CM Punk Officially Announced As WWE 2K26 Cover Star

Has CM Punk been on the WWE 2K cover before?

This isn't the first time that Punk has been crowned the cover star of WWE's flagship wrestling series. He did so 13 years ago when he donned the cover of WWE 2K13 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii.

He was also poised to be the frontman for the 2022/2023 edition of AEW: Fight Forever. However, his falling out with the company led to his being removed from cover duties before the game was officially released.

The current WWE World Heavyweight Champion and self-proclaimed "Best in the World" will also likely be the focal point of WWE 2K26's Showcase mode. Last year's WWE 2K25 featured Roman Reigns as its cover athlete, with the game's Showcase mode taking players through various portions of The Bloodline's history.

What is the WWE 2K26 Showcase mode?

Punk's Showcase mode is rumored to differ a bit from the norm. Commonly, the series' Showcase mode is a trip down memory lane of sorts, highlighting some of the biggest matches in WWE history. This year, 2K is reportedly still doing that with Punk's extensive catalogue of historic matches, but there's also said to be an "alternative history" take of what could have happened if Punk never left the WWE in 2014.

And then another portion of the Showcase mode may feature a fantasy match aspect, placing players in matches Punk wishes he could have competed in if her were to wrestle in another era.

WWE 2K26 news has been coming in hot as of late. The 2K26 website is continually dropping teasers for new features coming to the game. Announcements for Attitude Era, Monday Night Wars, and King of Kings editions have come out.

That said, we've yet to see a proper trailer for the game's rumored March 13th release. Perhaps that trailer is imminent, with the Royal Rumble just a day away.