Building comparison
head to head
WWE 2K15vsWWE 2K16
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
WWE 2K15
Execution · Competitive PvP
Reversal timing and pacing against an opponent baiting your counters.
WWE 2K16
Execution · Competitive PvP
Reversal-timing duels where reading a human opponent's pacing decides matches.
WWE 2K15 leans Execution (Competitive PvP); WWE 2K16 leans Execution (Competitive PvP).
WWE 2K15WWE 2K16
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
WWE 2K15
Reversal timing windows decide most exchanges
WWE 2K16
Reversal timing windows are the core physical test
Reads4 vs 4
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
WWE 2K15
Human opponents bait reversals and vary move timing
WWE 2K16
Human opponents bait reversals and vary move timing
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
WWE 2K15
Chain-wrestling rock-paper-scissors minigames add randomness
WWE 2K16
Some grapple and AI randomness colours matches
Optimization4 vs 4
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
WWE 2K15
Move sets, stamina and match pacing are learnable systems
WWE 2K16
Move-set knowledge and match pacing are learnable systems
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.