I know this is something we see a lot when it comes to annual release sports games like WWE 2K23, but this iteration of the wrestling game from 2K could really be the best one yet – and I’m not just saying that because War Games has finally been introduced (even though that is very exciting). No, I am saying that because WWE 2K23 has introduced an action figure variant John Cena. Yep, that’s right – there’s a plastic version of John Cena in the latest WWE game, complete with ball-joint hips and an uncanny expression that’s ever so slightly off.
As someone who has been an on-and-off WWE fan for quite a while now (I am talking about photos of me as a ten-year old with a Stone Cold Steve Austin t-shirt on and a box full of old worn-out WWE action figures somewhere), the fact that WWE 2K23 is introducing (at least one) action figure variants of wrestlers is something that I didn’t know I needed until now.
Not only this, and I know what I am about to say sounds a little hyperbolic, but WWE 2K23 could be about to save Christmas – well, specifically, a Christmas Day from around fifteen years ago. Let me explain.
I’m not going to pretend to know exactly how old I was, but there was one Christmas when I was around nine or ten (possibly) when I was lucky enough to get a WWE wrestling ring toy from Santa Claus (or, more accurately, my parents).
As a kid who had spent their time throwing a six-inch Kurt Angle onto a similarly-scaled The Undertaker from atop a hastily constructed Jenga tower, having a ring to wrestle in was a dream come true. Well, it was a dream come true for most of the afternoon – you know, before I accidentally stepped on it and broke it.
I’m not going to go into how pleased my parents were about the whole situation (spoiler alert, they weren’t), but I can only remember a feeling of devastation now. The canvas had cracked and a turnbuckle-laden corner post was snapped at the base. The ring, which couldn’t support the ropes anymore, was busted – and it sucked.
I know that was a long time ago, but it’s something I hadn’t really thought about until I saw that WWE 2K23 was introducing an action figure John Cena – and now, that’s all I can think of. You can check out a glimpse of this variant John Cena in action below – isn’t it glorious?
But, there’s one problem – and I am sure you know what I’m about to say. What about the rest of them? I know John Cena is the cover star and everything, but he’s far from the only WWE action figure out there; in fact, he’s going to look rather out of place if he’s the only one. That’s just a straight-up fact. With the WWE 2K23 roster boasting a wide range of superstars from Smackdown, Raw, and NXT (and a few “legends” too), there are so many wrestlers that would make fine additions to the toy box. Batista, Edge, Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, RVD, Triple H… The list goes on.
The long and short of all of this is the following: WWE 2K23 has unlocked a childhood memory by introducing action figure John Cena and I am prepared to give them all of my money (an appropriate amount of money for a triple-A WWE game and any associated DLC content) for a full suite of action figure variant wrestlers in-game. Look, I am a lot less likely to stand on my TV and break a virtual WWE ring, alright? This is an investment I am willing to make, 2K.
From what the internet has shared with the world ahead of the full WWE 2K23 release time, it looks like the action figure John Cena is one of two variant appearances for the wrestler in the MyFaction mode – the other making the memed man invisible, bar his sweatbands and jorts.
At the moment, there’s nothing to say that this is the only action figure variant available in WWE 2K23 – but, there’s nothing to say there are going to be more, either. So, we will just have to wait and see what 2K has planned, but this is a lot of fun either way and could be a fantastic starting point for a whole selection of alternate appearances for the game’s biggest names. If you’re wondering who those names are, just check out WWE 2K23 ratings guide right here.