In WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006, wrestling fans were introduced to General Manager mode. Instead of focusing on in-ring action, General Manager mode allowed players to take on the General Manager role for the Raw and SmackDown brands, drafting superstars, booking matches, managing contracts, and handling other issues with the ultimate goal of becoming the General Manager of the Year.

General Manager mode proved popular enough that it appeared yet again in SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 and made its final appearance in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008. While SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 received generally mixed reviews when compared to other games in the series, it did receive some praise for its GM Mode, which made numerous improvements when compared to previous iterations of the feature.

RELATED: WWE 2K22 Could Be Skipping Next-Gen Consoles

One of the most significant improvements to the General Manager mode in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 was the addition of the ECW brand. This allowed up to three players to have control of their own wrestling show, competing with one another to win the coveted General Manager of the Year award. It also allowed for players to make more decisions in regards to how their shows were run and gave them ways to improve their superstars' performance between events.

Despite the mode's popularity, the decision was made to remove General Manager mode starting with SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, and it's never reappeared since. Every year, fans ask for the new WWE video game to bring General Manager mode back, only for each game to come and go with no GM mode. However, the upcoming WWE 2K22 game may prove to be the perfect time to bring the fan favorite game mode back to the franchise.

Three Brands

wwe survivor series 2019 results

One of the reasons why General Manager mode worked in previous WWE video games was thanks to the brand warfare between Raw and SmackDown. Eventually, WWE stopped focusing on the brand warfare element between the shows, and for a few years, even had them share rosters. But WWE has gone back to having separate brands in recent years, with Raw having its own distinct roster, SmackDown having its own distinct roster, and NXT having its own distinct roster as well.

Establishing NXT as a viable third brand for the company instead of just being a developmental territory is a big deal, and it would allow the developers to recreate the three-player gameplay from WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 while still replicating modern-day WWE television. One player could be the GM of Raw, another the GM of SmackDown, and the third the GM of NXT. Like previous iterations of the mode, all three brands could participate in a draft to bring superstars to their roster, book shows, etc.

Of course, there was never a real reasons why 3-player GM mode couldn't have existed before. WWE owns the right to both WCW and ECW, so if WWE 2K22 wanted to, it could recreate the Attitude Era and have players pitting the three major US promotions at the time against one another.

Regardless, WWE right now has three brands, which means WWE 2K22 could do the same for General Manager mode and still accurately reflect the current product.

Make Amends

wwe 2k22 next gen version ps5 xbox series x

It's no secret that WWE 2K20 was not well-received. In fact, WWE 2K20 was universally panned by critics and fans alike. The backlash to WWE 2K20 was so severe that the developers were given an extra year to work on WWE 2K22, skipping WWE 2K21 entirely, which is virtually unheard of in the world of annual sports game releases. Many fans felt burned by WWE 2K20, but WWE 2K22 is the chance for 2K Sports to make amends with a crowd-pleasing new entry in the series.

The WWE 2K22 teaser trailer that debuted at WrestleMania 37 didn't reveal much about the new game. It showed a brief clip of Rey Mysterio doing his entrance and hitting Cesaro with a 619, showcasing a significant visual improvement for the new game along with what appeared to be smoother animations. However, it's still far too early to make any kind of judgment call about the quality of WWE 2K22.

A stable wrestling game with minimal game-breaking bugs would go a long way in making it up to fans who weren't happy with WWE 2K20, but the return of General Manager mode would accomplish a lot as well. It would create the kind of positive buzz that 2K Sports no doubt wants for the next entry in the long-running WWE 2K franchise, and may even convince some lapsed players to give the series another shot.

It's entirely possible that a General Manager mode is going to be in WWE 2K22, but nothing official has been announced. None of the features or game modes for WWE 2K22 have been revealed at the time of this writing, but more should come to light in the coming months.

WWE 2K22 is in development for unspecified platforms.

MORE: WWE 2K22: The Case for Edge to Be the Cover Star