This is who is featured on the cover of WWE 2K22

Being the cover athlete for a sports game is considered a huge honor, or a curse in some cases, and WWE 2K22 is no different.

WWE 2K22 boasts a number of prominent figures from WWE’s past and the majority of its current roster. Not everyone can appear on the cover, though. WWE 2K20 mixed it up by featuring two wrestlers on the cover while WWE 2K14 had a reversible cover insert to let fans choose who graced their case. WWE 2K22 goes back to basics and has just one wrestler on the cover. But who is it?

Rey Mysterio is on the cover of WWE 2K22

Rey Mysterio graces the cover of physical copies of WWE 2K22. While Mysterio has had an up-and-down career in WWE and currently finds himself spinning his wheels in a tag team alongside his son Dominik, he remains a legend in pro wrestling.

As with other recent installments of WWE games, WWE 2K22 features in-game content based on its cover athlete. In this case, there’s a WWE 2K Showcase based on Mysterio’s career. 

Unfortunately, the mode is far from comprehensive. Despite a long career across a variety of promotions, the only match it features from outside WWE is Rey Mysterio’s WCW Cruiserweight Championship win over Eddie Guerrero at Halloween Havoc. There are even some major omissions from his WWE career, including his first championship win not being shown.

Mysterio appears on the cover of WWE 2K22 and the Deluxe Edition, but there’s one other version that he doesn’t appear on. The most inclusive version of WWE 2K22 is the nWo 4-Life Edition, which has four members of the nWo at the front. This includes Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Syxx. The nWo 4-Life Edition didn’t actually receive a proper physical release. It’s only available digitally or via a code obtained via gift card.

Cover wrestlers for every WWE video game

The current mainline WWE Games starts with the promotion’s partnership with Yuke’s, which started in 2000 with the release of WWE SmackDown! The games featured a collage of photos but pivoted to a style more akin to Madden or FIFA games with the start of the WWE 2K series. Here’s the list of cover wrestlers for mainline WWE games:

• WWE 2K22 – Rey Mysterio
• WWE 2K20 – Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch
• WWE 2K19 – AJ Styles
• WWE 2K18 – Seth Rollins
• WWE 2K17 – Brock Lesnar
• WWE 2K16 – Steve Austin
• WWE 2K15 – John Cena
• WWE 2K14 – The Rock
• WWE ‘13 – CM Punk
• WWE ‘12 – Randy Orton
• WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 – The Big Show, John Cena, The Miz
• WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 – Edge, The Undertaker, John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio
• WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 – Triple H, Shawn Michaels
• WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 – John Cena, Undertaker, Bobby Lashley
• WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 – Rey Mysterio, John Cena, Torrie Wilson, Batista, Triple H
• WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 – Batista, John Cena
• WWE SmackDown vs. Raw – Vince McMahon
• WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain – Brock Lesnar
• WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth – Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Booker T
• WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It – The Rock
• WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role – Chris Jericho, The Rock, Triple H, Undertaker
• WWE SmackDown! – Chyna, The Rock, and Mankind