WWE 2K19: Complete controls guide (ladder matches, cage matches, Hell in a Cell, Royal Rumble & Elimination Chamber) on PS4 & Xbox One

WWE games always seem easy to play, and that can be true until you end up with a weird match stipulation or against a seasoned player online.

FIND THE WWE 2K23 CONTROLS HERE

With game modes like 2K Towers, Showcase, and MyPlayer forcing you into some tricky situations it is vital that you know your way around the game controls. We have them all for both Xbox One and PS4.

WWE 2K19 Basic Controls

With these controls you can pick up plenty of wins in standard matches. Laying in strikes and then hitting a grapple move is a good way to wear down your opponent and build toward a signature and finisher move that can put them away.

One of the most important factors in any WWE 2K19 match is timing your reversals. It can be tough to turn the tide in a match and the reversal system is there to help you. The game will prompt you to activate your reversal (RT/R2) if you have one available, and timing it right can immediately put you back on the offensive.

You only get so many reversals to start a match, but they replenish over time as you use them. It is very important to monitor how many you have and pick your spots to use them. When grounded a reversal is a great way to re-establish yourself in the match, but be wary of leaving yourself with none when your opponent has a finisher available.

WWE 2K19 Tag Team Controls

Tag team matches are an excellent way to play with friends and involve more players in a match without confusing the action too much. As ever WWE 2K19 has a whole host of tag team moves, from signature WWE tag team moves to inventive combinations and even a few that will be recognizable to fans of Indie wrestling.

If you are playing as a real tag team, such as The Bar or New Day, you can even finish your opponents off with your tag team finishing move by whipping them into your corner and hitting Y/▲ when the legal player has a finisher stored.

WWE 2K19 Weapon Controls

Not all match types allow you to use weapons, but Extreme Rules, Ladder Matches, or a Triple Threat match will allow you to use a weapon without the referee disqualifying you. To get a weapon simply exit the ring and head to the side of it and press LB/L1. Your superstar will lift the apron cover and start to look for a weapon under the ring. You can then select if you want a chair, a baseball bat, a sledgehammer, a kendo stick, a ladder, or a table. The easiest ones to swing at an opponent are a chair and a bat, but you can do a few more spectacular things with ladders and tables.

You can drive your opponent through a ladder or table by setting it up in the corner (LB + RB / L1 + R1) and whipping your opponent into that corner. They'll lean against the object and you can then grapple them and, regardless of size difference, slam them through it.

WWE 2K19 Ladder Match Controls

Ladder matches are always a favorite, with both one-on-one and multi-person versions being key parts of the WWE Universe. With Money In The Bank and Tables, Ladders, & Chairs pay-per-views focusing on the ladder match it's vital that you understand how to climb up the ladder (LB/L1) and claim the prize at the top.

Using the ladder as a weapon is a good way to deal damage to your opponent, and you can do that in a couple of ways. The first is to simply hit your opponent with it (X/■). This is perfectly legal in a ladder match where there are no disqualifications, but if you want to get really extreme, you can lean the ladder into the corner of the ring (LB + RB + LS Direction/L1 + R1 + LS Direction) and drive your opponent through it. However, the best way to use the ladder as a weapon is simply to jump off it and crush your opponent below, as long as your superstar has the "Ladder Daredevil" skill.

This can of course go awry, they call it a high-risk offense for a reason, but it's one of the most spectacular things you can do in WWE 2K19, and if you hit it correctly, it will allow ample time for you to get up the ladder and complete the mini-game required to win.

Once atop the ladder you will have to work to retrieve the prize hanging above the ring. Within the mini-game a circle with a small opening will spin. To win you must get the red ball through the gap eight times. You can move the ball around the circle with the right stick, and then use RT/R2 to push it through. Doing it all at once will take a lot of time, however if you do it several times then get knocked off the ladder, your opponent will not have to perform all eight themselves.

WWE 2K19 Cage Match Controls

Cage matches are a classic feud-ender, and while they are less common in modern WWE, 2K players are always keen to recreate blood-feuds with friends and finish them in the traditional way. The action within the cage is similar to a normal match, with the need to deal damage and work over your opponent, but the aim is ultimately to win via either pinfall or submission or to escape the cage. You can do this by either climbing up and over the cage, or by using the door. Don't fool yourself that the door is quicker though, it can still take an age to get out so incapacitating your opponent is still vital.

To start climbing the cage simply move toward the ropes and press LB/L1. This will get you on top of the ropes, from where you can either attack, X/Square, or begin to climb, LB/L1. You will be prompted to begin tapping buttons as your superstar finds their footing on the cage. Successful completion of this will get you to the top of the cage, where you can escape, or if your superstar has the "Nosebleed Daredevil" skill then you can leap off and onto your opponent.

If you are ready to win however, then press LB again and tap some more buttons to get down. If your opponent is trying to escape, you can stop them by moving towards them and using X/■ to attack. This will activate a number of counters depending on where they are in the process. If they are already sat atop the cage, then you will need press LB to get up onto the ropes, then X/■ to attack them.

If you think the door will be a safer bet, then move toward it (the bottom-left corner of the ring) and stir the referee into action by pressing down on the d-pad. Then use LB/L1 and move toward the door again to begin leaving. It is a lengthy process, but you don't need to do anything other than hope your opponent is too hurt to stop you.

WWE 2K19 Hell In A Cell Controls

Hell In A Cell is not quite the spectacle of blood and mayhem it used to be, but in WWE 2K19 you can still do a lot. The thing everyone wants to do these days is climb the cell itself, and of course you can still do that this year. First you need to break the cell wall. To do that you can either consistently whip your opponent into the same panel or use the "Escape Artist" OMG moment (RB +Y/R1+Triangle when prompted) if your superstar has it. Once out, press LB/L1 to start climbing. You'll stop from time to time if you want to fight on the side, but tap LB/L1 again to climb all the way to the top.

Once atop the Cell you can battle up there, but the best thing to do, especially if you are on the side with the commentary tables, is simply to throw your opponent back to the ground.

If you have the "Nosebleed Daredevil" skill you can then follow that up with a diving attack from the top too.

Hell In A Cell is a slight disappointment in 2K19 compared to previous years. The outside ring area is extremely small, limiting the offense you can have there and even making you unable to get a weapon from under the ring.

WWE 2K19 Submission Controls & Tactics

It can be frustrating when you use a superstar whose finisher is a submission move. The likes of Daniel Bryan, Ronda Rousey, and Samoa Joe all have primary finishers that are submissions, meaning gaining a pinfall victory is tough, and if you can't wear down the appropriate body part, then it will take multiple finishers to get the opponent in a position to tap.

This is where the limb targeting system comes into effect. If your submission finisher is an armbar, then it allows you to focus your attack on the arms and wear them down until just one finisher will do the job. To target a specific limb, you need to get your opponent in a front facelock (tap A/X) or on the ground, and then press RB/R1 and any of A/X, B/O, X/■, or Y/▲. A/X targets the lower body, Y/▲ the head, and the other two the arms. This means you can set up an opponent for an armbar, figure four, or any other submission move before locking it in and tapping them out. The default submission mini-game is a frustrating cat-and-mouse game of rotating a bar around a circle, but you can change it to the more enjoyable button-mashing battle as you try to submit your opponent.

WWE 2K19 Royal Rumble Controls

The Royal Rumble is one of the best multi-person game modes available in WWE 2K19, and a must-win for any MyPlayer game type. 

WWE 2K19 how to throw someone out of the ring

To win a Royal Rumble you have to be able to eliminate opponents by getting them over the top rope and to the floor. To do this, you can either Irish Whip them into the ropes from close distance and initiate a button tapping mini-game with A/X, or whip them into the corner and again start the mini-game with A/X.

However, the most fool-proof method is to store a finisher and then send them to the corner. If you do that and then hit Y/▲, you will perform and unstoppable elimination and knock the opponent clean out of the ring.

WWE 2K19 Elimination Chamber Controls

The Elimination Chamber is one of the best multi-man matches you can do, and it has a lot to offer players looking for some thrills and spills. As well as being falls count anywhere, you can cause a lot of damage by throwing players into the pods and the walls. However, the best thing is climbing around and jumping off things, as well as driving people through the pod doors.

To climb the Chamber walls you need to move toward them and press LB/L1, if your opponent is up there with you, you can knock them off and then dive down onto them. You can also get to the top of the Chamber pods if your superstar has the "Nosebleed Daredevil" skill by scaling the turnbuckle as normal and then pressing LB/L1 to get up to the very top and rain down upon your opponents.

To break a pod door you'll need a stored finisher, then whip your opponent into the side of a pod and when prompted hit RB+Y/R1+▲ to activate the devastating move.