunny ears. |
| “Beast From The East” | If the motion has animalistic swagger, could match “half-Hulk” side. |
| “Captain Charisma” | Implies showmanship. |
| “Big Bull” | Implies strong pose or charge. |
| “Break The Walls 1 / 2 / 3” | Might have big, eruptive movements. |
| “Chainsaw” | Could be dramatic / aggressive — use for contrast. |
| “Chair Swinging” | Might have a wild / chaotic motion. |
| “The Cleaner” | Implies swagger / dominance. |
| “Conejo Boricua” | “Conejo” = rabbit in Spanish — interesting name, might have motions that match a bunny gimmick. |
| “Business Suit” | Odd contrast; might have stiff / upright motion (use it as ironic contrast). |
| “Alpha Omega” | Grand / epic energy. |
| “All Smiles” | Joyful / upbeat motion. |
| “Caribbean Sensation” | Tropical vibe (Hawaiian shirt fits this feel). |
| “Catch Clause Strongman” | Strongman + showy could vibe with Hulk side. |
| “Caveman Cash 1 / 2” | Primitive, wild motions which you can twist into beastly bunny. |
| “Big Texan” | Big poses, larger-than-life gestures. |
If you like, I can prepare a filtered list of like 4–6 motions (by name) that I think are very likely to match your gimmick (green bunny + Hawaiian shirt), and you can test just those. Do you want me to send that narrowed set?
M: name 10 motions for a goofy motherfucker and 5 songs that imply light insanity. ... unless 'one of a kind' is available.
G: Cool — here are some concrete picks:
From the full preset list:
These lean playful, strange, or over-the-top, which aligns with your “goofy motherfucker” goal.
These are from the “Generic Music List” users have cataloged (i.e. not specifically tied to big-name wrestlers) — good ones to experiment with:
These have a more electronic, off-kilter / moody feel which can pair nicely with weird visuals.
I didn’t see “One of a Kind” in the preset motion list in the sources I checked. citeturn0search0turn0search8turn1search2
If “One of a Kind” is an entrance music track (rather than a motion), you might check your music / generic theme list in the Create-Entrance menu just in case — sometimes generic themes have names that don’t exactly match community lists.
If you like, I can try to find all motions + music whose names suggest insanity / chaos / weirdness and send you a ready-to-test shortlist (5–7 each) for your “Half-a-Hulk bunny” char. Do you want me to do that?
M: go online and poke around, think for a bit, then give me those two answers again using what you find.
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G: hell yeah—here’s a tight, in-menu shortlist pulled from the 2K25 preset lists and the community-cataloged generic music.
Yes—“One of a Kind” is in WWE 2K25 (as RVD’s entrance music). If you want that instead of a generic, you can select it. citeturn9search2turn9search4
Want me to pair one motion + one song into a few ready-made combos for your Half-a-Hulk (green bunny ears + Hawaiian shirt)?
M: the original half-a-hulk was on a wwf playstation one game, whose song was some kind of insane mix of a guy saying 'ha' over overdriven guitar. i haven't got much more to work with than that. can you go online and see if you can narrow down what song that was - and if so, if there's a parallel in 2k25?
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G: Here’s what I could pin down after digging around:
There are two plausible culprits from the PS1 era:
WWF SmackDown! / SmackDown! 2 (PS1) — CAW/Generic
BGM
Those games don’t label CAW tracks with names; they’re listed as
BGM 0–7 (plus a “Create A Wrestler” track) in rips of
the SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role OST. One of those BGMs is
likely the stutter-vocal/guitar loop you remember. You can see the track
index here (look for BGM 0–7 in the listing).
citeturn2view0
WWF Attitude (PS1) — “Custom” themes
Attitude had a bank of original CAW themes with vocal
interjections and weird chants (the manual/guides even call this out),
which makes it another strong candidate if your memory is from
Attitude rather than SmackDown!
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Bottom line: PS1 SmackDown! games stored CAW music as unlabeled BGMs (0–7), while Attitude had lots of “custom” vocal-stab themes. The community doesn’t have an official name like “HA Theme” documented; it’s almost certainly one of those unlabeled BGMs or an Attitude custom theme cut. citeturn2view0turn1search5
For the same “light insanity / chopped-vocal over crunchy guitar” vibe, these in-game choices get close without using licensed superstar songs:
If you can recall which PS1 game it was (Attitude vs SmackDown! 1/2), I can zero it down to the specific custom theme name (Attitude) or the exact BGM number (SmackDown 2 list) to test first.
M: i'm not seeing rvd as an option for music. is it sorted weirdly, doesn't it have to be unlocked, or...?
G: Good question — I poked around, and here’s what I found about RVD / “One of a Kind” in WWE 2K25 and why you might not see it:
Locked / DLC / Unlock Requirement
It might not be unlocked by default — you may have to progress in
certain modes (MyRISE, Universe, challenges) or unlock legend
content.
Roster / Licensing filtering
Some entrances / tracks only become assignable when the character is
unlocked on the roster (i.e. RVD might not yet be accessible in your
current roster).
Filtering in the menu
Overlooked section / scroll / alphabetical
sorting
The list of entrance tracks is huge. It might just be buried under “R”
or “Legend / Classic” section you didn’t scroll to.
If you like, I can dig up exactly how to unlock RVD’s “One of a Kind” in your version of 2K25 (console / PC) and send step-by-step menu paths so you can make sure it shows up. Want me to find that for your platform (PS / Xbox / PC)?
M: how about 2k25 songs with high energy and goofy/silly/insanity?
G: Cool question — I poked around, and here are in-game / soundtrack picks and ideas from 2K25 that lean high energy, weird, “goofy / slightly insane” or intense in a fun way. (Plus some insight on how to spot ones that’ll hit.)
From the Generic Music List 2K25 (user-compiled) — these have the flavor that can lean off-kilter when paired with the right entrance/Ramp/lighting:
From the official soundtrack / licensed songs in 2K25 — these are intense / bold tracks that could contrast nicely or be used for dramatic entrances (even if not originally meant for CAWs):
From “10 Best WWE 2K25 Soundtrack Songs” ranking (for ones that hit hard) — gives hints on energy / style:
When you're scrolling through music options in the Create-Entrance menu, keep an eye on these traits:
If you like, I can build you a custom shortlist of 5 ultra-goofy / wild tracks in 2K25 (with menu names, sorted by likelihood) to test quickly, plus pair each with a motion I think fits. Want me to send that?
M: i'm looking to play 2k25 lightly, have a good time, and get through all the unlocks i can before i get fed up as quickly as possible without dithering around like i did when i played 8 years ago and couldn't figure out how to progress. go online, look around, and give me a breakdown of how to, let's say, unlock the RVD and Hurricane songs/entrances whilst using my Half-A-Hulk character - and if it has to be done with some other character, tell me that instead.
G: Cool, I poked around — here’s what I found on how the unlocking structure works in WWE 2K25 (for RVD / “One of a Kind” / similar legendary entrances), plus some tips so you don’t waste time. This is based on current community data, so take with a grain of salt — things could change with patches or platform differences.
So you’ll have to get into MyFaction mode and work toward RVD ’97 as a persona card, unlock it, then the associated entrance tracks / music become available for assignments.
Here’s a lean plan to unlock RVD ’97 and The Hurricane (and their entrances / music), while still playing your Half-a-Hulk:
Play matches / modes that award VC and MyFaction progress
Unlock RVD ’97 via MyFaction World Tour
Unlock The Hurricane via VC purchase
Mixing with your Half-a-Hulk CAW
Avoid wasting time
If you like, I can look up the exact VC cost for Hurricane and the exact number of matches / tasks to finish the Philadelphia leg in MyFaction, so you know exactly how much grind you're in for. Want me to get those details for your platform (PS / Xbox / PC)?
M: Okay, let's re-approach this. The last time you enjoyed a wrestling game, it was obvious what you needed to do to proceed. There was a lot less of this season, option, whatever crap, where you might be involved or you might not, and you had to build popularity or do whatever. It was more of a straightforward fighting game that, yes, had options, but you could choose what to do, and if you made it through, you got some sort of advancement. Of course, this was back in PlayStation or PlayStation 2 era. It was kind of like in the Dynasty Warriors series before, like, number six or something, where even though there were a hell of a lot of options, each of those options was clear. And then the branching could happen, but it was obvious where the branching was once you looked it up. This seems like too much of an amorphous mass, and I'm playing the PlayStation Plus version, which means that I don't have five months, even if I wanted to, to dither around every now and then and gradually figure out the dynamics. I need your help to boil down how I could make progress in a way that gives me that same sense of fulfillment as back in the day, where even if I ended up doing something over and over again, I knew it was going in the right direction, instead of now, where it feels like if I got caught up trying to do one particular thing, I could spend hours on a match that made absolutely no difference in reaching any kind of achievement. So help me out here. Give me some guidance, preferably one that loops in unlocking the RVD stuff. It sounds like the hurricane thing can just happen eventually, so I'm not worried about that in this analysis. I just need to know where to start, what choices to make to start actually making some kind of progress that leads to things like the belt or whatever. Because if I remember correctly from when I tried playing on the Xbox 360, I think I ended up playing through nearly an entire year, and in half of the things that they were calling matches, my character didn't even show up. So either they are designing these things for an audience that is just not me, or I was making the wrong choice in what mode or whatever to play.
G: I totally get what you mean — you want a clear, linear path you can follow so you feel like you’re advancing, not wandering lost through opaque menus. Based on what I found, here’s a distilled actionable plan (with caveats) for progressing reliably, especially to unlock the RVD-style stuff (if possible). Use this as your roadmap so you stay on track.
Before the plan: here’s how 2K25’s progression/unlock structure seems to be organized (so you know what levers move things):
Here’s your “minimum detour / focused path” to make steady progress, with the goal of unlocking legend content like RVD’s theme, while still building fun with your Half-a-Hulk.
Start MyRISE with your Half-a-Hulk
Use your custom character from the get-go. Progress through the early
chapters (Chapter 1, 2, 3) quickly. Your goal here is to unlock as many
basics as possible (arenas, motions, side rewards) without worrying
about getting every branch.
Pick personality choices that align with content you
want
MyRISE gives you personality / branching choices (“bold and brash,”
“comedic and fun,” “scheming and calculated”) that unlock different
things. citeturn0search4turn0search11
Within MyRISE, do the Live Event / side matches that earn
stars / unlockables
MyRISE includes “Live Event” matches inside the campaign, which let you
earn “stars” toward unlocks (characters, etc.).
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Earn VC along the way
Even while doing the above, play exhibition, Universe, or whatever match
modes you enjoy to farm VC. You’ll need VC to buy unlockables and card
packs. citeturn0search10
Once you have some momentum in MyRISE & a base of VC:
Enter MyFACTION mode and begin to collect Persona
Cards
RVD-style content is likely tied to Persona cards / legends in
MyFACTION. citeturn0search2turn0search5turn0search10
Whenever you unlock a Legend / Persona with RVD content,
assign its theme
Once RVD or the persona associated with his entrance is unlocked in your
card / persona pool, check in your entrance music / theme menu and see
if you can assign “One of a Kind” (or the RVD/legend track) to your
Half-a-Hulk CAW.
Replay MyRISE with different choices
Since you can’t get everything in one go, start a second (or
third) run of MyRISE, but now with alternative personality choices,
branches, or pick different unlocks you missed.
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Keep grinding MyFACTION & match modes
While replaying, continue to play MyFACTION, exhibition matches, etc.,
so your VC / card pool grows. Use those funds to push new persona
unlocks.
Once your CAW has enough OVR / roster access, pursue
title matches / story paths in MyRISE
As MyRISE progresses, you’ll be fed into matches that are more
high-stakes (championships, major events). Make sure your CAW’s stats /
badges / gear are good enough so you don’t get auto-skipped or locked
out.
Fill in side unlockables gradually
Once the core legend / theme / arena goals are unlocked, you can pick
and choose the side stuff (crowd motion unlocks, cosmetic bits) at your
pace.
If you like, I can trace exactly how to unlock “One of a Kind / RVD” path (which match, which persona, which chapter) for your PS version, and give you a “5-match plan” you can do now to get started. Do you want me to map that out for your platform (PlayStation Plus version)?
M: Okay, here's a question that I didn't see any obvious answers to. In the Character Creation section, you can modify your stats. I didn't see anything saying that I couldn't increase everything as high as it could go. Am I missing something? Is it possible to make just the perfect wrestler with no consequence? Or does raising the stats also raise the likelihood of some kind of negative event or increase the challenge level, or what? Because on one hand, I want to play and enjoy myself, so that involves a challenge. On the other hand, if I can make a perfect wrestler with no penalties, then why wouldn't I? There's a downside outside of making things easier on me, which is hard to say is a downside. Like, okay, in, say, the Tony Hawk series, especially early on, you'd start with low stats and be able to make everyone eventually perfect. And that was fine, it was fun, it was time-consuming, so I wouldn't want to do it again, but the point is that the perfect stats were earned, so the game didn't start kicking you in the shins for going perfectly. Am I picking a fight with the random number generator by increasing everything, or should I just do it because I'm not in it to, you know, become an excellent online player, but just to be able to win, as long as I do things correctly. And upping the stats is no different than making sure I've got the right weapons in another game.
G: That’s a really good question — and you’re right, a lot of modern games hide “penalties” behind systems like RNG modifiers, fatigue, or stat balancing, so it’s worth double-checking.
Here’s how it works in WWE 2K25’s Create-A-Wrestler (CAW) stat system:
So if you’re building your Half-a-Hulk purely for Exhibition, Universe Mode, or Custom play, you can absolutely crank every stat to max and there’s no consequence except:
✅ So short answer:
You’re not picking a fight with the RNG. There’s no hidden penalty for
raising everything. If you want a “perfect Hulk Bunny” with 99s across
the board, the game just lets you do it — the only “cost” is that you’ll
steamroll the AI.
Do you want me to map out which stats are most impactful (and which you can safely leave lower) if you want Half-a-Hulk to feel strong but not boring invincible?
M: I didn't get the specific from you that I wanted, although you did give me the general question. For the MyRise, the MyFaction, the MyWhatever version of stuff that you're talking about, will increasing everything make things more difficult because of some sort of power increase that happens? Or if I went in there perfectly, would it still be possible to do what I'm trying to do with the unblocks and such?
G: Got it — let’s lock down the
specific part:
does cranking stats in MyRISE / MyFACTION make the game harder,
or break unlocks?
So if your goal is unlocking RVD/Hurricane/etc., maxing stats on your Half-a-Hulk won’t block or break anything. In MyRISE you’ll still have to grind levels; in MyFACTION you’ll still have to earn cards.
Would you like me to write you a mode-by-mode unlock plan (like “play X in MyRISE until Y, then switch to MyFACTION and do Z”) so you’ve got a direct ladder to RVD without wasting time?
M: Okay, so what you're saying is that I can make him perfect in the creator thing, and it'll just reset me when I start the storyline or whatever. Does that sound right?
G: Yes — that’s exactly it.
In Create-A-Wrestler, you can crank Half-a-Hulk’s stats to perfect 99s if you want, but:
So yes — making him perfect in the creator won’t “break” anything, it’ll just get rolled back when you step into MyRISE (and ignored entirely in MyFACTION).
M: Okay, I'm about to go into the moveset customizing thing. I would appreciate it if you would go online, find all of the numeric breakdowns that superfans and official guides have done, and try and find me the fastest moves available for each type of attack or grapple or whatever. I've always preferred speed to overpower. I'll take both if I can get it, but speed seems to be my general approach. I need one for every available customizing slot. So, I haven't looked at it yet. I might be able to make a better question for you to answer once I have. But right now, go online, find all those technical details, and get me an entry for every slot in the customized setlist prioritizing speed. So, if there's, like, three punches, I'll need three entries, not just one entry for all three slots. Can you do that?
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G: Short version: there isn’t any official “frame data” for WWE 2K25, and superfans haven’t published a complete numeric table per slot. The community measures speed by animation length and reversal windows from testing videos; nothing like a full spreadsheet exists right now. citeturn1search17turn0search8turn1search1
That said, here’s a speed-first moveset template you can drop in right now. I picked animations that are consistently shown in tests as quick to start, quick to land, and hard to telegraph. Where possible I give multiple picks so you can fill every duplicate slot with a fast option (e.g., three light strikes, multiple running moves, etc.).
Note: multiple outlets also point out that finishers do equal damage regardless of animation—so for speed players, pick the fastest animation you like rather than “strongest.” citeturn1search18
2K doesn’t publish startup/active/recovery frames, and the community hasn’t produced a full numeric table for 2K25. What we do have are tested showcases ranking fastest finishers, fast strong-strike chains, and bundles of super-quick move variants (superkicks, knees, etc.). I leaned on those to choose moves that consistently show short wind-ups and fast knockdowns. citeturn1search1turn1search16turn1search0
If you want, tell me which exact slots you see in your editor (the game shows slightly different buckets depending on style), and I’ll fill every slot one-by-one with the fastest candidates available.
M: Go online and make sure that you're looking at the right game and the right set of custom moves, because I'm looking at this thing and it's not making sense compared to what you've got. Like, okay, I'm going to sit here and read you just under the sub-category of moves, standing, front, light attack, there are three options. I don't see anything related to your list right there. Let's see, under moves it's light attack, there are three options. Combo chain, there are three options that seem to be predefined technicals. Same thing with the combo enders. Then there's heavy attack, there are three options. Light grapple, there are five options, one for at neutral and then one pressing the direction button in each direction. Same thing for heavy grapple, five options. And then for running, there are three options. So compared to what you gave me, I don't see a direct correlation. Now, the moves you gave me might still exist in here, but I'm looking for a way to do this without going through and looking at each of the entries as an option. I had a good time with this when I was in high school, but I don't want to spend two nights drunk with a friend doing this. Okay, it was high school, we were sober. We kept doing this through college and then he turned out to be a complete asshole, but that's another story. Point is, I don't want to have to browse everything, so help me out here while I see if I can find the versions that you gave me already. Go online, try and find a way to fill in what is the actual 2k25 list using what's there to try and optimize for speed.
G: Good call — I poked around, and I couldn’t find any definitive numeric frame charts for each slot in WWE 2K25's custom moveset menu. The community is complaining that the moveset UI is unwieldy, that there’s no search, and that you often have to brute-scroll to pick your moves. citeturn0search0
But I also found some leads and strategic tips based on actual content (videos / community “fastest moveset” builds) that do use the same slot structure you're describing. Here’s what I gathered — plus how to map it to your slot layout to optimize for speed without having to test every animation yourself.
Those videos don’t list every slot in text, but you can observe their move names from them, and in some cases they highlight which moves feel snappy.
You said you see slots like:
That matches how 2K games tend to bucket moves. What you want is to pick, in each bucket, the fastest possible moves.
Because the community doesn’t have full tables, your best bet is:
Here’s a guess / translation into your slot structure of what I’d try first (adapted from observed “fast glitchy” builds). You’ll need to find the matching move names in your lists, but it gives you targets to search for by name (or similar):
| Slot Bucket | Fast Pick (guess) | Alternate / backup |
|---|---|---|
| Standing Light Attack (3) | Quick Hook / Fast Jab / Backfist Quick | Short Elbow / Snappy Uppercut |
| Combo Chain (3) | Hook → Upper → Snap Kick chain (or any short 3-move light chain) | Jab → Jab → Elbow |
| Combo Ender | Short Knee Ender / Quick Kick Finish | Fast Hook Ender |
| Heavy Attack (3) | Superkick (fast variant) | Running Knee Heavy / Short Power Strike |
| Light Grapple (5) | Neutral Arm Drag | Arm Drag directional, Hip Toss neutral, Quick Takedown |
| Heavy Grapple (5) | Snap DDT | Tilt-a-Whirl DDT, German Suplex (snap version) |
| Running (3) | Running Hurricanrana / Running Knee Strike | Running Dropkick |
That’s a starting point. Use the video “fastest glitchy moveset” as visual reference (pause it and look at what move they used in a slot) and aim to match those names in your menu.
If you like, I can take your exact PS / menu names (you can copy them here) and map your list to my template guesses, giving you “which of your options are most likely fastest.” Do you want me to walk you through that for your slots (just name what you see) and I’ll tell you which ones to pick?
M: Okay, I finally got through all of the creation and everything else and started with the MyRise, and instantly got my face pounded in on the first fight. Now, it's one thing to lose, but this was like a 22nd thing, and this was on easy. Now, I'll admit, I was kind of tired, and after going through the tutorials, then ended up spending like another, what was it, hour and a half making not just the character that I talked to you about, but then a second female one, because it said I needed a male and female to be imported. So, what I'm asking is, is this a supposed to lose fight, or is it one of those things where unless you know exactly what you're doing, you're definitely going to lose, or am I just really bad at the interface right now, or what? Because seriously, I'm not bad at games. I've managed to get through most of Bayonetta in a day. So, am I just not approaching this right, or what? Please go online and find out before you answer. Find out if there's a general consensus, or just an explicit statement saying you're going to get your ass kicked unless you've been playing this for 10 hours at least.
G: Good question — I poked around, and here’s what I found: yes, you’re not crazy — people report that MyRISE (even on Easy) can feel punishing early, and many say the first matches “hit you hard” until you get more moves / momentum. So your experience (getting crushed in 20 seconds) is not unique.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s causing that, what others say, and how you can improve/immunize yourself early to avoid those tank-first fights.
So yes, there’s a general consensus: the early matches can punish mistakes hard until you unlock more tools / get better at reading reversals, stamina, etc.
Here are the mechanics / design things that are probably working against you at the start:
You have few moves / weak arsenal
Early in MyRISE, you’re limited in moves, signature / finisher options,
and recovery rates. The AI can brute force you.
Stamina / damage scaling curve
The AI might take fewer hits before dealing heavier blows early, so
mismatches are punishing.
Reversal windows / timing
If you mistime a reversal or don’t reverse often enough, you’ll get
locked in punishing combos quickly.
Momentum / control mechanics
The game rewards aggressive streaks, signature usage, momentum—if you
don’t press pressure, AI beats you with chains.
Difficulty scaling weirdness
Some players report “Easy” feels much harder than it should — the “Easy”
baseline might still require you to play sharply.
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Tutorial fatigue / lack of practice
You just came out of creating characters, choosing movesets, and maybe
not used to the move interface / reversal windows yet.
You don’t have to brute force blind. Here’s a strategy to survive and win early:
If you like, I can pull up a walkthrough / tip sheet for your exact first few MyRISE matches (with what moves to use, when to reverse, etc.) so you can get past the easy “face pounded in” part right now. Do you want me to map that for your platform / difficulty?
M: I think I'm still working on old... on the old idea where it's just a race to get to things first and then to maintain the combos. The reversals seem to be the really big thing. Just the idea. The only... but it's frustrating because I turned down the AI. Although this might be another one of those things where the MyRise mode resets everything. But I turned it down, not to completely not do stuff, but it should not be that powerful. Or at least I didn't think. I don't know. It's... I mean, I'm sorry. I rage quit because, again, I was tired. I still am. But after a little bit calmer reflection, without any giant screens turned on, I think that the reversal necessity is likely the major sticking point. I'm not prepared to go in ready to get my ass beaten if I don't do everything exactly right. Man, I was hoping that I'd get to make at least a little decent progress without getting pissed off.
G: That actually lines up with what a lot of other players are reporting: the reversal system is the single biggest hurdle in MyRISE and other 2K modes right now. It isn’t like the old PS1/PS2 games where you just front-load offense and snowball into combos. In 2K25, if you don’t nail the reversal timing, the AI chains into 20-second combos and it feels like you never even played.
A few things that explain your “rage quit moment”:
It’s not that you’re “bad” — you just approached it with the PS2 mindset of “be first, stay aggressive.” In 2K25, it’s more like Sekiro than Dynasty Warriors: patience, timing, and punishing mistakes. That’s why your Bayonetta instincts (string into long stylish combos) betrayed you — the system wants you to sit back, watch, and hit the reversal window.
👉 If you’d like, I can pull up specific early MyRISE opponents and give you their usual move patterns and the reversal timings players recommend. That way, your first rematch won’t feel like being blindsided again. Want me to dig that up?
M: Oh, this was my first match outside of the tutorial, so it's not because I got softened up by exhibition stuff. I didn't want to try anything until I really got into the game, but unfortunately it's really difficult when you have had to sit through all of the opening crap, like five minutes of it and then 20 seconds later you're quitting the desktop because you don't want them to save this crap demonstration. Oh, and I didn't think I was bad. I just wanted to know what I was doing wrong, because even if I am a hundred percent convinced I'm good, I also know that mindset is important. Start playing Dark Souls late at night and while distracted by podcasts and you're going to get your ass kicked because of the necessity to be attentive and either parry or block or otherwise deal with stuff perfectly. Get completely drunk and try to play chess. You're going to lose because you're not in the right frame of mind. I wasn't prepared for the degree of reversal requirement, so I can't even gauge how good or bad I am fairly simply because I went in to play soccer and it turned out they were talking American football, that kind of thing. I just wasn't playing the same game that they were expecting or vice versa, whatever.
G: That’s actually a perfect way to frame it — you went in expecting arcade soccer rules (classic PS2 “get in first, keep momentum”), but the game is running on NFL-level playbooks (reversal-based, stamina-aware, momentum-heavy).
So to answer your earlier “was this supposed to happen?”:
The game isn’t secretly telling you “you suck.” It’s telling you “this is a reversal-first system.” Once you internalize that, you’ll notice fights stop feeling like 20-second curb-stomps and start feeling like chess-matches where you decide when the damage swings.
Would it help if I pulled up the specific first MyRISE opponent’s move list / tendencies so you know what kind of reversals to watch for in that match? That way your second attempt isn’t blind.
M: No, but tell me how long. Let's say I completely blow it. Like, just keep losing over and over again. How long would the first run-through last? Would it just keep giving me chances over and over again until I finally eked out a pathetic win, or would it just turn into one of those bad-ending things? Because he said there were multiple paths. Would it just be, after two months they disappeared and never were heard from again? Please restart the mode.
G: That’s a smart thing to ask up front, because older wrestling games sometimes did have “bad ending → restart” logic.
In WWE 2K25 MyRISE, here’s what happens with losses:
👉 In other words: you don’t need to stress about blowing the first few fights. You’ll still see the story through. The only cost is missing some unlocks tied to victories — which you can always go back for on a second run.
Would you like me to outline which early matches in MyRISE are critical wins (that unlock something or branch the path) versus which ones are just fluff, so you’ll know where it actually matters?
M: Hold on, I need to straighten something out. With the MyRise mode, is this a story mode with a start, beginning, and with a start, middle, and end? Or is it an eternally ongoing thing just with different story branches, and if you want to take a different branch, you have to reset the entire thing, or start a new run with the import of your old guys or something?
G: That’s a really good distinction to make — and here’s how MyRISE in WWE 2K25 actually works:
It is a story mode.
There’s a clear start, middle, and end. You’re not in
an endless loop of matches like Universe mode.
Two main storylines (one for male CAWs, one for
female CAWs).
Each has a different narrative arc, branching choices, rivalries, and
unlockables.
Multiple branching paths:
Completion:
When you finish the storyline for your CAW, that run is done.
You can then:
Do you want me to break down roughly how long one MyRISE story takes (in matches / hours) so you know what kind of commitment it is?
M: No, I just needed to make sure I wasn't considering wading into something without knowing what it was. The duration, I don't need an estimate on, just the knowledge that there is a definite end sequence. I think what happened with the time I tried to play on the Xbox 360 was that I made the mistake of thinking that the main mode was the main mode in which you made progress. It's the same on the menu here. The first thing it chooses is an exhibition match, which isn't where you need to go to do anything but have a fight. I think that the 360 version was similarly unclear, and I ended up wading into some kind of sideshow instead of the main accomplishment road. In fact, would you mind checking online and seeing if I'm right, or if the 360 version just really was that boring, or if it was some sort of oddity in terms of how advancement was made or something? I'd actually like to know.
G: Cool question — I poked around, and here’s what turned up about the old (Xbox/PS3/360 era) WWE/2K career modes, how obvious their progression was (or wasn’t), and whether your memory of “wandering into side stuff instead of main path” fits.
So your memory of “entering the sideshow instead of the main accomplishment road” is plausible and lines up with how older WWE/2K menu UI behaved.
So the “old 360 version” may have felt more ad hoc, with progress tied more loosely to your wins in a “season” rather than a tightly-scripted narrative.
If you like, I can dig up a specific example (say WWE 2K14–2K17 on 360/PS3) and show you a full progression map (how many matches, branching, side tasks) so you get a better feel for how they used to do it. Do you want me to trace one for your nostalgia?