WWE 2K22 Universe Mode - Episode 15: Reinvention

"**Reinvention**" was the fifteenth episode of **WWE 2K22 Universe Mode**. The episode was released on April 10th, 2023, and was the fifth episode of Monday Night RAW. It was the first show following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view and began the buildup to the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The main event saw Seth Rollins take on Cedric Alexander.

## Reinvention

#### Synopsis

The episode began with a promo from WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre. McIntyre would state that he had nothing to do with Finn Bálor's attack on AJ Styles during McIntyre and Styles' WWE Championship match the previous night at the Royal Rumble, further stating that when they are done settling their rivalry, whoever is left can come after his championship. McIntyre would then announce his upcoming defense of the championship would be in the Elimination Chamber at the eponymous pay-per-view, with the first qualifying match between Chad Gable and Riddle occurring later that night. Backstage, Triple H, alongside his protégé and United States Champion, Austin Theory made two announcements; the first of which being that after assaulting Triple H at the Royal Rumble, Damian Priest was suspended for thirty days. The second was that a singles match between John Morrison and The Miz would now be reverted into a United States Championship number #1 contendership match, with the winner facing Theory for the championship at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

Following that, Bobby Lashley unexpectedly came down to the ring and called out Seth Rollins, who had eliminated him from the Royal Rumble match the previous night. The two exchanged words, and Rollins would tease getting into the ring to fight Lashley, only for Lashley to pull him into the ring. Rollins would hit a low blow on Lashley and escape, only to then be attacked by Lashley's Hurt Business stablemate, Cedric Alexander, setting up a match between them later on in the episode.

In the first match of the episode, John Morrison would face The Miz in a United States Championship number #1 contendership match. The match had been scheduled following Morrison's televised return in the Royal Rumble match where he eliminated and then later brawled with former tag team partner, Miz. Morrison would win the match after hitting a Starship Pain on The Miz, earning himself a shot at the United States Championship at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. However, after exiting the ring, Morrison would then be attacked by Theory with a steel chair. Theory would then throw him into the ring, where Morrison would then get beaten down by Miz.

In a backstage segment, Randy Orton gives Riddle advice about the Elimination Chamber match. After Riddle leaves, however, Otis, instructed by Chad Gable, attacks Randy Orton and puts him through a table, ensuring that he will not be there to accompany Riddle to ringside for his match, but also in part due to the fact that Otis and Gable were eliminated from the Royal Rumble by Orton and Riddle respectively. During Riddle's entrance, Gable attacked him and would then viciously beat him down before beating him with a Chaos Theory and qualifying for the Elimination Chamber match.

Next, Finn Bálor explained why he attacked AJ Styles last night at the Royal Rumble, saying that he was owed respect by Styles as he was the one who came to the WWE and proved that a superstar like Styles could come to WWE and be successful. He would also accuse the WWE of replacing him with Styles after Bálor had to vacate the Universal Championship due to injury, and said that he couldn't let Styles do it again, saying that the thought of it 'drove him insane' and that it was partially how he lost to Kevin Owens last week, with him also blaming himself for caring too much about what the fans thought of him, saying that he was one of the best competitors in the world and that he needed to start acting like it. He would then say that Styles' "Judgment Day" is coming, and everyone's Judgment Day is coming, before revealing the "X" on his jacket had changed from red to purple.

Then, Bayley, the winner of the Women's Royal Rumble, announced which championship she would be going for at WrestleMania. Before that, however, Bayley would weigh her options in front of the crowd; pursue a dream match against Becky Lynch for the RAW Women's Championship or pursue the championship that she injured herself trying to win back by facing Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Bayley would then detail her road to recovery and her Royal Rumble victory, before officially announcing that she had chosen to face Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania.

Backstage, unbeknownst to Theory and Triple H, Theory would tell Triple H his plan to add The Miz to a match between Theory and Morrison at Elimination Chamber, as he felt that they would tear each other apart due to their rivalry, allowing for an easy defense for him, to which Triple H agreed. This would not be the last of these mysterious vignettes featuring the two plotting, with the vignettes initially planned to lead up to the debut of Bray Wyatt in Universe Mode. However, these plans were scrapped in the wake of Wyatt's tragic passing in August 2023.

In the main event, Seth Rollins would take on Cedric Alexander. The match was very fast-paced and evenly split in terms of momentum. The match would then end with Rollins hitting a Curb Stomp onto Alexander. After the match, Lashley would attack Seth Rollins to close out the show.

#### Results

 **2** | Chad Gable defeated Riddle by pinfall
 **3** | Seth Rollins defeated Cedric Alexander by pinfall