Last year, I wrote a blog breaking down the roster updates for the newest WWE video game. I might as well make a tradition out of it, simply for the sake of having something to write about. So what the heck? Let's do it again for "WWE 2K19," shall we? But this year I'll do you one better: I'll break down the roster and also talk about some of the new and exciting features that will grace us with their presence in "2K19." Sound fair? On we go.
Who's out?
- Legends
- Albert
- Buddy Roberts
- Bushwhacker Butch
- Bushwhacker Luke
- Cactus Jack 92
- Cactus Jack 98
- Dude Love
- Earthquake
- JBL
- Jimmy Garvin
- Kerry Von Erich
- Kevin Von Erich
- Larry Zbysko
- Mankind
- Mark Henry
- Michael Hayes
- Rob Van Dam
- Stunning Steve Austin
- Tatsumi Fujinami
- Typhoon
- Managers
- Bobby Heenan (manager)
- Mr. McMahon (manager)
- Paul Ellering (manager)
- Stephanie McMahon (manager)
- Those no longer with the company
- Big Cass
- Darren Young
- Emma
- Enzo Amore
- Neville
- Rich Swann
- Sawyer Fulton
- Summer Rae
- Tyson Kidd
- Those we can't comprehend
- Brian Kendrick
- Nikki Cross
- Tommaso Ciampa (the current NXT champion)
- Alternate attires
- Big Boss Man 99
- Big Show 00
- Bret Hart 98
- DDP 98
- John Cena 10
- Kane 98
- Kurt Angle 06
- Ric Flair 91
- Ricky Steamboat 94
- Shawn Michaels 98
- Sting 88
- Sting 91
- Sting 98 (nWo)
- Sting 99
- Triple H 01
- Triple H 98
- Undertaker 91
- Undertaker 00
Who's in?
- Main roster
- Andrade Almas
- Liv Morgan
- Mandy Rose
- Ronda Rousey (pre-order bonus)
- Samir Singh (manager)
- Sarah Logan
- Shelton Benjamin
- Sonya Deville
- Sunil Singh (manager)
- Zelina Vega (manager)
- NXT
- Adam Cole
- Angelo Dawkins
- Bianca Belair
- Bobby Fish
- Kairi Sane
- Kyle O'Reilly
- Oney Lorcan
- Otis Dozovic
- Pete Dunne
- Shayna Baszler
- Tucker Knight
- Tyler Bate
- Velveteen Dream
- 205 Live
- Ariya Daivari
- Drew Gulak
- Lince Dorado
- Mustafa Ali
- Tony Nese
- Legends
- Rey Mysterio (pre-order bonus)
- Roddy Piper
- Alternate attires
- Daniel Bryan 12
- Daniel Bryan 13
- Daniel Bryan Retro
- Randy Orton 13
- Undertaker 02
- Season Pass/Downloadable Content
- Rising Stars Pack
- Candice LeRae
- Dakota Kai
- Lacey Evans
- Lio Rush
- Maira Kanellis
- Mike Manellis
- Ricochet
- Titans Pack
- Bobby Lashley
- EC3
- War Raiders (Rowe and Hanson)
By the Numbers
The "WWE 2K19" roster includes:
- 197 unique playable characters
- 186 unique playable characters on-disc (record)
- 42 playable women
- 38 playable women on-disc (record)
- 56 wrestlers from RAW
- 47 wrestlers from SmackDown!
- 28 wrestlers from NXT
- 14 wrestlers from 205 Live
- 63 unique legends (depending on what you classify as "unique" - for instance, does Randy Orton's '13 model count as a unique legend although the current Orton counts as a member of the SmackDown! roster?)
Roster take-aways
As of right now, it does not appear that 2K will be releasing their typical "Hall of Fame" DLC pack, which means that we may not be seeing 2018 Hall of Famers the Dudley Boyz, Jeff Jarrett, Mark Henry and Hillbilly Jim in this year's game.
The most glaring omissions - and Internet comment sections will definitely attest to this - are several WWE superstars who are currently on the roster that were included in last year's game but are apparently missing in action this year, namely, Nikki Cross, THE Brian Kendrick and current NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa. There are some rumors that their absence may be a reflection of contract stipulations or, simply, the wrestlers' refusal to allow 2K to use their likeness in the game. Odd, certainly. So it looks like we'll have to rely on the painstaking labors of some crafty Community Creations if we want to use those guys in "2K19."
Another really odd subtraction this year is the loss of Mick Foley and his alter-egos. No Mankind, Cactus Jack or Dude Love. I didn't really use those characters very often in the past, but I guess what they say is true: you never know what you've got 'til it's gone. Other notable legends missing from "2K19" are JBL, Rob Van Dam and the recently reinstated Hulk Hogan.
The DLC I'm most looking forward to using this year will be the "Top One Percenter," EC3. That guy is a beast in NXT right now. Can't wait for him to be released for download.
Update: After watching several "first impression" videos, it does appear that several wrestlers do have alternate attires/models that were not announced in the official roster reveal, such as Kevin Owens, Kane, Kurt Angle and a few others. These will likely be unlockable through Showcase Mode. Additionally, screenshots of Paul Heyman (Manager) have been shown on the 2K website, despite Heyman not being listed on the official roster.
The most glaring omissions - and Internet comment sections will definitely attest to this - are several WWE superstars who are currently on the roster that were included in last year's game but are apparently missing in action this year, namely, Nikki Cross, THE Brian Kendrick and current NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa. There are some rumors that their absence may be a reflection of contract stipulations or, simply, the wrestlers' refusal to allow 2K to use their likeness in the game. Odd, certainly. So it looks like we'll have to rely on the painstaking labors of some crafty Community Creations if we want to use those guys in "2K19."
Another really odd subtraction this year is the loss of Mick Foley and his alter-egos. No Mankind, Cactus Jack or Dude Love. I didn't really use those characters very often in the past, but I guess what they say is true: you never know what you've got 'til it's gone. Other notable legends missing from "2K19" are JBL, Rob Van Dam and the recently reinstated Hulk Hogan.
The DLC I'm most looking forward to using this year will be the "Top One Percenter," EC3. That guy is a beast in NXT right now. Can't wait for him to be released for download.
Update: After watching several "first impression" videos, it does appear that several wrestlers do have alternate attires/models that were not announced in the official roster reveal, such as Kevin Owens, Kane, Kurt Angle and a few others. These will likely be unlockable through Showcase Mode. Additionally, screenshots of Paul Heyman (Manager) have been shown on the 2K website, despite Heyman not being listed on the official roster.
What else is new?
The hard part about buying new sports video games every year is the (all too real) fear of basically paying $60 for a roster update, which, in many cases, is exactly what EA Sports ("Madden"), Sony ("MLB The Show") and 2K ("NBA 2K," "WWE 2K") trick you into doing. It sucks, but if you want to play with the newest teams, players and characters, it's a necessary evil. As such, it's not uncommon to keep an eye out for big announcements about new features as the game's release date approaches.
What have we learned about "WWE 2K19" in the past few weeks? Well, it looks like we are in store for a slew of improvements and new game modes. Here are a couple of things I've noticed while watching teaser trailers and keeping my eyes glued to the WWE 2K Twitter account:
- The return of Showcase Mode featuring the career of Daniel Bryan
- Women's Royal Rumble
- Mae Young Classic (or the arena, at least)
- Customized Money in the Bank briefcases
- The new "Payback" feature is new this year, and I just learned about it today, as a matter of fact
- Alternate attires that don't take up their own "character" slot (Demon Finn Balor appears in the trailers, but isn't listed as his own character, as he has been in the past)
- The Wyatt Compound can be used as the location for backstage brawls - and it appears that a "House of Horrors" match is a significant part of the story mode this year
- Speaking of which, "MyCareer" mode looks totally insane - check the trailer toward the end of this post
- "MyCareer" mode will feature fully voiced characters, as opposed to past years, where we were subjected to reading subtitles that seemed like they were written by someone whose first language was definitely not English
- Commentary, at least from what I could tell from a couple of the wrestler entrances I watched, sounds really good in comparison to the bland garbage from previous years
- The new "Towers" mode will be introduced; it seems like the "Slobberknocker" mode from years ago - I asked for Gauntlet matches and it looks like we're essentially getting them
- Graphics are improved and 2K is adding additional "filters" to gameplay, like 8-bit and cel-shading visuals, which actually look really fun
- Zombie Triple H - yes, it's true
- Big Head mode - yes, it's true
The 2K team has released a few blogs to detail new features and changes for "WWE 2K19," which you can find here:
- WWE 2K19 MyCareer Features Compelling Storyline and Fully Voiced Characters
- Brief MyCareer overview and trailer
- WWE 2K19 Features Roundup
- Part 1: General improvements, new match types, changes to Hell in a Cell and cage matches, Money in the Bank updates, Payback feature
- Part 2: Exciting updates about Universe Mode, managers and other miscellaneous features
- Part 3: MyPlayer updates, including new skill tree, Loot Pack explanation, Road to Glory Mode and MyPlayer Towers
- Part 4: Creation suite updates
I wanted it and we're getting it!
Earlier this year, I posted a list of 15 things I wanted in "WWE 2K19." Based on pre-release blogs and videos put out by 2K, it surprisingly, shockingly appears that many of my wishes have been granted! Below, I've listed my request in bold, followed by what appears to be happening in the upcoming game. Check it out:
- Easier alternate attires: Based on screenshots and videos, it appears that alternate attires (like Zombie Triple H, for instance) may not take up an entire CAW slot and can be selected from a menu when choosing the wrestler.
- Seamless saving for tag teams: Well, technically, I'm not sure this applies to tag teams, but I just got tired of having to make changes to attires, tag teams and championships twice - once in "MyWWE" and again in Universe Mode. According to Part 2 of the Features Roundup (linked above), this year, new features this year allow players to "save changes to Superstar settings across MyWWE and multiple Universe saves at the same time. This includes Attributes, Skills, Abilities, Payback, Entrances, and Move Sets." Wonderful!
- Bring back "Showcase Mode": Check.
- Ditch "MyCareer Mode": Well, they didn't, but it looks like they have made such significant improvements to it that I will actually play through it for once.
- More coherent Promo system: It looks like this has been revamped, as well. "Promos now incorporate recent events [like wins/losses, championships, blindside attacks, etc.]. Many new promo animations have been added. While every Superstar comes with a pre-set “Promo Attitude,” you can customize any of them so that they behave the way you want."
- Clearer Money in the Bank cash-in process: Not only will the cash-in process be more clear this year (apparently done through a selection option on the pause menu, with the option to tweak sliders for A.I. cash-in frequency), but the briefcases are fully customizable now, too.
- Additional match options for Universe rivalries: I'm hoping this is good news, as the Features Roundup mentions, "Custom Match Tables let users customize the types of matches used on each show and Pay-Per-View. Using sliders, you can determine the frequency for various match types in storylines and rivalries."
- More versatile commentary: All commentary done for wrestler entrances is brand new this year, and there are 15,000 new lines of commentary for this year's game.
- Women's Royal Rumble: Check.
- Gauntlet matches: "Towers" mode should essentially work as a gauntlet match, although whether this mode will be independent of Universe Mode remains to be seen. It is likely that "Towers" will function as a stand-alone "exhibition" match type without consequences for Universe Mode, however.
Finally, this wasn't on my list, but I saw it in Part 2 of the Features Roundup and I am so stoked for it. "You can go through matchups in your Universe and decide the winners and losers of the matches without having to play the match yourself or rely on a random result!" This is such great news. Simulating and hoping for the desired outcome was terrible.
The Bottom Line
I am unnaturally excited for "2K19." I usually look forward to new games, but it really seems like this should be a much-improved version of the game we're used to getting each year. Release Day can't come soon enough! If you're not pumped about "WWE 2K19" yet, check out these videos, which should get you pretty much sold on this year's game:
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