WWE 2K22 was first teased at WWE's biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania 37 in April of 2021. Since then, there has been very little information about the upcoming entry into the series aside from some behind-the-scenes tweets. For the first time, WWE skipped its yearly release of video game titles with WWE 2K21 being skipped over, and the extra year of development used for developing WWE 2K22. This and some shuffling around of management could mean that this new iteration truly hits differently from past entries.
WWE has a roster of very talented individuals from varying brands under the WWE umbrella outside of the video game world. Each year the roster changes with Superstars joining or leaving the roster, and this very much affects the roster within the games. Since the release of WWE 2K20 at the end of 2019 before Covid hit, there have been many Superstars in WWE who were released from the company for various reasons. Usually, a WWE 2K game will feature most of the entire roster of Legends and Superstars from the prior year. However, as it has been almost 2 years since the last WWE 2K release, the roster for WWE 2K22 will feel very different when comes out compared to WWE 2K20's roster.
WWE Superstars Who Were Released in 2020
2020 was a big year for releases in WWE with Covid impacting everything and the #SpeakingOut movement. In 2020, 24 Superstars that were in WWE 2K20's roster were released, with one Superstar having been released in 2019. As such, it is safe to say these wrestlers will not appear in WWE 2K20 with a possible exception being Kurt Angle who is still on good terms with WWE making the occasional appearance.
- Sin Cara (2019)
- Zelina Vega
- Rezar
- Akam
- Kairi Sane
- Gentleman Jack Gallagher
- Dash Wilder
- Scott Dawson
- Curt Hawkins
- EC3
- Luke Gallows
- Karl Anderson
- Eric Young
- Heath Slater
- Kurt Angle
- Erick Rowan
- Sarah Logan
- Maria Kanellis
- Mike Kanellis
- Zack Ryder
- No Way Jose
- Rusev
- Kassius Ohno
- Curtis Axel
- Matt Hardy
This is unfortunately a big list of Superstars who have either been with WWE for a long period of time or who have had a lot of potential but never got their big break. With big names like Matt Hardy, Rusev, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson making the jump to AEW, they are more than likely to appear in an AEW game now, making WWE 2K20 the last WWE game that fans can find them in.
WWE Superstars Who Were Released in 2021
Despite 2021 just barely at the halfway point, there have already been numerous big-name Superstars to leave WWE.
- Samoa Joe
- Billie Kay
- Peyton Royce
- Mickie James
- Kalisto
- Tucker
- Bo Dallas
- Andrade
- The Big Show
- Lars Sullivan
- Christian
This list might seem smaller but some of these Superstars who were released are quite notable. Samoa Joe and Andrade had a lot more promise, while others like Mickie James and Kalisto have been with the company for many years. The Big Show was a shocking release as he has been with the WWE for over two decades at this point, but not only that, both he and Christian made the jump to competitive brand AEW immediately. Lars Sullivan was being pushed as a main event Superstar only to be cut short, while Tucker was split from his partner Otis in a storyline that didn't go very far, while Otis maintains his spot in WWE. On top of this WWE 2K22 doesn't have a release date yet, and as such more Superstars could leave WWE between now and launch day, meaning even more Superstars could be omitted.
There were more WWE Superstar releases in 2020 and 2021, but this list is of those who appeared in WWE 2K20, the last WWE game to release. As such, WWE 2K22 will have a vastly different roster than the games before it. Though it might not be so bad to cull the herd so to speak, it is a shame long time Superstars such as The Big Show, Rusev, and Matt Hardy won't be in a WWE game for the foreseeable future. This means that when the inevitable AEW wrestling games come out it is sure to turn some heads, especially those who are long-time fans of these wrestlers.
WWE 2K22 is planned to release at some point in 2021.