Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair named as WWE 2K24 cover athletes

Cody Rhodes continues to rack up accomplishments since his return to WWE. On Monday, Rhodes was officially announced as one of three cover athletes for the upcoming WWE 2K24 video game. Rhodes will grace the cover of the game’s standard edition while Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley will share the deluxe edition’s cover. 

The game is set for release on March 8, 2024, on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows.

“Kobe, Tiger, Cena, Lebron, Rhea & Bianca,” Rhodes posted on X, formerly Twitter. “…I am grateful beyond measure for the honor of being this years @2K cover athlete.”

Rhodes has been one of the primary architects of the current landscape in professional wrestling. In 2016, he requested his release from WWE amid frustrations with his creative direction. He would go on to make a massive impact on the independent wrestling scene with companies like Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Rhodes was then a central part of the team that took up pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer’s challenge when Meltzer said an independent show could not sell out a 10,000-seat arena, working with The Young Bucks to host the All In event in 2018. The show sold out Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois in less than 30 minutes.

All In would ultimately lead to the creation of All Elite Wrestling, where Rhodes was an executive vice president and a staple of turning the promotion into the second biggest wrestling company in the world. The promotion now has multiple shows airing on cable television each week.

Rhodes returned to WWE in 2022 where he has been a massive star ever since, including headlining 2023’s WrestleMania 39 after winning that year’s Royal Rumble.

Belair has been one of WWE’s top female superstars in recent years, including holding the Raw women’s championship for a record 420 days. While not currently a champion, she is still a staple at the top of the card.

As a member — and arguably the leader — of The Judgment Day faction, Ripley has seen years of talk of her potential as an elite star come to fruition over the past year.

Ripley won the 2023 Royal Rumble before defeating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship, which has since been renamed to the Women’s World Championship, and has held the title ever since.