WWE 2K20 is nearing its late October release date and publisher 2K Games is doing its final marketing push. The most important reveal of the game is now complete, as the full roster of WWE Superstars confirmed for the professional wrestling game has been revealed.
In total, there are 194 confirmed WWE Superstars coming to WWE 2K20, though that includes pre-order bonus character Bray "The Fiend" Wyatt and the four characters included in the WWE 2K20 SmackDown Collector's Edition and Deluxe Edition.
Needless to say, there's a lot of wrestlers coming to the game. The roster features talent from both the WWE's SmackDown and Raw brands, as well as NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live. There are also over 40 "Legends," which include many of the WWE's most popular wrestlers who aren't necessarily active on any show's official roster. Paul Heyman, the Undertaker's manger, also returns with a roster spot in WWE 2K20.
Of the 194 wrestlers, 20 of them are entirely new compared to the WWE 2K19 roster. Many of them are familiar faces that haven't been included for any number of reasons, like X-Pac and Mark Henry. Others are new faces like Matt Riddle and Tomasso Ciampa. Some are simply new personas for old faces, like Bray Wyatt's new character The Fiend. Perhaps the most notable new faces just happened to miss last year's game, like Mankind, Chyna, and Hulk Hogan.
Also worth recognizing is that WWE 2K20 features over 40 of the WWE's women Superstars this year, topping 2K19's total of 42. Between SmackDown and Raw, women make up a good half of the roster. However, women are significantly underrepresented in the NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live rosters. There are also relatively few women included in the game's Legends and Retro rosters, not surprisingly, given the WWE's push to include more women wrestlers took a very long time to get started.
Unsurprisingly, WWE 2K20's roster isn't without some controversy. In professional wrestling, every fan has their favorites. And when those favorites aren't getting pushed, those fans are going to be very vocal about their displeasure. NXT fans, in particular, are unhappy with how many of their favorites were skipped. One name in particular keeps getting mentioned, which is 2019 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Torrie Wilson. Perhaps the most hilarious controversy is over how The Rock, well, doesn't quite look like The Rock.
For those unhappy about WWE 2K20's 194-wrestler roster, there's always a chance that more will be added as DLC in the months ahead.
WWE 2K20 releases October 22 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.