WWE games have traditionally relied on big names from the promotion’s past to flesh out their rosters, so does WWE 2K22 have the likes of The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Undertaker? Fortunately for fans, yes.
WWE 2K22’s roster
is the smallest it’s been in years. Some of this stems from frequent releases from the WWE’s real-life roster over the last two years. While the company previously had a policy of signing any wrestler it could in order to prevent rival companies AEW or NJPW from having them, that changed in 2020. To the surprise of many, more than 100 active wrestlers, backstage figures, and trainees were handed pink slips.
But it isn’t just the released active wrestlers that led to this light lineup. A number of prominent figures from WWE’s past were inexplicably left off the 2K22 roster. Here are some of the wrestlers who stuck around, and some of the others who didn’t.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, and Randy Savage remain in WWE 2K22
WWE fans will be happy to know that the biggest names in WWE history made it into the game. WWE 2K22 has the likes of The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and so on.
Aside from the biggest names, it’s kind of a tossup regarding which popular retired wrestlers made it into WWE 2K22 and which ones didn’t. Retirees that still contribute regularly to WWE programming including Jerry Lawler, Booker T, and JBL all appear on the roster. A scattershot lineup of other wrestlers such as “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Road Dogg, the Big Bossman, and more.
The main members of the nWo made it into WWE 2K22.
Though the Stone Cold and Rock types are on the base lineup, there are also several notable names from the 1990s set to join as DLC. Yokozuna, Van Vader, and the British Bulldog will all be appearing.
Mankind, Paige, and Lita are the biggest omissions from WWE 2K22 roster
There’s a surprisingly long list of big names that aren’t included in WWE 2K22. This includes a mix of both names from the past and present.
The women’s roster is shockingly light. Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Paige, and
Lita
were all left off the game despite appearing in 2K20. Current WWE wrestler Zelina Vega was also left off the bill, and Alicia Fox and Eva Marie were both surprisingly left out.
It wasn’t just the women’s roster that saw a number of names excluded. Kurt Angle isn’t set to appear in WWE 2K22 despite being integral to the story of cover wrestler Rey Mysterio. Cactus Jack is set to see a DLC release, but Mankind isn’t set to appear in WWE 2K22. Though Cody Rhodes is back in WWE, Dusty Rhodes is out of WWE 2K22.
It’s possible some of these names may be added as surprise DLC releases in the future, but odds are that won’t be the case.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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