Environmental Interactions
WWE 2K26 will have fewer invisible walls, making for more explorable environments during all the outside of the ring exploits in the game. Prop interactions have been enhanced as well. There's a great segment in the video which features wrestlers using a shopping cart to beat each other up, including a drop kick into the cart that looks sick.
Thumbtacks are also confirmed. E-C-W! E-C-W! If this kind of hardcore violence is your jam. you can also stack tables and bludgeon opponents with the nearby championship belt. You can now brawl atop the ringside barricade. The footage here includes a real dream match between Chyna and Rhea Ripley. Could "Mami" handle the 9th Wonder of the World? That's the kind of stuff I love to see, and video games make it possible.
There will be certain actions that trigger surprise attacks from third parties. This makes perfect sense, as surprisingly few WWE contests go off without somebody jumping in to have their say about the proceedings.
More Player Control
WWE 2K26 will feature start-of-match actions, which include hyping up the crowd, offering your opponent a handshake, engaging in chain wrestling, or trading blows. We've seen several of these mechanics added separately over the years; now it appears you'll have the opportunity to choose your favorite one. I'm always glad to see games adding onto existing mechanics, as opposed to pulling them out and then bringing them back years later as a "new feature."