Unlike in the main 2K Franchise, Battlegrounds’ Campaign mode is not voice acted. Instead, you control 6 different characters, each with their own fighting style. This seems like a way to familiarize the player with the different fighting styles in the game, similar to the Tekken or Dead Or Alive Franchises.
The concept is simple: Paul Heyman convinces Vince McMahon (rather easily) to let him begin a new concept, he would go around the world and recruit nobodies and have them compete on their home turf against established WWE superstars and legends all in the hopes of signing with World Wrestling Entertainment and he’d call it Battlegrounds.
Before heading on the journey, Heyman stops at the Broken Skull Ranch and again easily recruits Stone Cold Steve Austin to help him scout talent. After a brief conversation, Austin says he’s in and flies to New York where we meet our first WWE Hopeful.
New York: Bolo Reynolds
Bolo crashes into Steve Austin while riding his bike. Bolo asks Austin if he is blind, the two have a staredown but Steve diffuses the situation and tells Bolo that he thinks he has what it takes to become the next WWE superstar. Austin then takes Bolo underground to the New York Subway station after a short conversation Austin tells Bolo to prove himself worthy of being a WWE superstar he has to show his toughness. Baron Corbin then emerges from the Subway, he asks Bolo if he thinks crashing with his bike is enough to make him a WWE superstar (How he knew of the Austin/Bolo incident is never explained) he then promises to be Bolo’s End of Days.
- Match 1: One Versus One: Baron Corbin
- Reward: Power-Up
- Match 2: One Versus One Steel Cage Match: Samoa Joe
- Side Match: One Versus One: The Miz
- Reward: Power Up
- Match 4: One Versus One: Apollo Crews
- Reward: Vanity Item
- Match 5: Two Versus Two: Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe
- Side Match: One Versus One: Kevin Owens
- Side Match: One Versus One: Baron Corbin
- Reward: Character Unlock
- Side Match: One Versus One: Apollo Crews
- Reward: Character Unlock
- Side Match: Two Versus Two: Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler
- Match 6: One Versus One: Finn Balor
The Everglades: Billy Huggins
After his time in New York, Austin heads down to Florida where Paul Heyman has told him about a Gator wrestler that could be a fit in WWE. Austin hesitantly agrees to watch the Gator Wrestler, Billy Huggins.
- Match 1: Fatal 4-Way Versus: Akira Tazawa, Bobby Roode, and Elias
- Side Match: One Versus One: Bobby Roode
- Reward: Power-Up
- Match 2: One Versus One: Erick Rowan
- Match 3: One Versus One Steel Cage Match: Jake Roberts
- Reward: Power-Up
- Side Match: Gauntlet Match: Akira Tazawa, Elias, Erick Rowan, and Jake Roberts
- Side Match: One Versus One: Bobby Lashley
- Reward: Power-Up
- Side Match: One Versus One: Jake Roberts
- Reward: Character Unlock
- Match 4: One Versus One: Brock Lesnar
- Reward: Battleground: The Everglades
Mexico: TJ Salazar
Heyman wakes Austin up by knocking on his door endlessly. Austin is unable to move, Paul tells him about a famous healer in Mexico. Austin goes to see him, and we meet the next Battlegrounds contestant, T.J. Salazar.
- Match 1: One Versus One: Daniel Bryan
- Reward: Power Up
- Match 2: One Versus One Steel Cage Match: Kalisto
- Reward: Vanity Item
- Match 3: Gauntlet Match: Big Show, Bolo Reynolds, Cesaro, and Elias
- Side Match: One Versus One: Big Show
- Side Match: One Versus One: Cesaro
- Reward: Power-Up
- Match 4: Royal Rumble
- Side Match: One Versus One: Braun Strowman
- Reward: Character Unlock
- Match 5: One Versus One: Lince Dorado
- Reward: Battleground: Mexico
Boot Camp: Cassie and Patty Velle
During a training seminar at the WWE Performance Center, Steve Austin, Paul Heyman, and Shawn Michaels are interrupted via Satellite by Cassie and Patty Velle who make a challenge to WWE’s Twin Sisters, Brie, and Nikki Bella. Austin goes to France to meet them and after seeing their entitled attitude, he decides they need Bootcamp.
- Match 1: Two Versus Two: Alicia Fox and Carmella
- Reward: Power-Up
- Side Match: One Versus One Steel Cage Match: Alicia Fox
- Reward: Vanity Item
- Side Match: Tornado Tag Team Match: Carmella and Naomi
- Reward: Battleground: Boot Camp
- Match 2: One Versus One: Asuka
- Side Match: One Versus One: Naomi
- Side Match: Triple Threat: Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
- Reward: Power-Up
- Side Match: Royal Rumble
- Reward: Character Unlock
- Match 3: One Versus One Steel Cage Match: Alexa Bliss
- Match 4: Tornado Tag Team Match: Brie and Nikki Bella
Glasgow: Jessica Johnson
After Straightening put the Velle Twins, Austin heads to Glasgow Scotland in hopes of finding some more prospects. Austin’s suitcase gets busted, he shouts to who did it saying they owed him a new one. We find out that it is Jessica Johnson who promptly jacks Austin up against a wall; impressed by her strength, Austin recruits her for Battlegrounds.
- Match 1: One Versus One: Ember Moon
- Match 2: One Versus One: Natalya
- Reward: Power-Up
- Side Match: One Versus One: Nikki Cross
- Side Match: Royal Rumble
- Side Match: Two Versus Two: Ember Moon and Ronda Rousey
- Reward: Battleground: Glasgow
- Side Match: Tornado Tag Team Match: Beth Phoenix and Natalya
- Side Match: One Versus One: Ember Moon
- Reward: Character Unlock
- Side Match: One Versus One: Stephanie McMahon
- Reward: Power-Up
- Side Match: One Versus One Steel cage Match: Nikki Cross
- Reward: Battleground Creation item
- Match 3: One Versus One: Beth Phoenix
- Reward: Power-Up
- Match 4: One Versus One: Nia Jax
- Side Match: One Versus One: Alexa Bliss
- Reward: Character Unlock
Detroit: Gabriel Pierce
Feeling satisfied with their selections, we see the Battlegrounds Contestants with Austin and Heyman back at the Performance Center; before they can get too far into their speeches, they are disrupted. After figuring out they were hacked, Austin is challenged to go to Detroit to scout one last entry for Battlegrounds.
- Match 1: One Versus One: The Miz
- Side Match: Tornado Tag Team Match: Baron Corbin and Jeff Hardy
- Reward: Power-Up
- Match 2: Fatal 4-Way: Luke Gallows, R-Truth, The Rock
- Side Match: Triple Threat: Aleister Black and Bobby Lashley
- Reward: Battlegrounds Creation Item
- Match 3: One Versus One Steel Cage Match: The Fiend
- Side Match: One Versus One: The Rock
- Reward: Battleground: Detroit
WRESTLEMANIA
With 7 New members of the WWE roster, the Battlegrounds Contestants now are at WrestleMania hoping to cement their legacies.
- Match 1: As Billy Huggins Versus The Undertaker
- Match 2: As Bolo Reynolds and Gabriel Pierce Versus Shawn Michaels and Triple H
- Match 3: Men’s Royal Rumble
- Match 4: Women’s Royal Rumble
- Reward: Battleground: WrestleMania