Recently, VGC brought to light a significant alteration in the upcoming WWE 2K24 game: the noticeable absence of former WWE head honcho Vince McMahon’s likeness.
This move follows McMahon’s resignation as executive chairman of WWE amidst serious allegations of sex trafficking and misconduct raised by a former employee.
McMahon, a prominent figure both in the real-world operations of WWE and its fictional storylines, had long been under scrutiny for allegations of sexual impropriety.
His departure from the company came after investigations into a $3 million hush money payment in 2022, coupled with reports from WSJ indicating payments totaling $12 million to silence accusations of further misconduct over several years.
Returning briefly in 2023 to oversee a merger with the UFC, McMahon exited once more in January this year, prompted by a lawsuit from former employee Janel Grant, detailing disturbing instances of abuse allegedly orchestrated by McMahon.
This included claims of Grant being exploited as leverage in contract negotiations with top wrestlers, indirectly implicating wrestler and UFC fighter Brock Lesnar, though not directly named in the suit.
WWE purportedly dropped Lesnar from a scheduled appearance at Wrestlemania 40 in response, though he has since been reinstated on the promotion’s active roster.
Interestingly, both McMahon and Lesnar are conspicuously absent from WWE 2K24, except for Lesnar’s presence in the game’s “40 Years of Wrestlemania Showcase” mode.
McMahon, while featured as a non-playable character in one match, has his face blurred out in archival footage of another, drawing more attention to his exclusion.
This decision by the game developers raises questions, as McMahon’s scandal erupted towards the end of the game’s development cycle, likely leaving few options for handling his inclusion.
It also mirrors WWE’s strategy of distancing itself from McMahon amid ongoing questions regarding the extent of his misconduct and who within the company was aware of it.
