Since WWE 2K22 announced the return of the 2K series, fans have been speculating which current and former WWE superstars will make up their star-studded roster of playable characters. WWE 2K20 featured the largest roster in sports fighting game history, with no less than 238 wrestlers to choose from. One name WWE 2K22 fans will be hoping to see included in the latest installment in the series is the wrestler turned Hollywood superstar John Cena.
John Cena recently returned to WWE television meaning he is highly likely to feature in any upcoming WWE video game. Cena made his surprise return on July 18 at Money In The Bank 2021, confronting the current WWE Universal Champion and WWE 2K20 cover star Roman Reigns. Since then, we have seen John Cena appear on SmackDown, to confront and challenge Roman Reigns to a match at Summerslam 2021 for the WWE Universal Championship. If Cena were to win, it would make him a 17-time world champion and the most decorated WWE wrestler of all time.
John Cena's Got A Long History In WWE Video Games
John Cena has featured in every WWE game since WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain, so it would be a shock to fans if one of WWE's most popular superstars did not feature in their most recent title. Moreover, after his hugely popular return to television, 2K will likely want to capitalize on Cena's popularity to boost sales after not producing a game in 2021 following the catastrophic failure of WWE 2K20.
An argument could even be made for Cena to be this year's cover star, as he is one of the most prolific wrestlers WWE has at its disposal, and he holds the record for the most features on WWE game covers. If 2K were to include John Cena, then expect him to be one of the highest-rated playable characters in the game, similar to the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Another reason why WWE 2K22 is likely to feature John Cena as a playable character is because he is currently starring as Peacemaker in the latest Suicide Squad film. In addition to Suicide Squad, Cena is also featured in the new Fast 9 film as Jakob Toretto, a master thief, assassin, and high-performance driver. With Cena featuring in two Hollywood blockbusters simultaneously, his mainstream appeal has never been higher. Given his ever-increasing notoriety in Hollywood, it would be foolish of 2K to not feature him as a major attraction, seeing as they are bound to want to minimize any glaring omissions following their return to making WWE video games.
WWE tends to reveal its roster for upcoming video games in August, usually during the Summerslam weekend. After not releasing a game last year, it would make sense for WWE to unveil their latest roster at one of their biggest events of the year. Therefore, WWE 2K fans might not have long to wait to find out whether John Cena will feature in the game as Summerslam 2021 is just a few days away.
Ultimately, it would be a huge surprise if we did not see John Cena included in WWE 2K22. With fans suggesting WWE 2K22 should be a near remake of WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain, it would be fitting to include John Cena in a WWE game resembling the one he made his debut in nearly 18 years ago.
WWE 2K22 is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.