Let me make my bias clear: I have not been a true one WWE fan for years, and I'm also an extremely passionate AEW supporter. I simply prefer the latter's focus on actual wrestling (and Tony Khan's respect for the wider industry), as I'm consistently impressed by the variety of styles on display during every show the company puts on. The modern WWE, on the other hand, has doubled down on so many things I dislike. Saudi Arabia showing and platforming political figures that I disagree with on every issue are issues that keep me from even considering watching, but beyond that WWE is just not for me. Its style of 20-minute promo fights, endless commercials, nonstop recaps where the stories are spelled out for the viewers, and overly predictable wrestling full of DQ finishes and roll-up finishes clashes with what I love about wrestling.
Of course, it's for this reason that I was disappointed when Mariah May – now Blake Monroe – left my favorite company for a brand I can't bring myself to support. I understand that it was her decision and her dream to go to WWE, and I'm glad she seems to be happy there. It's great to have options so wrestlers can thrive in the system that suits them best. But from all the clips I've seen so far, her WWE run has not only been disappointing, but offensive. Going from my match of the year 2025 Hollywood ending with Toni Storm to a book match that wasn't nearly as intense was an early sign. The awkward kickout mistake on a recent episode of NXT wouldn't have happened if Mariah was on the main roster where she belongs to begin with, but perhaps worst of all is the character Mariah has stuck with.
Blake Monroe is one of the 30+ wrestlers that have been confirmed for WWE 2K26 to date.
Maybe WWE was afraid her gimmick would be too similar to Tiffany Stratton's, and Mariah May couldn't connect with the fans because of that, but turning Blake Monroe into “we've got Toni Storm at home” was definitely not the way to go. Seeing her don similar outfits to Toni while trying to play an unbeatable character is painfully awkward, as the attempts completely lack the things that make the timeless character so special. It's insulting that WWE looked at the great work Mariah May did in AEW – including excellent matches against stars like Willow Nightingale – and chose to mold her character as a cheap version of her biggest rival. This makes it look like WWE didn't really want Mariah at all, instead just wanting to hang on to AEW by taking one of its top stars. The commercial's cheesy filming and over-the-top scripted nature goes directly against the unpredictability of the character WWE makes Mariah emulate, and every time I see what's done to one of my favorite women in wrestling, I actually cringe. So if I ever get it WWE 2K26The first thing I'm going to do is fix my problems with Mariah May's booking.
WWE 2K26's MyGM mode remains a godsend for frustrated fans
Some of the many fumbles of AEW Fight Forever was the lack of a deep create-a-wrestler or a GM mode, two things that WWE 2K game has mastered. I would use both to book Mariah May as I wish she was used. First, I would drop the Blake Monroe name. Yes, it's a simple change, but Mariah May was associated with great work and arguably the best rivalry in women's wrestling history. Blake Monroe, on the other hand, is associated with an awkward Jordynne Grace feud that both women came out of looking weaker, a botched kickout, and an obvious attempt to recast a character that didn't need to be changed to begin with. More bluntly, it's also just a much less catchy name, as something like her previous ring name would have been much better. I know why WWE rebrands their stars – they want to own their work – but it's yet another thing about the overly corporate company that I can't stand, as it regularly limits the opportunities for its talent. So that's the first thing I would change.
I would also change Mariah May's outfit to remove any aspects of Toni-like characteristics. She has her own personality that WWE should lean on (her “nepo baby” jab at Ava Raine on social media was really funny), so I'd do away with anything that even hints at the NXT promos where she talks into a mirror and acts like a knockoff Toni Storm. It's also worth noting that one of the most entertaining moments in her feud with AEW's biggest star saw them impersonate each other, and Mariah did a great job of playing Toni there. This suggests that WWE's writing, directing, and scripting are to blame here, as if the company wanted a Toni Storm copy, Mariah could theoretically deliver. Instead, she's in this weird middle ground where only certain aspects of Toni Storm's gimmick get stolen. So, if it were up to me, these elements would be completely removed in favor of bringing back the “old” Mariah and being herself.
Like most of my current favorite wrestlers – Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, Darby Allin, Hangman Adam Page, Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, MJF, Toni Storm, Kris Statlander and Mercedes Mone are some of the many AEW stars I love – I became a Mariah May fan primarily because of her work in the ring. Yes, her betrayal of Toni Storm was unforgettable, and the lead-up to it was hugely entertaining to watch unfold, but watching Mariah kick her opponents' heads off never got old. She's a great wrestler, and unfortunately WWE's overly safe and repetitive match style doesn't play to her strengths. In a video game though, I could book the epic matches I was used to seeing from Mariah on AEW TV every week, and I wouldn't waste time getting her out of NXT and onto the main roster like WWE has. Below are just a few of the feuds I would get Mariah May into:
- Rhea Ripley — two contrasting styles that could make for some fun matches
- Bayley — a fun feud that I'd like to see before Bayley inevitably goes to AEW
- Tiffany Stratton — embrace their similar vibes instead of destroying Mariah's character
- Stephanie Vaquer —can play into how both came to WWE primarily as a result of their AEW work, leaning into how Vaquer has found more success and done so quickly while Mariah has struggled, cracking the fourth wall a bit for some shoot-like promos
- Bianca Belair — a phenomenal performer in the ring, a match between Bianca and Mariah would be a guaranteed banger
It wouldn't take long for my AEW bias to show if I bought WWE 2K26, but I wouldn't have any regrets
As consistently good as AEW is, Fight forever was nowhere near the game it needed to be. Even with its rather expensive DLC packs, it's still missing some of the company's biggest stars, as Mercedes Mone, Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada remain unplayable. Fortunately with custom listings in WWE 2K26I could download and make custom versions of all my favorites. That means I could give Mariah May some matches that I'm still disappointed we didn't get a chance to see before she left. Kris Statlander, Mercedes Mone, Athena, and Jamie Hayter are all opponents I wish we saw May feud with while she was part of AEW, and they're just the tip of the iceberg. Alex Windsor, Thekla, Megan Bayne — the talent pool on the women's roster has grown rapidly since Mariah dropped out.
I'd rather not give WWE money if I didn't have to – I wish more legends and current stars would stand up to the morally corrupt company that Mick Foley recently did – but if I can find a used copy I might pick it up to fill the void left by the lack of a high quality (and current) AEW game. And sure, WWE has some stars I really respect, like Bayley, Ilja Dragunov, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and Rhea Ripley, but I'd love to fill out a custom roster of AEW stars. If I did, I could treat WWE 2K26 like the game i wish AEW had. Still, my first priority would be to give Mariah May the treatment I feel she deserves.
So far, Mariah May's run as Blake Monroe feels cursed by Toni Storm's words in their final campaign battle. She “sentenced Mariah to a lifetime of mediocrity,” and her run thus far has been mediocre indeed. Yes, the Toni feud set a bar that may never be crossed by either woman, but the WWE version of Mariah has not come close to said bar. I do not think she is guilty of this; WWE's lack of freedom in promotions, strict match rules that keep them from being violent when they need to be, and the direction she's being told to take her character in are all contributing reasons why Blake Monroe hasn't clicked. If Mariah May is happy with how her run is going, more power to her, but everything I've seen has only contributed to my dislike of WWE. Mariah didn't waste a second of her few years in AEW, but her first year in WWE has seen her tread water on NXT when she should have been on Raw or Smackdown from day one. While a more bitter AEW fan might say it's karma for her to use AEW as a stepping stone, as someone who was once a huge Mariah fan, I'm just disappointed in her wasted potential. It shouldn't take a video game for her to be booked well, but for some odd reason that's the situation we seem to be in.
