With (a somewhat disappointing) WrestleMania 41 in the books, and another WWE calendar year in the books, it is time for me to have my turn, and with this being my first series on a PS5, I am VERY excited! Having done a few of these now, I’m determined to make this the best one I have ever done, and equally as determined to right some wrongs of the past year in WWE. Overall I think WWE’s booking is in a better place than it has been for YEARS, but… it’s not quite perfect, or not how I would’ve done it (Rock, I am looking at you!)…
So as always, for the purpose of this series, please imagine things in MY WWE universe as me picking up the booking duties from immediately after WrestleMania 40; Cody has finished his story, Damian Priest is the World Heavyweight Champion, and Bayley finally got her big Mania singles win! So now it is all about how I follow up what I thought was an excellent two nights of WrestleMania (go back and read my review of said show, it was very good trust me).
Before I get into my Raw after Mania, and the following SmackDown too, let me get into some ground rules and set up details for my own WWE Universe. Given the arenas on the game, I will be using the Raw ‘Netflix’ arena for my Raw shows (with a special ‘Day 1’ edition of Raw on the first week of January, to be the equivalent special show to the irl Raw on Netflix debut. Alongside that, my SmackDown’s will be using the 2025 SmackDown arena (with a special ‘New Year’s Revolution show on the final SmackDown in December, you can see that as their version of an opening night on a new network, ‘if you will’ (in your best Dusty voice)).
5 matches on each show, I think will keep the quality control level high, I want each match to matter and for every show to feel like a big deal. As much as I may not play out every match on every show, I will do my best to tell you all what I would have happen, leading up to each month’s PLE.
Rosters… I will get on to, but I will say that I will have a ‘transfer window’ in place (beginning December week 1 and ending February week 1). I quite liked how they did this irl, and for me it will allow for each of my rosters to be kept fresh, and to allow me for more flexible and fun booking.
My final bit of explaining, before I get into the actual shows following WrestleMania 40, is my PLE schedule. Naturally it is dictated by the arenas on the game, and so it is fairly similar to the real life schedule, with some minor changes which I think make things more fun. I also will be having 4 special ‘Saturday Night Main Event’ shows. I am unsure as of yet what I will have these shows be like, but I will ensure they make sense to my booking at that time. Those shows will take place at locations TBC, and on the following dates; August Week 2, November Week 3, January Week 4 and February Week 4. My PLE’s will go as follows:
PLE Calendar (Saturday Week 4, unless stated otherwise)
May – Backlash (Lyon, France)
June – Clash At The Castle (Glasgow, Scotland)
July – Money In The Bank (Toronto, Canada)
August – SummerSlam (Cleveland, Ohio)
September – Bash In Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
October – Bad Blood (Atlanta, Georgia)
November – Survivor Series: War Games (Vancouver, Canada)
December – Payback (Boston, Massachusetts)
January – Royal Rumble (Tampa Bay, Florida)
March (Week 2) – Elimination Chamber (Perth, Australia)
April (Night 1 – Saturday, Night 2 – Sunday) – WrestleMania (Las Vegas, Nevada)
But of course, before we get to our first PLE, we must go to our weekly TV. So here is MY first shows from my WWE 2K25 Universe Mode series!
Raw after WrestleMania
As much as I may change many things on the way, one thing I will keep is what we saw from our brand new WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes! I would keep him coming out to open the show, having Triple H congratulate him and then present him with the following video package:
And after Cody gets all teary eyed as reality of finishing his story finally begins to sink in, he is soon interrupted…
We are then shown an ‘earlier this day’ with The Judgment Day arriving to the arena. Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley (both as world champions) enter first smiling, Finn, JD and Carlito follow looking… stern faced… with Dom lagging behind before Rhea hurries him to the front. The later 3 men are instead all smiles when Priest and Rhea turn around. The terror twins then declare that ‘tonight, WE show why the Judgment Day ALWAYS stay on top!’. Finn then says (privately) to JD “well, they are right about that, The Judgment Day are ALWAYS on top”…
We then have our opening match of the show, as Mami defends her title against a familiar foe…
Liv Morgan defeated Rhea Ripley (C) to win the Women’s World Championship
Well, you know how this one goes… I’m doing the Raquel Rodriguez return to join up with Liv, and I’m doing the Dirty Dom turn (that they did irl at SummerSlam). Liv walks out with a new best friend, a new man, and a new championship belt!
An injured CM Punk comes out for an in-ring promo. Punk talks about the contrasting WrestleMania’s for Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes. He also says that he’s back, he’s coming for a title of his own, and he still has a few scores to settle… SETH ROLLINS then makes his way out to the ring, looking… well quite frankly miserable. Punk says to Rollins “look, I don’t know why you’re out here during MY time, and I know you got your ass beat at WrestleMania, but you did a hell of a job and I respect that and…” but Rollins interrupts “WILL YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH?!”… An aghast Punk looks on as Rollins goes on “I’ve had people come up to me and congratulate me for being the ‘MVP’ of WrestleMania, and hell, maybe I was… but at what cost? I’m hurt, and I’m hurt bad, and I left WrestleMania with NOTHING! Trust me… when I come back, I’m taking what’s mine, and I am coming for it all!” He then drops the mic, throws a death stare at Punk and leaves. Punk gives him shit as he does so, but Rollins just ignores him and walks to the back…
New Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn makes his way out to the ring, but before he can say anything, we see on the titantron that DREW MCINTYRE has attacked CM Punk! Drew is then banned from the arena, as the medical staff see to Punk. Sami is in the ring and he’s very confused, but before he can do anything, Bron Breakker comes out and challenges Zayn to put his IC Title on the line RIGHT NOW, AND ZAYN ACCEPTS!
Bron Breakker defeated Sami Zayn (C) to win the Intercontinental Championship
And just as quickly as Sami Zayn’s celebrated winning the IC Title once again, he has lost it, to the next big rising star in the company.
We have a ceremony were The Miz & R-Truth are presented with the World Tag Team Championship belts. R-Truth then takes it upon himself to declare them ‘fighting champions’ and he makes an open challenge match for right now. Miz seems very upset at this, and his upset turns to being distraught when the open challenge is answered by THE WAR RAIDERS!
War Raiders defeated The Miz & R-Truth (C) to win the World Tag Team Championship
This is where I am doing the Miz turn on Truth. Sorry.
Alpha Academy are backstage, where they were approached by American Made. Gable and co proceeded to mock his former friends, when Jey Uso stepped in and asked if there was a problem? Gable said no there wasn’t (whilst smirking), as The Creed Brothers both kept in laughs, Ivy Nile glared at Maxxine Dupri as American Made scuttered away.
But just before that, the screen… glitched…
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are backstage with Naomi. They talk about their women’s tag title match tonight, as Naomi gives her two friends a big pep talk. Naomi smiles gleefully as her friends prepare for battle.
Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair (with Naomi) defeated ‘Damage CTRL’ [C] to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Following up from their WrestleMania defeat, it’s another L for Damage CTRL as they lose their tag titles. It was a brutal match as both Kairi and Asuka pick up injuries. And with Iyo Sky having lost her title at WrestleMania, where the group goes from here remains to be seen. But to the victor goes the spoils, and it’s all glory for Jade and Bianca now with their friend Naomi by their side… Or is it?…
John Cena comes out to the delight of the Raw after Mania crowd. Their raucous reactions are soon silence, when Cena reveals that he will be retiring from professional wrestling. He doesn’t say exactly when he will have his last match but that ‘the last time is… soon…’ (Whilst not the exact same, think of this speech as something similar to his irl retirement announcement at Money In The Bank).
It is next time for the main event of the show. But before Gunther comes out to challenge Damian Priest, he tells Ludwig Kaiser to stay in the back, as he needs to win this match on his own and to prove to everyone why he is the Ring General.
Gunther defeated Damian Priest [C] to win the World Heavyweight Championship
Think back to SummerSlam 2025 irl… and take that match finish and put it in here. Finn Balor turns on Damian Priest, and Gunther wins the title.
Raw after Mania goes off the air with Priest heartbroken and beaten, Balor and The Judgment Day laughing hysterically, and GUNTHER as the NEW World Heavyweight Champion.
SmackDown after WrestleMania
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes comes out to open the show. He cuts a promo thanking the fans for helping get to where he is today. He also says that his challenger for his first title defence at Backlash will be decided on next week’s show.
The real action on the show gets underway with the following contest…
LA Knight defeated Andrade, Carmelo Hayes & Shinsuke Nakamura in a fatal-4-way match to win the United States Championship
After quite the chaotic match, a United States Champion is crowned, and it goes to a familiar face…
WWE Women’s Champion Bayley has a backstage interview. She says she wants to be a fighting champion, and then makes her way out to the ring. Once there, Bayley offers an open challenge for her title… which is answered by…
Nia Jax defeated Bayley (C) to win the WWE Women’s Championship
Jax is helped out by Tiffany Stratton, and we have a NEW Women’s Champion!
Austin Theory and Grayson Waller are presented with the WWE Tag Team Championship belts. But before they can gloat and celebrate, DIY come out and challenge them to put their newly won belts on the line, to which ‘A-Town Down’ cockily accept. And…
‘DIY’ defeated Austin Theory & Grayson Waller (C) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
Yes, Ciampa and Gargano win the titles, but not quite how you’d think. They cheat to win and turn heel!
I will have announced a tournament to crown the first ever Women’s United States Champion. That will begin with this match:
Michin defeated Piper Niven (with Chelsea Green) in a Women’s United States Championship tournament Quarter Final match
This would be a solid match with Michin advancing, much to Miss Green’s bemusement.
Following that match, we cut to backstage where Bianca Belair is shown very upset, as footage shows that earlier today Jade Cargill was attacked and taken away in an ambulance. As a result, she has had to relinquish her Women’s Tag Team title belt, and Bianca Belair must now find a new tag partner. Naomi approaches and says it sucks what happened to Jade, but that she can step in for her if needs be? Bianca is delighted by this, but tells Naomi they have already been placed into a tag title defence for tonight! …
Bianca Belair & Naomi (C) defeated ‘Unholy Union’ to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
New tag partner, but same results as the titles stay with The EST… and now with Naomi by her side!
We close the show with another exact segment from the first SmackDown after Mania IRL… As Solo Sikoa comes out to the ring with Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman… and from there…
Jimmy Uso OUT, IN comes TAMA TONGA to Solo Sikoa’s NEW Bloodline!
And that’s how I would follow up on WrestleMania 40. You will notice I have accelerated a lot of storylines that WWE did over several months in real time, but to be honest that’s just to help my own storytelling so I can keep things moving and keep them fresh. The ends justifies the means I think on that.
And so that sets up my rosters for both shows going forward. The following lists are simply the base rosters for each brand. I will add some… notable… names over time, but don’t want to give away too much about the things that are still to come. But here are my Raw and SmackDown rosters… for now…
So that’s the beginning sorted. Now you have to stay tuned to see how the story unfolds in MY WWE Universe…
Josh.