Let me make my bias very clear: I am not being truthful WWE Fan for many years, and I am also a very passionate AEW supporter. I prefer the latter's focus on just actual wrestling (and Tony Khan's respect for the wider industry), as I'm constantly impressed by the variety of styles on display during each show the company puts on. Modern WWE, on the other hand, has doubled down on a lot of things I don't like. The political figures that Saudi Arabia shows and platforms that I disagree with on every issue are issues that stop me from even considering watching, but beyond that, WWE is not for me. Its style of 20-minute promo battles, endless commercials, nonstop recaps where stories are spelled out for the audience, and overly predictable wrestling DQ finishes and roll-up endings collide with what I love about wrestling.
Naturally, this is why I was disappointed when Maria May – now Blake Monroe – left the company of my choice for a brand I couldn't support myself. I understand that it was her decision and her dream to go to WWE, and I'm glad she seems happy there. It's good to have options so that wrestlers can thrive in whatever system suits them. But from all the clips I've seen so far, his WWE run has been not only disappointing, but disgraceful. From my 2025 match of the year, the Hollywood ending with Tony Storm, in a book cage match that wasn't nearly as intense, was an early sign. A recent episode of NXT wouldn't have had the awkward kickout error if Mariah had been on the main roster where she has been since the beginning, but perhaps the worst part is Mariah's character.
Blake Monroe is one of the 30+ wrestlers confirmed for this WWE 2K26 until now.
Maybe WWE was scared of her gimmick being similar to Tiffany Stratton, and Mariah May didn't connect with fans, but turning Blake Monroe into “We're in the house Tony Storm” was definitely not the way to go. Trying to play an unhinged character is painfully awkward when you see Tony in matching clothes, as the efforts completely lack the things that make the timeless character special. It's insulting that WWE looked at the great work Maria May did in AEW — including great matches against stars like Willow Nightingale — and chose to shape her character as a cheap version of her biggest rival. This makes it seem like WWE didn't really want Maria, but instead wanted to take one of its top stars and stick it in AEW. The cheesy filming and highly scripted nature of the promos directly goes against the unpredictability of the character WWE is impersonating Maria, and every time I see what happens to one of my favorite women in wrestling, I actually cringe. So, if I ever get it WWE 2K26The first thing I will do is resolve my issues with Maria May's booking.
WWE 2K26's MyGM mode remains a godsend for frustrated fans
Some of the more fumbles AEW Fight Forever Lacking a deep create-a-wrestler or GM mode, two things that WWE 2K The game has been mastered. I use both to book Maria May as I want her to be used. First, I'll drop the name Blake Monroe. Yes, it's a simple change, but Maria May was associated with great work and connected with arguably the best opponent in women's wrestling history. Blake Monroe, on the other hand, is involved in an awkward Jordyn Grace feud that both women come off as weak, a crooked kickout, and an obvious attempt to reshape a character that didn't need to change to begin with. More precisely, it's just a much less catchy name, as something like his previous ring name would have been much better. I understand why WWE changes the names of its stars – it wants to own their body of work – but this is another thing about an overly corporate company that I can't stand, as it regularly limits the opportunities for its talent. So, that's the first thing I'd change.
I also change Maria May's outfit to remove any aspect of Tony-like traits. She has her own persona that WWE has to lean on (her “Nepo Baby” jab at Ava Raine on social media was really funny), so I'd like to remove anything hinting at NXT promos where she talks into mirrors and acts like a knockoff Tony Storm. It's also worth noting that one of the funniest moments of her feud with AEW's biggest star saw them impersonating each other, and Maria did a great job playing Tony there. This suggests that WWE's writing, directing, and scripting are to blame here, as if the company wanted a Tony Storm copy, Mariah could theoretically deliver. Instead, she's in this weird middle ground where some aspects of Tony Storm's gimmick are just stolen. So, if it were mine, these elements would be completely removed in favor of bringing back the “old” Maria and being herself.
Like many of my current favorite wrestlers — Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, Darby Allen, Hangman Adam Page, Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, MJF, Tony Storm, Chris Statlander, and Mercedes Monae are some of my favorite AEW stars — I became a fan of Maria May primarily because of her work. Yes, her betrayal of Toni Storm was memorable, and the lead up to it was a lot of fun to watch unfold, but seeing Mariah leave the heads of her adversaries never got old. He's a great wrestler, and unfortunately, WWE's overly safe and repetitive style of match doesn't play to his strengths. In a video game, though, I can book the epic matches from Maria that I'm used to seeing every week on AEW TV, and I won't waste time getting her out of NXT and onto the main roster like in WWE. Below are some of the fights I would like Maria May to get:
- Rhea Ripley – Two contrasting styles that can make for some fun games
- Belly – A fun feud that I want to see before Bayley inevitably goes to AEW
- Tiffany Stratton — embrace their similar vibes instead of ruining Mariah's character
- Stephanie Walker — both could play into how they came to WWE primarily as a result of their AEW work, how Vaquer has had more success and done so quickly while Mariah struggled, breaking the fourth wall a bit for some shoot-like promos.
- Bianca Bellaire – A phenomenal in-ring performer, the match between Bianca and Maria will be a guaranteed banger.
It wouldn't take long for my AEW bias to show if I bought WWE 2K26, but I wouldn't regret a thing.
As great as AEW is, Fight forever The game was nowhere near what it should have been. Even with its fairly expensive DLC packs, it still lacks some of the company's biggest stars, as Mercedes Monae, Will Osprey, and Kazuchika Okada are unplayable. Fortunately, with custom rosters WWE 2K26I can download and make custom versions of all my favorites. It means I can give Maria May a few games I'm still disappointed we didn't get a chance to see her before she left. Chris Statlander, Mercedes Monae, Athena, and Jamie Hayter are all opponents I wish we saw May feud with when she was a part of AEW, and they're just the tip of the iceberg. Alex Windsor, Thekla, Megan Benn – The talent pool on the women's roster has grown exponentially since Mariah jumped ship.
I don't want to give WWE money – I wish more veterans and current stars would stand up to the morally corrupt company like Mick Foley did recently – but if I can find a used copy, I can pick it up to fill the void left by the lack of a high-quality (and current) AEW match. And sure, WWE has some stars that I really respect, like Bayley, Ilja Dragunov, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and Rhea Ripley, but I'd rather fill a custom roster with AEW stars. If I do, I can heal WWE 2K26 Like a match with AEW. Still, my first priority would be to get Maria May the treatment I think she deserves.
So far, Mariah May's run as Blake Monroe feels cursed by Tony Storm's words in their final promo battle. She “sentenced Maria to a lifetime of mediocrity,” and her run has been truly mediocre by now. Yes, the Toni feud set a bar that no woman could ever cross, but the WWE version of Maria hasn't come close to that bar. I don't think he is guilty of this; WWE's lack of freedom in promos, strict rules for matches that prevent them from being violent when they need to be, and the fact that Blake Monroe just didn't click are all contributors to the direction he was told to take on his character. If Maria May is happy with how her run is going, more power to her, but everything I've seen has only added to my dislike of WWE. Maria hasn't wasted a second of her few years in AEW, yet her first year in WWE has seen her tread water in NXT when she should have been on Raw or Smackdown from day one. While a very bitter AEW fan might say it's karma for her using AEW as a stepping stone, who was once a huge Mariah fan, I'm disappointed in her wasted potential. It shouldn't take a video game to book him well, but for some strange reason, we seem to be in this situation.
