The Monday Night Wars between WCW and WWE are some of the most iconic moments in wrestling history. These fierce battles for television ratings and supremacy defined the late 90s and early 2000s, producing legendary matches and unforgettable storylines. If you’re a fan of wrestling and video games, recreating this intense rivalry in WWE 2K can be an exciting experience. Whether you’re reliving classic moments or creating your own version of the Monday Night Wars, WWE 2K offers all the tools you need to bring this historical rivalry to life. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do just that!
1. Create the Right Rosters: WWE and WCW Superstars
To authentically recreate the Monday Night Wars, the first step is to populate your WWE 2K roster with the iconic superstars of both WCW and WWE. In the real-life Monday Night Wars, wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and The Undertaker dominated WWE, while WCW had megastars like Sting, Goldberg, and Ric Flair. To truly capture the essence of this rivalry, start by downloading or creating custom versions of these legendary athletes.
In WWE 2K, you can either use the game’s roster editor to customize appearances or download community-created wrestlers from the game’s online platform. Be sure to get the wrestlers’ iconic looks, moves, and entrance sequences as close to the originals as possible to keep the immersion high. The more accurate your roster, the more real the Monday Night Wars will feel in the game!
2. Set Up the Rivalry: Create a Story Mode or Simulate Raw vs. Nitro
Once your rosters are in place, it’s time to create the storylines that will fuel the rivalry. In WWE 2K, you can use the game’s “Universe Mode” to simulate the Monday Night Wars with shows like Monday Night Raw and WCW Nitro battling for supremacy. You can set up weekly rivalries, titles on the line, and high-stakes matches that reflect the ongoing battle between the two companies.
Alternatively, create a custom story mode using WWE 2K’s creative tools. This will allow you to design specific moments from the Monday Night Wars, like the NWO’s surprising debut or Stone Cold’s beer bash. Custom cutscenes, commentary, and scripted interactions between WWE and WCW superstars can make your recreated Monday Night Wars feel even more authentic. Whether you’re mimicking historical storylines or inventing your own, building a compelling rivalry is key to bringing the action to life.

3. Choose the Right Venues: Raw, Nitro, and Pay-Per-Views
The Monday Night Wars weren’t just about the wrestlers; the setting and atmosphere played a crucial role in creating the rivalry’s tension. WWE 2K offers a variety of arenas and stadiums that can be used to set the stage for your recreated wars. You can choose venues that resemble the famous Raw and Nitro sets, or you can use existing WWE 2K arenas that bring the right vibe for the action.
For pay-per-view events, consider creating custom versions of WCW’s “Starrcade” or WWE’s “Survivor Series” to simulate the major PPVs from the Monday Night Wars era. These events often featured the culmination of storylines and rivalries, making them critical to recreating the drama and excitement of the era. Make sure to craft each arena’s details—like lighting, audience size, and stage design—to reflect the high-stakes atmosphere that defined this intense rivalry.

4. Design the Matches: Classic Feuds, TLC Matches, and More
The matches between WWE and WCW stars were nothing short of legendary, often involving brutal and innovative stipulations. To keep the spirit of the Monday Night Wars alive, consider adding classic match types like Ladder Matches, TLC Matches, Steel Cages, and Hardcore bouts to your WWE 2K experience. These high-intensity match types were staples of the Monday Night Wars era, with superstars willing to put everything on the line to defeat their rivals.
You can recreate memorable feuds, such as the bitter rivalry between The Rock and Goldberg or the NWO’s dominance in WCW. WWE 2K allows for incredible customization, so you can design each match to include unique stipulations that reflect the intensity of the wars. Whether you’re booking a tag-team match between D-Generation X and the New World Order (NWO) or recreating the legendary WCW vs. WWE battle royale, you’ll find a wide array of options to make your matches feel as dramatic as the original wars.