WWE 2K25 Preview

We are mere hours away from early access for WWE 2K25! It's looking like we're in for another solid installment in the franchise, so I'm looking forward to logging on at 10 PM Mountain Time tonight for a little bit of late night gaming.

But before we get to that, let's break down the roster changes and some of the new features that we can expect from the new game!

Who's Out?

Legends/Other

• AJ Hawk
• Bad Bunny
• Beth Phoenix
• Big Boss Man
• Boston Connor
• Darius Butler
• Jerry Lawler
• Muhammad Ali
• Post Malone
• Robert Roode
• Ronda Rousey
• Sanga
• Shane McMahon
• Ted DiBiase
• Ty Schmit

No longer with the company

• Bobby Lashley
• Cameron Grimes
• Damon Kemp
• Dijak
• Drew Gulak
• Jinder Mahal
• MVP
• Ricochet
• SCRYPTS
• Veer Mahaan
• Xia Li

Current main roster superstars who didn't make the cut

• Shockingly, I think that the DLC pretty much covers all of the recent additions to the main roster!

Notable missing NXT superstars

• Hank Walker
• Jazmyn Nyx
• Karmen Petrovic
• Luca Crusifino
• Meiko Satomura
• Ricky Saints
• Tank Ledger
• Zaria

Who's in? (* = DLC)

Main roster

• Akam (no longer with company)
• Alex Shelley*
• Andrade
• Chris Sabin*
• Elektra Lopez (no longer with company)
• Erick Rowan*
• Finn Balor (Demon)
• Jacob Fatu
• Kiana James
• Naomi
  
• Penta*
• Rezar (no longer with company)
• Tama Tonga
• Tonga Loa

NXT

• Charlie Dempsey
• Eddy Thorpe
• Ethan Page
• Giulia*
• Jaida Parker
• Jakara Jackson
• Je'Von Evans
• Jordynne Grace*
• Kelani Jordan
• Lash Legend
• Lexis King
• Lola Vice
• Oba Femi
• Oro Mensah
• Shawn Spears
• Sol Ruca
• Stephanie Vaquer*
• Tatum Paxley

Legends/Other

• Abyss*
• Afa
• Alundra Blayze
• Billy Gunn*
• Bull Nakano
• D'Lo Brown*
• Great Khali*
• Headshrinker Fatu
• Headshrinker Samu
• Hunter Hearst Helmsley
• Islander Haku
• Islander Tama
• Jamal
• Jesse Ventura*
• Junk Yard Dog*
• Mark Henry*
• Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff*
• New Jack*
• Peter Maivia
• Road Dogg*
• Rocky Maivia
• Rosey
• Sid Justice*
• Sika
• Tito Santana*
• Victoria*

Managers/Non-playable Characters

• Afa
• Armando Estrada
• Ava
• Brother Love*
• Captain Lou Albano
• Mr. Fuji
  
• Nick Aldis
• Paul Ellering (no longer with company)

By the numbers

According to The Smackdown Hotel, this is the biggest roster ever for a WWE video game, boasting "383 characters," which is a bit inflated because of "persona" characters (alternate versions of wrestlers, like "Masked CM Punk") and throwback versions of wrestlers (like "Becky Lynch," "Becky Lynch '17" and "Becky Lynch '18," which they're counting as three different people). The website says that there are 69 new characters this year, which seems like a lot.

Roster take-aways

This actually feels pretty good. The only really significant wrestler that didn't make the base roster or DLC is NXT's Zaria, which is probably a lot more important to hardcore NXT watchers than it is to me. I'm sure that's nothing that a quick Community Creations download can't solve. The roster would have been looking really great about a month ago, before a handful of surprising releases, including Baron Corbin, the Authors of Pain and Paul Ellering, Blair Davenport, and (most shockingly) Sonya DeVille, among a few others. But their inclusion in the game doesn't feel nearly as egregious as what happened a few years back when the game launched with a significantly outdated roster on Day 1.

THANK GOODNESS that Pat McAfee's dumb friends aren't in the game anymore. Man, what a waste of DLC last year. I lowered the stats for all of those fools and beat them up so many times. They had such punchable faces. This year, we're getting a few surprise celebrity wrestlers and a couple yet-to-be-announced NBA stars, who I assume will be WWE superfans Tyrese Halliburton, Jalen Brunson and somebody else. Maybe Shaq or something? Not really excited about any of those, but maybe we'll get a few more punchable faces before all is said and done.

What else is new?

• The biggest addition this year is WWE 2K25's "The Island" mode, which is basically a wrestling version of NBA 2K's "The City," which I've never really cared for. It will be fun for people who like to play online against other people.
• Intergender matches. I have absolutely zero desire to beat up a woman with a male character, so the only time I can see myself doing an intergender match would be to have Rhea Ripley beat up Dominik Mysterio.
• New backstage areas. You can even fight on the old SmackDown! fist.
• Underground matches. Yeah, that weird gimmick from the COVID era that has shown up in NXT from time to time over the past few years will be in the game this year.
• "Bloodline Rules" matches. Just like on -the TV shows, I have absolutely no idea what that even means, unless there are, like, five scheduled run-ins per fighter. For real, though, what is the difference between "Bloodline Rules" and "No Holds Barred"?? Somebody explain this to me.
• I just confirmed it - it's a No-DQ match in which you can schedule up to three run-ins per side. Man, that's hilarious.
• New match types for Special Referee stipulations. You can now do a special ref in 30 different match types, as opposed to it only being for 1-on-1 matches, like last year. That's cool.
• New weapons! Trash can lid (my personal specialty!), safety cone, Undertaker urn, juggling pin, clown horn, clown shoe, "sugar rush," "Damian's Chair" and carnival hammer. I assume there is maybe some kind of amusement park tie-in for MyRise mode or something, because that's a lot of random clown crap.
• Showcase Mode: "Bloodline Dynasty." We'll get a full helping of Roman Reigns and family this year, which is not probably the most enticing option for me, personally, but whatever.
• New MyGM Mode features. You can play online now (I won't), there are new Premium Live Event features (PLEs are now shared across shows instead of each brand doing their own full show - I'm not sure that I like that, despite it being more similar to real life), nine new GM character options, and a few other things. Although the newly introduced mid-card women's titles are not an option (yet?), there is now a feature to have women's tag champions, which will be a nice improvement.

WWE 2K Q&A with A-Town

• Who will you play with first?
• I mean, heel John Cena is sounding pretty good right now, considering what happened at Elimination Chamber last weekend...
• I'm really looking forward to getting Penta and Jordynne Grace on DLC in the next few months.
• Who don't you want to play with at all?
• Probably 95% of NXT and the legends. Probably as few "Bloodline" characters as possible; I simply don't have any interest in playing with any Samoans that pre-date The Rock.
• What is your go-to match type?
• Last year, I probably played more standard 1-on-1 matches than anything, and I tried to take the action outside of the ring as little as possible. I just wanted to hit a couple special moves and pin or submit my opponents as quickly as possible.
• What is your favorite game mode?
• I really love GM Mode, but like I said last year, I wish there was more incentive to play that mode a lot. I thought that the WrestleMania showcase was really well-done last year (if not a bit too lengthy), but the replayability is extremely low for that mode.
• Is there anything you wish you could change or improve about these games?
• There absolutely needs to be about 150% fewer ladder matches this year. When I was playing MyFaction last year, it was like 66% ladder matches, and most of those were tag team matches, so they were truly aggravating. MyFaction was better last year than it probably ever has been, but it was such a chore to do those tasks that I never switched up my roster and I simply played it because I had to, not because I actually wanted to.
• I think they might have patched it eventually, but I remember when I first started playing 2K24, the ref would take their sweet time getting to the three-count. It was ridiculously slow. Like I said, I think it got better, but that was horrendous.
• They've got to got to got to fix the "Statistics" feature on these games. I have no idea what stats they're tracking, but I can tell you that they are completely inaccurate. Please, for the love, just track all of my play stats, regardless of what mode I'm in.
• I think that the logic used in GM Mode that penalizes you for putting, say, Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns in a match together is totally stupid. "The fans don't like to see this." Excuse me???? That's a great match. I get that it's not the same as Rey Mysterio fighting the Great Khali or something, but don't tell me that fans don't like two powerhouses going at it. That's crap.
• Make up a new tag team that does not currently exist:
• I mean... Drew McIntyre and Bronson Reed? They would absolutely WRECK. (I actually really liked Bronson teaming up with the New Bloodline for War Games. Thought he fit in well with them. Too bad he busted his ankle for the love of the game.)
• Give us brand new champions for every single main roster belt:
• RAW:
• Men's Title: CM Punk
• Women's Title: Move Jordynne Grace up to the main roster and give her the belt
• Men's IC: Chad Gable
• Women's IC: Dakota Kai is the obvious choice, but it should stay Lyra Valkyria
• Men's Tag: Heel New Day would get nuclear heat if they won
• SmackDown:
• Men's Title: Heel John Cena
• Women's Title: Jade Cargill
• Men's US: Jacob Fatu
• Women's US: I refuse to pick anyone other than Chelsea Green
• Men's Tag: Motor City Machine Guns shouldn't have lost the titles so quickly
• Inter-brand Women's Tag Team Champions: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross
• Who are you most looking forward to beating up?
• Dominik Mysterio, Liv Morgan, Carmelo Hayes, maybe even Bianca Belair

The Bottom Line

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how things are shaping up. I was kind of surprised to see that we aren't swapping out any match types, so we are getting new stipulations and keeping the casket and ambulance matches from last year. The roster is solid, we're keeping the Judgment Day's old entrance theme (which was such a banger) and I can immediately change John Cena's alignment to "Crowd Reaction: Boo," which is still so crazy to think about. Let's get to it!

And now, if you've got a couple minutes, let us know what you're thinking about the current state of WWE in the comments section, on Twitter (here and here) or on Facebook, if you can find us.

Let's get ready to rumble!

Until next time.

WrestleMania 40 Preview: What We Think Should Happen

For years now, we've been incorrectly predicting the results for upcoming WWE WrestleManias. Last year, for instance, we infamously spent 30 minutes talking about how every single title should change hands, only to be surprised (but should we have been??) when Roman Reigns cheated (yet again) to ruin Cody Rhodes' championship dreams. Here we are, a full year later, and Roman still has his title and will be squaring off against Cody in a rematch that lit social media on fire for the past few months.

If you're not up-to-date with the current WWE product, first of all, that's a shame, and second of all, we're not going to spend much time trying to catch you up before WrestleMania Night 1 graces our TV screens tomorrow night. Suffice it to say, "pro wrestling is cool again," as "The Final Boss" Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson has been saying for the last several weeks.

Here's what we'd like to happen at WrestleMania XL:

LA Knight shines on the big stage

Ideally, we would have wanted The Megastar to have had a title opportunity, perhaps against Logan Paul for the United States championship, but WWE had other plans and simply put LA Knight up against AJ Styles in a 1-on-1 match. Not the best way to reward the hottest good guy that the company had to offer for the majority of the year, but it is what it is. Give LA Knight the win, then put him up against whoever walks away with the US title this weekend.

Randy Orton's last big run?

When Randy Orton takes on Kevin Owens and Logan Paul for the United States championship, there is a great likelihood that Logan will drop the belt after completing his service as the celebrity attraction for the year. Honestly, Logan has turned himself into a really impressive part-time talent, so good for him. Hate him, but congrats. We don't have too much of a preference between Orton and Owens (they're both great), so if those are the options we've got to choose from, why not give Randy another good title reign before he rides off into the sunset?

Karrion Cross finally gets a big win

Karrion Cross and his Final Testament need to defeat Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits in the upcoming Six-Man Tag Team Philadelphia Street Fight. Cross hasn't had a big break since rejoining the company and a victory at WrestleMania would add some credibility to his villainous faction, which hasn't legitimately struck fear into their opponents during their brief time together.

Dirty Dom initiates the downfall of the Judgment Day

The seeds of distrust have been planted amongst the Judgment Day - and we're not too sure what, exactly, is going on with Dominik's sudden friendship with Legado del Fantasma. We imagine that the uncertainty will only deepen when Dom teams up with Santos Escobar to face Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee. We would love for this to signal the impending breakup of Judgment Day, but, whatever happens, as long as we get to see Rey put a whooping on his eternally irritating son, we're all right with it.

Jimmy and Jey Uso beat the heck out of each other

It isn't a secret that Jimmy and Jey Uso have wanted to face each other in a singles match at WrestleMania for their entire lives. We grew sick of the Usos about a year ago with all the cheating to win by the Bloodline, so we're kind of over this and don't really care what happens. Most likely, especially since this match will most likely come before The Rock and Roman take on Cody and Seth, we assume that Jimmy will beat Jey and possibly even put him out of the picture as a potential ally for Cody on Night 2. We just want the twins to punish each other.

Gunther (unfortunately) retains

The hallmark of WWE over the past three years has been giving people unprecedented title reign lengths. Gunther is one such beneficiary, now having held the Intercontinental championship longer than anyone else in the history of the company. We love Sami Zayn (most of the time), but putting Sami in the match over Chad Gable felt like a mistake and, if anybody's going to beat Gunther, maybe it doesn't have to be Sami. Also, some bad guys are going to win this weekend. When we look at all of the championships being defended this weekend, it seems most likely that Gunther be one of the wrestlers who gets to keep their belt.

Jade Cargill makes an impression

Jade Cargill was a huge name in AEW (WWE's top competitor) before she jumped ship a few months ago. It's a near absolute certainty that she, Naomi and Bianca Belair pick up the W against Damage CTRL this weekend. WWE will use Jade to draw curious eyes to the product, then make her look really good in her match. It's going to happen. All we can hope is that she ends up making AEW regret letting her walk.

R-Truth beats Damien Priest and Finn Balor and the tag titles get separated

It's probably time for the Judgment Day to let go of their tag team titles. If it were ever going to happen, this would be the time. And we heard a rumor that both sets of championships will be defended in the match - like, one team will climb the ladder and grab one set of belts, then another team will have the chance to climb up and grab the other pair. We're not 100% sure that this is really happening, but that would be so glorious. The RAW and SmackDown! tag titles were unified last year by the Usos (which was stupid), and they've inexplicably remained unified ever since. It's time to split them back up and send them back to their respective shows... and there is no better person to take the titles away from Finn and Damien than R-Truth himself. Yes, he who was repeatedly beaten by those who he mistakenly, confusedly thought were his teammates. It's got to be R-Truth and The Miz. That would be hilarious and the fans would go bananas for it.

The other titles should probably be won by Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne or even Austin Theory and Grayson Waller (if they want to keep the titles on a pair of bad guys).

Drew McIntyre wins a championship in front of actual human beings

Drew McIntyre arguably carried WWE through the ThunderDome era during COVID-19. Unfortunately for him, that meant that we won a world championship in 2020 in an empty arena. We've always felt bad for him about that. Drew has been doing great stuff as a heel lately, including some absolutely brilliant work on the microphone. ("I prayed for this... and it happened.") Seth "Freakin'" Rollins has admitted to legitimate injuries and probably should have dropped his belt a few months ago, but he's medically cleared now and will be fighting in two matches. There's a great chance that Seth could get beat up so badly against Roman and The Rock in Night 1 that he's barely able to compete on Night 2. It would be very, very surprising if Seth was still the champion, come Monday morning.

Damien Priest unsuccessfully cashes in his MITB contract

With Dom potentially screwing things up in his match against his deadbeat dad and Finn and Damien possibly losing their tag team championships in the massive ladder match, Damien could be feeling some pressure to get momentum swinging back in his favor. What a better way to do that than to try to cash in his Money in the Bank contract in the aftermath of Seth vs Drew? And what a better way to throw the Judgment Day into chaos than for Damien to cash in and lose? We'd love to see it.

Bayley gets the ultimate revenge

As the winner of the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble, Bayley got the opportunity to face the champion of her choice at WrestleMania. One of the highlights of the Road to WrestleMania was Bayley picking to face her former ally, Iyo Sky. Bayley was great as a heel - she made us actually like her as a heel - but we'd love to see the confetti rain down on Good Guy Bayley after picking up what would arguably be the biggest win of her career.

Mami defeats The Man and leaves Judgment Day

Fans can't help but love Rhea Ripley, despite her alignment with a generally disliked faction. Yes, Rhea has arguably become one of the biggest stars in wrestling today. In the other corner, we have "Box-Checker" Becky Lynch, who seems to win just about everything, from the Elimination Chamber all the way down to the NXT Women's championship, simply to say that she's done it all. There is no obvious reason for Becky to win a belt right now. Plus, having Rhea retain while the rest of Judgment Day fails around her would be a great reason for her to break away from those bozos for good.

The Final Boss sets up an epic finale in Night 2

Having Dwayne Johnson come and presumably announce that he was stealing the main event title match of WrestleMania, completely out of nowhere, was a major swing and miss by the company. Thankfully, they acknowledged (no pun intended) the mistake and allowed the #WeWantCody phenomenon to right the ship. At first, we were thrilled to think that Seth and Cody would beat Roman and The Rock on Night 1, FINALLY (no pun intended) leading to a match where Roman couldn't get bailed out by his cousins. But the more we thought about it, we realized that that's probably not going to happen. First of all, if you've got The Rock for one or two nights this weekend, why wouldn't you use him both nights? He'll be involved during Night 2 in some fashion - and it will probably end with him handing a bloody weight belt to Mama Rhodes.

The other great thing about this outcome is that Cody Rhodes will have to overcome every single obstacle in his path, literally beating his way through every member of the Bloodline, to take the title off of Roman.

Cody finishes the story

And that's what we're hoping happens during the last match of the weekend. Cody has got to finish the story. And it will be so, so sweet when he gets that three-count after potentially single-handedly taking out every member of Roman's posse.

But hey, we've been wrong before. So when Roman's music hits as the screen fades to black, we will just put our faces in our hands and cry our salty little Cody Crybaby tears and we'll plan on regrouping in another year.

Ugh.

*****

Will you be watching WrestleMania this weekend? Do you have any predictions or thoughts on what is about to come to pass? Let us know by leaving a comment below, finding us on Facebook or following us on Twitter (here and here). And don't give us any Night 2 spoilers because we're going out of town and may not be able to watch it live. Lovely.

Until next time.

WWE 2K24 Preview: Time to Finish the Story

As professional wrestling fans all know, we have officially entered the Road to WrestleMania - and we are also just days away from another entry in the "WWE 2K" video game series. After surpassing expectations two consecutive years (a sadly impressive accomplishment for annual sports games these days), WWE 2K24 looks to be bigger and better than ever.

The roster looks to be pretty up-to-date, despite the initial, pre-DLC exclusion of a couple characters that returned to or debuted in the company within the last couple of months, but, overall, it's looking pretty decent. Thankfully, as far as the roster breakdown is concerned, the amazingly helpful website The Smackdown Hotel has done almost all of the hard work for us, which is great. We'll run through who's in and out this year, for posterity's sake, then get to a few questions about what we'd like to see in this year's game and beyond. Let's get to it.

Who's out?

• Legends
• Brie Bella
• Brock Lesnar
• Goldberg
• Mr. McMahon
• Nikki Bella
• Zeus
• No longer with the company
• Aliyah
• Commander Azeez
• Dana Brooke
• Dolph Ziggler
• Edge
• Elias / Ezekiel
• Lacey Evans
• Mace
• Madcap Moss
• Mansoor
• Matt Riddle
• Mustafa Ali
• Rick Boogs
• Shanky
• Shelton Benjamin
• Titus O'Neil
• Top Dolla

Current main roster superstars who didn't make the cut

• Authors of Pain - Akam & Rezar (recently returned)
• Andrade El Idolo (recently returned)
• Elektra Lopez
• Naomi (recently returned)

Notable missing NXT superstars

• Ava
• Charlie Dempsey
• Gable Steveson
• Kelani Jordan
• Kiana James
• Lash Legend
• Lexis King
• Lola Vice
• Meiko Satomura
• Oba Femi (current NXT North American Champion)
• Oro Mensah
• Sol Ruca
• Tatum Paxley
• Xyon Quinn

Who's in? (* = DLC)

• Main Roster
• Bronson Reed
• Carlito*
• Chelsea Green
• CM Punk*
• Isla Dawn
• Jade Cargill*
• Kairi Sane*
• Maxxine Dupri
• Nia Jax*
• Pat McAfee*
• Tegan Nox
• NXT
• Brooks Jensen
• Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo
• Dragon Lee*
• Duke Hudson
• Fallon Henley
• Joe Coffey
• Josh Briggs
• Lyra Valkyria*
• Mark Coffey
• Sanga
• Thea Hail
• Wolfgang
• Legends/Other
• Bubba Ray Dudley*
• D-Von Dudley*
• DDP*
• Dude Love
• Dusty Rhodes
• George "The Animal" Steele
• Headbanger Mosh*
• Headbanger Thrasher*
• Honky Tonk Man*
• Ken Shamrock
• Lex Luger*
• Mankind
• Michelle McCool*
• Mr. Perfect*
• Muhammad Ali
• Post Malone*
• Ravishing Rick Rude
• Ricky Steamboat
• Sandman*
• Sensational Sherri*
• Stardust
• Superstar Billy Graham
• Terry Funk*
• The Fiend Bray Wyatt
• The Great Muta*
• The Iron Sheik*
• Theodore Long (Manager)
• William Regal
• Managers/Non-playable characters
• Cathy Kelley
• Jimmy Hart*
• Mick Foley
• Miss Elizabeth
• Paul Bearer

By the Numbers

At the time of posting, The Smackdown Hotel hasn't posted updated roster comparisons and, to be honest, we don't really feel like doing the math ourselves.

Roster take-aways

Overall, things are looking pretty good this year. It's a bummer that a few wrestlers debuted or rejoined the roster too late to make the cut, but we're sure some creative nerd out there will make a great Create-A-Wrestler to fill any serious gaps. There are a couple of the legends that we don't really care about, but it is nice to see a few old faces like the Dudley Boyz and Lex Luger. Also... Teddy Long!! Holla holla holla!!

What else is new?

A LOT. We'll hit you with some highlights and stuff that's getting us excited:

• One of the most hyped aspects of this year's game is a handful of new (or returning) match types: special guest referee, ambulance, casket and gauntlet matches.
• Showcase of the Immortals - 21 historic WrestleMania matches
• Throwable weapons!
• Facepaint gradually fades during matches? Awesome. Love that level of detail.
• Seven real WWE referees will appear in the game. Charles "Little Naitch" Robinson better be there!
• Super finishers (three stacked finishers) are new and, allegedly, nullify an opponent's "Resiliency" ability, which will be amazing. Always hated having some jabroni kick out of multiple finishers at 2 1/2.
• GM Mode:
• Four new GMs: Teddy Long, Paul Heyman, William Regal and Ted DiBiase
• A new playable brand: ECW
• The ability to trade superstars between brands mid-season (nice!)
• New promo types: Tag team call-out (AMAZING), Class change, Training
• Two new MyRISE stories
• Universe Mode:
• Double title matches and "Loser Leaves Town" matches? What?!?
• Create a Sign?!?!?

WWE 2K Q&A with A-Town

• Who will you play with first?
• Probably Cody Rhodes or John Cena. Maybe both. LA Knight is awesome, too.
• Who don't you want to play with at all?
• The less I see Roman Reigns, the happier I will be. I also won't ever willingly play as the Viking Raiders or most of Judgment Day. Eww. Definitely not Damian Priest.
• What is your go-to match type?
• Extreme Rules. Sometimes, I don't even need the weapons. It's just a nice safety net if things get crazy.
• What is your favorite game mode?
• I love GM Mode. I wish that there was more incentive to spend lots of time there, but there's really not quite yet. I spend most of my time in MyFaction, but that's such a grind. I hope to the high heavens that there's not another trophy for winning 100 Faction Wars matches. Please, please no.
• What is your least favorite game mode?
• I'll just come right out and say it: I hate MyRise. You get to do some goofy things sometimes, which can be interesting, but story mode is always the weak point of any 2K sports game.
• Is there anything you wish you could change or improve about these games?
• I was playing a lot of GM Mode in 2K23 recently and there were a few things that were bugging me. I really wish that you could do a triple-threat or four-way tag team match. I wish that injuries weren't quite so frequent. I hate that you get penalized for putting two big wrestlers in a match together - like, if you did Drew McIntyre vs Roman Reigns, it would say the fans don't want to see that, which is completely false. In MyFaction, I wish you weren't basically encouraged to play with one really good wrestler and three chumps. Why should I spend my time trying to get good "cards," only to never use them? There's just not a whole lot of incentive to have a stacked faction from top to bottom, sadly. Like I said, I hope hope hope that they don't make me grind out 100 wins in Faction Wars again because I've done that two years in a row now and it's one of the most tedious, repetitive things you could ever dream of doing. Oh, here's something - I wish that the "Statistics" feature on the main menu actually kept an accurate track of my wins/losses and superstar usage, because (I think I finally figured it out) I believe it's only tracking online games, which I rarely ever do. That would be nice.
• Make up a new tag team that does not currently exist:
• I think The Miz and Grayson Waller would be an amazing real-life tag team.
• Give us brand new champions for every single main roster belt:
• RAW:
• Men's Heavyweight Champion: Drew McIntyre (and he wins it in front of a packed stadium of actual fans)
• Women's Champion: Raquel Rodriguez (as a heel)
• Intercontinental Champion: Karrion Cross
• RAW Tag Team Champions: #DIY
• Smackdown:
• Men's Heavyweight Champion: Cody Rhodes
• Women's Champion: Tiffany Stratton
• United States Champion: LA Knight
• Smackdown Tag Team Champions: Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne
• Inter-brand Women's Tag Team Champions: Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler
• Who are you most looking forward to beating up?
• Dominik Mysterio (always), Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso

The Bottom Line

We're looking forward to it. It's going to be fun. As we were attending Smackdown! in Salt Lake City a couple weeks ago, we realized that it was about time for a roster update, so it will be nice to slap a fresh coat of paint on the game and take it for a spin around the block. It's just nice to have a multi-year stretch where we're actually excited about getting a new game, which can't be said about most other sports franchises.

While we've got you here, you might as well take a look at our other WWE content by clicking here. You can also leave a comment on this post, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or find us on Facebook... if you smell... what The Underground is cooking.

Until next time.

Love to See It: WWE edition

Believe it or not - and this may shock you - we're not going to have AI write this blog. Yeah, we hope you were sitting down for that. As our collective think tank was hard at work last night, we had an idea and we wanted to give it a shot. The new idea is called "Love to See It." We're going to make a couple lists of things we love to see, things we don't love to see and things that we would love to see. If the sparks catch fire, we may come back and do this again with different topics, from time to time. We'll see how it goes.

Today, we're going to take stock of the current state of World Wrestling Entertainment and talk about things we love to see in WWE.

Love to See It:

LA Knight:

We love LA Knight right now. Basically anything he does lately has been great. The man is arguably the best superstar on the mic and has garnered a massive wave of fan support in the past few months. Check out his glorious promo with The Miz on last night's Monday Night RAW:

Get LA Knight a belt, and make it happen soon.

Iyo Sky's Money in the Bank cash-in:

SummerSlam 2023 had its ups and downs, but one of the best moments of the night came when Iyo Sky successfully cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase. This came hot on the heels of Bianca Belair surprisingly pinned then-champion Asuka after limping her way back to the ring following an apparent, brutal injury.

Bianca smiled through her (kayfabe) pain as she was crowned the new women's champion, but her joy was short-lived. Sky's ominous entrance music hit and she and Bayley bolted to the ring. At that point, it was all over but the crying. Bayley provided back-up by fending off Asuka and Charlotte Flair (who also competed in the triple threat match), and Io took to the skies with a colossal moonsault to pin Belair and win her first women's title on the main roster.

There's nothing more thrilling than a successful MITB cash-in, and this provided a momentary glimpse of joy before Roman Reigns successfully retained his heavyweight title over Jey Uso in the lackluster conclusion to last weekend's Premium Live Event.

Surging popularity of the Alpha Academy:

It took us a while, but we finally came around on Chad Gable. His "Shoosh" gimmick was hilarious as soon as he started doing it. His smarter-than-you schtick grew on us months and months ago, and his recruitment and mentorship of Otis has been an odd couple routine that we never before knew that we needed. (If you've ever seen Otis at a live event, the dude is absolutely hysterical.)

It seems that the Alpha Academy, with new recruit Maxxine Dupri, has finally won over the rest of the WWE audience, with Gable picking up a huge hometown win to earn the number one contendership for the Intercontinental championship on Monday night. Of course, we know that there is no way Gable will beat the seemingly invincible Gunther for the belt, but it was fun to see the crowd fully behind the Academy, at long last.

uh-THANK YEWWWWWW!

Don't Love to See It:

The Bloodline:

We acknowledged Roman Reigns as Tribal Chief and Head of the Table for a good long while. He was truly at the top of his game and became someone we couldn't help but love to hate. Things have changed, however.

We're sick of the five-minute walk to the ring. The "Acknowledge Me" promos have grown stale. His matches are boring and always end in him cheating to retain. Yeah, we get it - that's his character. The guy has so much family support that somebody will always be there to help him get the W. But it has gone on way too long, at this point. WWE had the perfect opportunity to let Roman drop the strap and head off on a well-deserved year-and-a-half-long vacation when he faced Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania, but they had him win there (much, much, much to our utter dismay). The next logical time for him to lose would have been at SummerSlam, but we knew there was no way that Jey Uso, of all people, would be the guy to beat him for the championship. There was no way that was going to happen.

What happened on Saturday night, though, was probably the most illogical, stupid thing they possibly could have come up with. Why on earth would Jimmy Uso (who we knew was going to show up, in some capacity) return to betray Jey and help Roman win? If you've been following the three-year Bloodline saga, especially recently, that makes absolutely ZERO sense.

Anyway, whatever. It happened and I guess they're running with it. But now, we don't think Roman's going to lose until next Wrestlemania (if even then!). It's ridiculous, it's boring, and it's gone on way, way, way too long. Please, Triple H, PLEASE just end this storyline.

Charlotte Flair jumping the line:

Charlotte Flair taking months off and returning to work for an immediate title shot - name a more iconic duo. You can't. They go legitimately hand in hand. There's a reason why Charlotte has won so many championships: because she wins the belt, holds it for like two months, loses, goes on vacation and comes back to immediately win the title back. It's stupid. And she even acknowledged it a few weeks ago when she most recently returned! She knows it and we all know it. She says that she doesn't wait in line, that she is the line and that she basically deserves title shots whenever she feels like it. Ridiculous.

We couldn't have been happier that Charlotte (and Bianca, for that matter) didn't leave SummerSlam as champion, because we've seen those two face and defeat basically every other woman on the roster. Thankfully, with Io Sky as champion, we'll get some completely fresh rivalries, so that will be nice.

The Viking Raiders:

Like, is anybody even remotely threatened by these guys? They're good for a potty break, if you need one. You can pretty much fast forward through anything that involves them. For as intimidating as they should be (especially with freaky Valhalla by their side), it's just silly how much they lose. We wouldn't mind it if they disappeared from the main roster sometime soon. Go wreak havoc down on NXT or something. Just get them off our screens on Mondays and Fridays. We've had enough.

Would Love to See It:

A team-up of The Miz and Grayson Waller:

We respect The Miz. He worked his butt off to get where he is and has settled in as a solid, dependable guy to take on any celebrity matches. He's great on the mic and thrives on the hatred of the WWE Universe.

We hate Grayson Waller. Can't stand the guy, honestly.

But please, for the love of it, put those two together as a tag team. They would be hilarious and, if the SummerSlam battle royal was any indication, could probably work together pretty well in the ring. They'd instantly be a top heel tag team and would pose an actual threat to Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens' current title reign.

Finn Balor turning on the Judgment Day:

It's got to happen. It's got to happen soon.

We liked the Judgment Day when they first started out. Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley... that was good stuff. Then they added Finn Balor and kicked out Edge, and that was ok. Things started heading south when they added Dominic Mysterio (BOOOOOOOO), who literally just sucks at everything and is, by a long shot, the most hated WWE superstar in recent memory. The fans still love Rhea, but Finn has looked weak for months (he should never fight Seth Rollins ever again, by the way) and Priest was a disappointing MITB winner.

What would have been great would have been for Finn to have beaten Seth Rollins at SummerSlam, then have Priest cash in on Finn. That would have been juicy. That would have been spicy. But they didn't do that and, instead, just had Finn and Priest kind of awkwardly fumble around the briefcase and stare seethingly at each other.

They planted more seeds of a Judgment Day break-up on Monday night, even going so far as having JD McDonagh say that Priest should get rid of his briefcase, which has been the root of so much inner turmoil lately. Having Finn turn face and leave the Judgment Day would be the best possible outcome, in our opinion. Rhea should also break away from Dom, who has largely watered down what should have otherwise been an absurdly dominant women's title reign. We mean, what does Rhea actually do these days, other than whisper in Dom's ear and threaten to beat up men?

Break 'em up.

Johnny Gargano doing... anything?:

We were excited when Johnny Wrestling got called up to the main roster. But since then, what has he done? Almost nothing, right? He was sort of involved with the Dexter Lumis stalker storyline that ended up being some spin-off of The Miz trying to hire a bodyguard or something, but that's really about it. He went down and had a fight on NXT for a second. Give him a main roster title shot. Reunite him with Tommaso Ciampa, who has also had a disappointing run on RAW. Just have Gargano do something. We'd love to see it.

*****

What do you think about the current state of WWE? What's good? What's bad? Let us know in the comments below, on Twitter (here and here) or on Facebook. Also, keep an eye out for us at Monday Night RAW in Salt Lake City in September. We'll have a sign and we'll be right in the "TV Zone." Mama, we're gonna be on TV again!

Until next time.

WWE 2K23 preview: Ready for War (Games)

It's tiiiiiime for another year of WWE 2K! In our opinion, the developers really righted the ship with WWE 2K22 last year, which was great - and even ended up being our top game of the year for 2022, with over 120 hours logged. Before the game launches at 10 PM Mountain Time tonight, we need to look over the roster for the new installment. But first of all, let's just talk for a second about what a weird year it was for the previous cast of characters.

WWE made a ton of budget cuts over the past two years, releasing a bunch of wrestlers - some of which were more deserving of being let go than others. This resulted, however, in a video game roster that was completely outdated on Day One. It was wild. By our count, there were 37 people included with last year's game that weren't with the company anymore - 11 of which were "new" characters who weren't with WWE anymore by the time the game launched. Wild.

The other weird thing was that Vince McMahon, being the weirdo that he is, became obsessed with changing wrestlers' names and he re-branded a ton of people, so even wrestlers who survived the budget cuts quickly became outdated in the video game. For instance, "Walter" became "Gunther" and "Pete Dunne" became "Butch." It made very little sense to us, but Vince was gonna Vince. It will be nice to have a game where players are actually referred to by their current TV names.

After reviewing the roster this year, we can confidently say that a much more up-to-date cast of characters will grace our flat-screens for 2023. Let's channel our inner D-Generation X and break it down:

Who's out?

• Legends and celebrities

• Machine Gun Kelly
• Mickie James
• Mr. T
• Papa Shango
• Ric Flair
• Road Dogg Jesse James
• William Regal

• Still with the company, not enough TV time

• A-Kid
• Sarray (Minutes before posting this blog, Sarray confirmed that she has officially left the company)
• Tegan Nox

• No longer with the company

• Alexander Wolf
• Arya Daivari
• Billie Kay
• Cesaro
• Danny Burch
• Ember Moon
• Fandango
• Gran Metalik
• Isaiah "Swerve" Scott
• John Morrison
• Kalisto
• Keith Lee
• Kushida
• Kyle O'Reilly
• Lana
• Lince Dorado
• Mandy Rose
• Murphy
• Oney Lorcan
• Peyton Royce
• Samoa Joe
• Sasha Banks
• Slapjack
• The Brian Kendrick
• Timothy Thatcher
• Toni Storm
• Trent Seven
• Tucker

• WWE status uncertain

• Naomi
• Nia Jax

• Head-scratchers

• Candice LeRae
• Mia Yim/Reckoning
• Roderick Strong

Editor's note, May 15, 2023: A patch coming up for the game later this week will make Candice LeRae and Mia Yim fully playable characters in the game. Also, Roderick Strong made a surprise debut with WWE's main competitor a couple weeks ago, so it's apparently a good thing he wasn't included in the game. 

Who's in? (* denotes characters available via DLC)

• Main Roster
• Aliya
• Ashante Adonis*
• Bray Wyatt* (At the time of posting, rumors are circulating on Twitter that Wyatt might be quitting the company imminently, which would be shocking and a huge failure on the part of WWE)
• Cody Rhodes
• Ezekiel
• Karl Anderson*
• Luke Gallows*
• Madcap Moss
• Queen Zelina
• Reggie
• Ridge Holland
• Shanky
• Solo Sikoa
• Top Dolla*
• Valhalla*
• Veer Mahaan
• NXT
• Andre Chase*
• Blair Davenport*
• Bron Breakker
• Brutus Creed
• Carmelo Hayes
• Cora Jade
• Damon Kemp*
• Elton Prince*
• Gigi Dolin
• Grayson Waller
• Ivy Nile*
• Jacy Jayne*
• Joe Gacy*
• Julius Creed
• Kayden Carter
• Kit Wilson*
• Nathan Frazer*
• Nikkita Lyons
• Noam Dar
• Roxanne Perez
• Tiffany Stratton*
• Tony D'Angelo*
• Trick Williams*
• Wendy Choo*
• Zoey Stark
• Non-playable characters
• B-Fab*
• Legends/other
• Batista (Leviathan)*
• Bad Bunny
• Brie Bella
• Brock Lesnar '01*
• Bruno Sammartino
• Eve Torres*
• Harley Race*
• Jean-Paul Levesque
• John Cena alternate attires
• John Cena '02
• John Cena '03
• John Cena '06
• John Cena '08
• John Cena '09
• John Cena '12
• John Cena '14
• John Cena '16
• John Cena '18
• John Cena (Prototype)*
• "Super Cena"
• Kurt Angle
• Lita
• Mighty Molly
• Molly Holly
• Nikki Bella
• Randy Orton '02*
• Rick Steiner*
• Scott Steiner*
• Wade Barrett*
• Zeus*

Wrestlers with new names

• Alba Fyre (previously Kay Lee Ray)
• Butch (previously Pete Dunne)
• Cruz del Toro (previously Raul Mendoza)
• Giovanni Vinci (previously Fabian Aichner)
• Gunther (previously Walter)
• Iyo Sky (previously Io Shirai)
• JD McDonagh (previously Jordan Devlin)
• Katana Chance (previously Kacy Katanzaro)
• Ludwig Kaiser (previously Marcel Barthel)
• Ma.ce (previously MACE)
• Man.soor (previously Mansoor)
• Queen Zelina (previously Zelina Vega)
• Raquel Rodriguez (previously Raquel Gonzalez)
• Valhalla (previously Sarah Logan)

By the Numbers

"WWE 2K23" includes:

• 199 unique, playable characters - including DLC but not including managers and alternate versions of superstars
• Up 30 from "WWE 2K22."
• We counted Elias and Ezekiel separately because we're 97.2% positive that they are, in fact, not the same person.
• 237 playable characters, including alternate versions of superstars
• Up 42 from "WWE 2K22."
• 52 unique, playable women
• Up 11 from "WWE 2K22."
• 245 total characters, including managers and alternate versions of superstars
• Up 44 from "WWE 2K22."

Roster take-aways

We are actually really happy about how this year's roster turned out. The people who are gone (for the most part) don't deserve to be there anymore. The "head scratchers" we listed are truly that - people who don't have any apparent reason for not being included - particularly Mendoza, whose entire stable is in the game, and LeRae, who you'd think would have been a package deal with real-life husband Johnny Gargano. Oh well. We'll snag somebody's created versions of them and act like they're the real deal.

A couple other highlights include the fact that Elias and Ezekiel are both in the game together, Wade Barrett appearing as a WWE Legend, and the triumphant return of the American Hero, Kurt Angle, who won a gold medal with a broken freakin' neck.

The fact that several of last year's DLC characters are not returning (Machine Gun Kelly, A-Kid, Sarray) shows how weak last year's crop of paid content bundles was.

Speaking of DLC, there are some hefty batches coming this year, on a monthly basis. There are going to be some pretty good wrestlers being made available throughout the summer. We copped the Icon version of the game, which includes the season pass, so we'll be looking forward to those additional content drops.

We're also happy to see the return of a lot of female legends that were inexplicably cut from last year's game. Welcome back.

What else is new?

• The biggest bomb dropped for "2K23" is the virtual arrival of War Games, a "premium live event" match gimmick which has become an NXT staple and even made its main roster a few months ago. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, think this: a double-ring cage match. It should provide for some pretty crazy 3v3 and 4v4 tag team matchups for gamers this year.
• "WWE 2K22" re-introduced "GM Mode," which was fun, albeit very brief. I didn't spend nearly as much time as a General Manager as I anticipated, due to limited match options and somewhat limited gameplay options. From the sound of it, they've bolstered this mode for the upcoming game, encouraging players to spend multiple seasons with the same GM, which was not really the case last year. Last time, you pretty much ran through a calendar year and that was it. A multi-year lifespan with improved match and title capabilities and an expanded roster of available GMs should make "2K23" a step up from its predecessor.
• "Showcase Mode" returns this year with the spotlight on our good friend, John Cena.
• "Universe" mode is listed as a new feature on the 2K website. It's probably a retread of a feature that appeared in many past games but seems to have been revamped as "the ultimate sandbox," which should give players some variety if they want to step away from similar modes like My GM or MyFaction.

WWE 2K Q&A with A-Town

• Who will be the first wrestlers you play with in "2K23"?
• Cody Rhodes will be one of my first choices, for sure.
• Are there any superstars that you are more excited to play with in "2K23" than you have been in the past?
• I hardly used Cena last year, for whatever reason, but I'm sure I'll use him a ton this year. Sami Zayn has had the year of his life. Elias/Ezekiel will be fun. Raquel Rodriguez would be fun on the women's roster. Rhea Ripley has been a beast, too.
• Are there any superstars that you are less excited to play with in "2K23" than you have been in the past?
• Toward the end of my time with "2K22," I was almost exclusively using Roman Reigns and Charlotte Flair in MyFaction because I could win matches in about 30 seconds if I hit their submission moves right off the bad. If I could, you know... not have to play like that again this year, that would be awesome.
• Are there any superstars that you have no intention of playing with in "2K23"?
• The Usos. Sick of them. Dominik Mysterio, who is universally hated by everyone, at this point. I probably won't touch any male characters from NXT, with the possible exception of Bron Breakker. There's a good deal of women on the main roster that I'll never use, either (Aliyah, Doudrop, Nikki A.S.H., etc.)
• Who are you most looking forward to beating up?
• I don't really know the dude but Grayson Waller seems like a real idiot down on NXT. Dominik Mysterio is definitely going to get the crap kicked out of him, too.
• What is your weapon of choice?
• I used a lot of chairs last year. I wish they didn't break after four hits. Kendo sticks, as always, and baseball bats are nice, too.
• What feature are you most looking forward to?
• The new My GM mode should be a big step in the right direction. I'll hop into War Games but I don't expect to constantly be playing with that stipulation. I spent nearly 100 hours in MyFaction last year due to the trophy that required 500 matches played. What a nightmare. After scanning the trophy list this morning, I don't think I'll have to do that again, thankfully, so I'm hoping for a much less tedious experience in that mode for "2K23."

The Bottom Line

We're really looking forward to stepping between the ropes with "WWE 2K23." Last year's installment was a massive, massive improvement over the abomination that was "2K20," so if they can keep that momentum going, it should be a great time.

We should thank The Smackdown Hotel for their help with the updated roster. They're always on top of this stuff and they do a great job.

If you've got nothing else going on right now, take a look at our other WWE content by clicking here. You can also leave a comment on this post, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or find us on Facebook if you feel like talking shop.

C U in the ring.

Our top tweets from Wrestlemania 38

Wrestlemania 38 was last weekend. We watched it. We tweeted about it. And because we didn't do one of our traditional preview or recap blogs, we thought we'd highlight some of our top tweets from what we thought was a very fun, highly entertaining, surprisingly good two-night event. Enjoy:

WRESTLEMANIA SATURDAY TWEETS

Love Shinsuke and Boogs but there is no way they're winning the tag titles in a match where they're dressed like hard lemonade billboards. #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

Miz with the double-cross on Logan Paul 😱 #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

That is... a look. #WrestleMania https://t.co/X4aSe7Gy5A

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

Who is Seth's opponent?? It's the moment of truth! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/K6yTEZaj0C

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

The rumors were true! It's CODY RHODES! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/Xo5cYFveSn

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

Awesome match. So happy to see somebody jump ship from AEW. Welcome back, Cody! #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

You know it's bad when we're cheering for Charlotte Flair. How any wrestling fan could cheer for Ronda after the crap she said before coming back is mind-boggling. #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

We will be shocked if this match goes any longer than 3 minutes. #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

Actually, at the speed Steve is moving, they're on pace for it to go about 10 minutes.

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

Those are the least enthusiastic "You've still got it" chants of all time 😂 #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

That chair shot was hysterical. Absolute gold by KO 😂😂😂 #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 3, 2022

WRESTLEMANIA SUNDAY TWEETS

Roman Reigns acknowledgment tweet ☝️ #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/GJ3OxO8RoI

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

There it is. A-thank you!! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/hxcbPy2b7w

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Johnny Knoxville is probably enjoying this soooo much. #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

This match is too wild 🤣 #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

None of those mousetraps are loaded lol #WrestleMania https://t.co/p1ZN5zJacb

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

This is the most I've laughed at pro wrestling since Lana and Lashley's wedding 😂 #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/xAL2ZP5qBG

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Edge. Styles. Absolute clinic.

Excited to see Edge and Damian Priest together, too. #WrestleMania

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Next up, it's the New Day vs The Newsies. #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/9SC6n5HHCA

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Get Ridge Holland out of here. #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/HM9ubPEY8f

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Get Ridge Holland out of here. #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/HM9ubPEY8f

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

And now, what we've all been waiting for. It's @PatMcAfeeShow time! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/BBe9lRLjqW

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Did not have this on the #WrestleMania bingo card. https://t.co/d7NoXxDXrL

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Never gets old. #WrestleMania https://t.co/rlpKa7AzKu

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Should have seen it coming 😂 #WrestleMania https://t.co/AWqmmL21FA

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Brock and Roman have both been so good leading up to #WrestleMania. https://t.co/YsdzkEJ3AG

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

Roman beats Brock in an underwhelming match with a sudden ending. #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/uqaaUG3mo4

— SotT Underground (@SotTUnderground) April 4, 2022

*****

So there you go. If you want to chat about pro wrestling, feel free to go ahead and leave your thoughts in the comments section below, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or find us on Facebook. That will be all for now.

Until next time.

WWE 2K22 preview: A return to greatness?

After a year off to figure things out, the WWE 2K franchise is back - but can it bounce back after a disastrous outing in 2020? "WWE 2K20" was the Universal Champion of being hated, by gamers and critics alike. They've touted a completely rebuilt experience and it looks promising, but only time will tell.

Before the game launches its early access at 10 PM Mountain Time tonight, which we'll certainly be participating in, let's break down the "2K22" roster, which is drastically different than the last game and includes some surprising changes, including a handful of characters that were recently released by WWE. Here's who's out, who's in and who surprisingly made the cut:

Who's out?

• Legends

• Brie Bella
• Brutus Beefcake
• Dusty Rhodes
• Lita
• Mankind
• Molly Holly
• Nikki Bella
• Paige
• Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

• Still with the company, not enough TV time

• Drake Maverick
• Mark Andrews
• Noam Dar
• Ronda Rousey
• Zelina Vega

• No longer with the company

• Adam Cole
• Akam
• Aleister Black
• Alicia Fox
• Andrade
• Big Show
• Bo Dallas
• Bobby Fish
• Bray Wyatt
• Christian
• Curt Hawkins
• Curtis Axel
• Daniel Bryan
• Dash Wilder
• EC3
• Eric Young
• "Gentleman" Jack Gallagher
• Harper
• Heath Slater
• Jaxson Ryker
• Kairi Sane
• Karl Anderson
• Kassius Ohno
• Kurt Angle
• Lars Sullivan
• Luke Gallows
• Maria Kanellis
• Mark Henry
• Mike Kanellis
• Mojo Rawley
• No Way Jose
• Rezar
• Rowan
• Rusev
• Samir Singh
• Sarah Logan
• Scott Dawson
• Shane Thorne
• Sin Cara
• Sting
• Tony Nese
• Zack Ryder

• Alternate attires

• Aleister Black "Wicked"
• Bayley '15
• Bayley '17
• Bray Wyatt "The Fiend"
• Bray Wyatt "The Swamp Father"
• Charlotte '17
• Charlotte '18
• Finn Blaor "Demon King"
• "Frankenstrowman"
• Kassius Ohno (Zombie)
• Kurt Angle alternate attire
• Natalya '14
• Natalya '16
• Nia Jax '17
• Nikki Bella '15
• Nikki Bella '16
• Randy Orton "Unleashed"
• Ric Flair alternate attire
• Robert Roode (Zombie)
• Sasha Banks '15
• Sasha Banks '16
• Sasha Banks '17
• Sasha Banks (Zombie)
• Shawn Michaels alternate attire
• Sting alternate attire
• The Rock "$500 Shirt"
• Triple H alternate attire
• Undertaker alternate attire
• Undertaker alternate attire

• Story Mode characters

• Brooklyn Von Braun
• Cole Quinn
• El Mago Jr.
• Josie Jane
• Reilly Flash
• Ribbie

Who's in? (* denotes characters available via DLC)

• Main Roster

• Angel Garza
• Austin Theory
• Damian Priest
• Dominik Mysterio
• MACE
• Mansoor
• MVP
• Shotzi
• T-BAR

• NXT

• Cameron Grimes
• Dexter Lumis
• Fabian Aichner
• Joaquin Wilde
• Jordan Devlin
• Kay Lee Ray
• Kushida
• LA Knight*
• Marcel Barthel
• Raquel Gonzales
• Raul Mendoza
• Santos Escobar
• Timothy Thatcher
• Walter

• Legends/Other

• Cactus Jack*
• Eric Bischoff (nWo)*
• Farooq
• Machine Gun Kelly*
• Road Dogg Jesse James
• Rob Van Dam*
• Stacy Keibler*
• Yokozuna*

• Managers

• Triple H

• Alternate attires

• Dolph Ziggler '09
• Kane '08
• Kevin Nash (nWo)*
• Rey Mysterio '05
• Rey Mysterio '06
• Rey Mysterio '08
• Rey Mysterio '09
• Rey Mysterio '11
• Rey Mysterio Jr. (Starrcade '96)*
• Scott Hall (nWo)*
• Seth Rollins '20
• The Miz '11
• The Undertaker '02
• The Undertaker (Ministry of Darkness)
• The Undertaker (Phantom Mask)
• The Undertaker (Boneyard Match)

• New to the game but no longer with the company

• Alexander Wolfe
• Danny Burch
• Ember Moon
• Isaiah "Swerve" Scott
• John Morrison
• Karrion Cross
• RECKONING (Mia Yim)
• Scarlett (manager)
• SLAPJACK
• Tegan Nox
• William Regal

Everyone in the game but no longer with the company

• Alexander Wolfe
• Arya Daivari
• Billie Kay
• Braun Strowman
• Cesaro
• Danny Burch
• Ember Moon
• Fandango
• Gran Metalik
• Isaiah "Swerve" Scott
• Jake "The Snake" Roberts
• Jeff Hardy
• John Morrison
• Johnny Gargano
• Kalisto
• Karrion Cross
• Keith Lee
• Kyle O'Reilly
• Lana
• Lince Dorado
• Mia Yim
• Murphy
• Nia Jax
• Oney Lorcan
• Peyton Royce
• RECKONING (Mia Yim)
• Ric Flair
• Samoa Joe
• Scarlett (manager)
• Shane McMahon
• SLAPJACK
• Tegan Nox
• The Brian Kendrick
• Toni Storm
• Tucker
• Tyler Breeze
• William Regal

By the Numbers

"WWE 2K22" includes:

• 169 unique, playable characters (if our math is correct), including DLC but not including managers and alternate attires
• That's 17 less than "WWE 2K20."
• 195 playable characters, including alternate versions of superstars
• That's 30 less than "WWE 2K20."
• 41 unique, playable women
• That's six less than "WWE 2K20."
• 201 total characters, including managers and alternate versions of superstars
• That's 37 less than "WWE 2K20."

Roster take-aways

It looks like this year's roster will be significantly smaller than the last game but, considering how many people WWE has let go since COVID, I'm surprised they have this many still in the game. There are also a handful of wrestlers that I'm glad are still there, like John Morrison, who is one of my favorites. I think that the most notable omissions at the time of launch (the Bellas, Paige, Lita, Ronda Rousey, Zelina Vega and a handful of other legends) will likely be added as upcoming DLC, as well as a lot of NXT standouts, so I'm not too worried about them right now.

What else is new?

Three major game modes are being introduced or revamped for this year - most notably, GM Mode, which returns to the franchise after about a decade's absence. I, for one, cannot wait to get my hands on GM Mode, which was one of the most popular features of the "SmackDown! vs RAW" era of WWE video games. The other two major modes are called MyFaction and MyRise. We haven't looked too far into those modes yet, but MyFaction seems like fun and MyRise essentially seems like a fancy new name for "Story Mode," which has recently been the worst aspect of any games put out under the "2K" banner.

A major focus will be placed on cover athlete Rey Mysterio this year. He replaces the "2K20" spotlight on the Women's Revolution. Players will have the opportunity to relive iconic milestones from Mysterio's illustrious career, so if you're a fan of cruiserweight action, you might be excited about that.

Quick Q&A

We did this in our last "WWE 2K" post, so we'll ask the same questions and see how our answers have changed.

• Who will be the first wrestlers you play with in "2K22"?
• John Morrison, John Cena and the nWo. We'll also acknowledge Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief and Head of the Table pretty early on, as well.
• Are there any superstars that you are more excited to play with in "2K22" than you have been in the past?
• Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar (shockingly). Sonya DeVille and Dakota Kai come to mind on the women's roster.
• Are there any superstars that you are less excited to play with in "2K22" than you have been in the past?
• Rey Mysterio lol
• Are there any superstars that you have no intention of playing with in "2K22"?
• Anyone who has left the company for AEW. Screw them.
• Who are you most looking forward to beating up?
• Anyone who has left the company for AEW and Braun Strowman.
• What is your weapon of choice?
• Always the kendo stick, unless they let you do that spinning thing when you put a ladder over your head. That is the absolute best.
• What feature are you most looking forward to?
• GM Mode, hands down. Not even close.

The Bottom Line:

There's no way it can be any worse than "WWE 2K20." It looks really good, though, and we've got high hopes.

To take a look at our previous WWE content, click here. You can also leave a comment on this post, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or find us on Facebook, if you know where to look.

See you in the ring, jabronis.

#140Characters: Wrestlemania 37 preview

In what has become somewhat of a tradition, with the exception of last year, when COVID-19 hit and threw everything into disarray, we here at Signs of the Times generally like to give either a preview or recap of Wrestlemania each year (sometimes both), even though we assume that there is literally no one out there that both reads our blog and watches professional wrestling. Nevertheless, we're here once again, on the eve of Wrestlemania Saturday - right up against it, as they say in the business - with about an hour and a half to go until showtime, at the time of starting this post.

Quickly, we thought we'd preview all of the matches for this weekend's beat-em-up festivities, just in case you decide to plop down on the couch for seven or eight hours to watch people fight. To make it even quicker for us and easier for you, we're gonna sum up all of our responses in 140 characters or less.

Let's get to it!

How has the WWE been affected by COVID-19?

Since April 2020, WWE programming has been without live fans. Last year's 'Mania took place in an empty arena. Tonight, the fans are back!

How has Wrestlemania, specifically, needed to be altered?

WM 36 was split into 2 nights & featured 2 wacky, pre-recorded, "cinematic" matches. Still multi-night now but nothing will be pre-recorded.

How can I watch Wrestlemania 37 this weekend?

WWE Network has gone the way of the dodo. All WWE content has migrated to NBC's "Peacock." You can sign up for Peacock premium super cheap.

Wrestlemania 37 - Saturday Night

WWE Championship Match: Bobby Lashley (c) vs Drew McIntyre

Background Information: 

Drew got the title at WM 36 in an empty arena. Lashley's a relatively new champ but some of his allies have recently turned on him. Ominous.

What to Expect:

These are two of the strongest guys in the company. The rivalry has gotten quite heated & they'll beat the living heck out of each other.

 Winner Prediction:

Would love to see McIntyre win the championship in front of an actual audience. He has absolutely carried the company through the COVID era.

 

Bad Bunny & Damian Priest vs The Miz & John Morrison

Background Information: 

Miz & Morrison are jokers. Bad Bunny is this year's celebrity appearance. He's not an actual wrestler but he'll bring in a lot of eyeballs.

What to Expect:

Lots of hijinks. Damian Priest will do the heavy lifting. I'd be shocked if Bad Bunny spent 5 minutes inside the ring, actually fighting.

 Winner Prediction:

There is not a chance in the world that Bad Bunny loses this match. He'll inevitably cover Miz for the 1-2-3.

 

WWE RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) (c) vs AJ Styles & Omos

Background Information: 

New Day = multi-time champions. Styles/Omos have never fought an actual match together, but Omos is gigantic and seemingly indestructible.

What to Expect:

Styles will likely work most of the match, building suspense for what damage Omos will do in his first WWE fight. Expect destruction.

 Winner Prediction:

Upset alert! New Day have much more experience but Styles and Omos winning the belts would be the biggest surprise of the weekend.

 

Steel Cage Match: Braun Strowman vs Shane McMahon

Background Information: 

Shane has been bullying Braun for weeks, calling him stupid and constantly pranking him, but he'll have nowhere to run within a steel cage.

What to Expect:

Despite being locked in a cage, there will very likely be outside interference. Also, Shane will undoubtedly pull off a death-defying stunt.

 Winner Prediction:

Almost 100% certainty that WWE doubles down on their anti-bullying stance, having Strowman tear McMahon limb from limb. Braun wins, easy.

 

Cesaro vs Seth Rollins

Background Information: 

Rollins, fresh off paternity leave, has had a hard time winning over potential allies. Cesaro has stood up to him on several occasions.

What to Expect:

Expect to see perennial underdog Cesaro swing the villainous Rollins around by his boots for a considerable amount of time. It's hilarious.

 Winner Prediction:

Cesaro will probably pick up the win here, unless somebody comes out to aid Rollins, forming a "heel" faction for post-Mania storylines.

 

Lana & Naomi vs Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose vs The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott) vs Natalya & Tamina vs Billie Kay & Carmella

Background Information: 

This is simply a way to put as many women on-screen this weekend as possible. The winner gets a title shot on Sunday night.

What to Expect:

Great time for a bathroom break for all the fans attending the event in person. Most likely will end up as the worst match of the weekend.

 Winner Prediction:

Natalya & Tamina have been getting lots of screen time lately, so they're probably the favorites. Maybe oddball combo Billie Kay & Carmella?

 

SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Sasha Banks (c) vs Bianca Belair

Background Information: 

Bianca Belair, who many see as the future of the women's division, won the 2020 Royal Rumble to earn a spot in Saturday night's main event.

What to Expect:

Bianca calls herself "The EST of WWE." Expect her to showcase why she's the fastest, strongest, smartest, etc. Should be a solid match.

 Winner Prediction:

Wrestlemania is the most logical PPV of the year for MAJOR title changes. WWE can show their faith in Belair by giving her the belt tonight.

 

Wrestlemania 37 - Sunday Night

RAW Women's Championship Match: Asuka (c) vs Rhea Ripley

Background Information: 

Very little build-up. Ripley is making her main roster PPV debut at WM 37 to face Asuka, one of the most dominant women in the business.

What to Expect:

This could be a dark horse contender for Match of the Weekend. Ripley and Asuka are very good. Should be a great fight. Fans will love it.

 Winner Prediction:

Again, WWE can cement their trust in Ripley as a face of the future here, but not EVERY title can change hands this weekend... right?

 

The Fiend (w/ Alexa Bliss) vs Randy Orton

Background Information: 

Orton has attempted to light The Fiend on fire repeatedly over the past few months - and actually succeeded once - but now HE'S BAAAAAAAACK!

What to Expect:

This one is gonna be gimmicky & weird as heck. It's one spot where I bet WWE wishes they could still do a pre-recorded match. NOT FOR KIDS.

 Winner Prediction:

Bray Wyatt is notorious for losing big pay-per-view matches, so I bet he wins this one, but I've been wrong before. Many, many times.

 

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match - Nigerian Drum Fight: Big E (c) vs Apollo Crews

Background Information: 

Apollo, for some reason, feels slighted by Big E, and his character has also recently reverted back to, apparently, his African roots. Odd.

What to Expect:

I literally have no idea what a "Nigerian Drum Fight" is, so your guess is as good as mine.

 Winner Prediction:

I think Big E will win this one. They've got to let SOME wrestlers retain their titles this weekend.

 

Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn (w/ Logan Paul)

Background Information: 

Zayn alleges that WWE has been conspiring against him. Has his own camera crew. His real-life BFF & on-screen enemy Owens has had enough.

What to Expect:

Owens really wanted to jump off the Raymond James Stadium pirate ship last year before COVID hit. Bet that happens this year, somehow.

 Winner Prediction:

Don't know how yet, exactly, but I bet celeb guest Logan Paul  goes rogue to influence the decision and Kevin Owens walks away victorious.

 

WWE United States Championship Match: Riddle (c) vs Sheamus

Background Information: 

Battle of the stereotypes: Riddle is a stoner bro and Sheamus is an Irish brawler. Another instance of very little build-up for this match.

What to Expect:

One of several relatively straight-forward fights this weekend. I don't particularly see this one as being memorable. Bathroom break!

 Winner Prediction:

I've got Riddle winning, simply because this is an easy title to keep on a current champion. Doesn't mean I like him, though.

 

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Match: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (w/ Reginald) (c) vs [Saturday Night Winner - TBA]

Background Information: 

Jax & Baszler will face the winner of the big women's tag team brawl from Saturday night. They'll have their stooge Reginald at ringside.

What to Expect:

Domination by Jax and Baszler with multiple attempts at interference by Reginald.

 Winner Prediction:

I don't believe that any of the teams featured on Saturday night are ready to take the titles off of the current champs.

 

WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns (w/ Paul Heyman) (c) vs Edge vs Daniel Bryan

Background Information: 

Edge won the Men's Royal Rumble to earn his way into this match. Fan-favorite Bryan complained until he was granted a spot, as well.

What to Expect:

Overall, should be a pretty good match. It's almost certainly the match WWE most wants to be talked about by fans when all is said and done.

 Winner Prediction:

Reigns loses. This is the time for it. I want Edge, but pre-Mania programming has really been slanted toward Bryan becoming a new champ.

BOOM! There it is! We've got the blog done with 12 minutes to spare before Saturday night's festivities begin. I better post this really quickly, fire up the George Foreman grill and boot up the ol' Playstation 5. It's showtime.

To those of you who are watching, let me know what you think about everything that goes down. Wrestlemania is easily the biggest event of the WWE calendar year, although it isn't always the most fun or the most well-received by fans. Who knows what this weekend has in store?

Leave a comment below, follow me on Twitter (here and here) or hit me up on Facebook. Gotta go. Have a good one!