WWE 2K22 will be arriving in March 2022, making it the biggest wrestling game to come out in Q1 2022. Meanwhile, AEW also has a new game on the way, developed by former WWE 2K developer Yuke's. Both games are highly anticipated by wrestling fans around the world. The interesting part here is that, while WWE released over 80 superstars in 2021, the superstars released post-Wrestlemania 37 may still end up being in the game. Apparently, those who left after the initial reveal of the game may still appear as playable in WWE 2K22, which entirely depends on their contract status at the time of reveal and WWE's relationship with the said superstar.
Meanwhile, there have been a lot of released WWE superstars in 2021 who went straight to AEW after their tenures. While both AEW and WWE have yet to finalize their respective games' rosters, we could end up seeing these WWE alumni show up in both games. There are also WWE alumni who have yet to show up in AEW but may still head to the rival company in the near future, making them eligible for Yuke's game after all. These are all guesswork, but here are some released WWE superstars we think may appear in both WWE 2K22 and Yuke's AEW game. Some of these stars may appear in both games under the same names, but there would be some weird instances where they would appear in two games under two different names. Intersting times.
10 WWE Wrestlers released in 2021 that may appear in both WWE 2K22 and Yuke's AEW Game
10. The Undisputed Era
These sweet hoodies are now available at @wweshop… follow the link https://t.co/kFSYkOJxdn #UndisputedERA pic.twitter.com/JYdLA4bTEA
— Roderick Strong (@roderickstrong) November 27, 2020
This one's a cheat entry since we're talking about a stable rather than an individual wrestler. Still, we think that the electrifying trio of Adam Cole, and tag team ReDragon Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish may still appear in March's WWE 2K22. With their popularity in both companies, it'll be hard to pass up the opportunity to include them in their games. With that said, we're positive that the three, whether or not they stay together or have Adam Cole betray ReDragon to be with his former teammates at Bullet Club, have a high likelihood to show up in AEW's upcoming console game. In one way or another, this stable can appear in WWE 2K22 and AEW's game, and both games will benefit from this.
While Cole, Fish, and O'Reilly have all continued on with their careers in AEW, their fourth man Roderick Strong is still with WWE's NXT, as part of the Diamond Mine stable, where he's currently the NXT Cruiserweight Champion in his first reign. There's no indication that Strong will be leaving WWE anytime soon, but he still could and make it to the deadline for AEW's roster. If that does happen, then we'll instantly have four championship-caliber wrestlers in both AEW's and WWE's games' rosters, and that'd surely make headlines.
9. Bray Wyatt / The Fiend
Bray Wyatt has had an illustrious career in WWE but somehow still hasn't shown everything that he has to offer. There's still a lot of fuel left for the former Fiend, and it's just a matter of time until he makes his return to the ringed circle. However, ever since his release from WWE in July, he still hasn't made any announcements on where his wrestling career will find him next. There's a lot of interest in him, of course. Even AEW's President Tony Khan has expressed his interest in signing Wyatt. And if that does happen, then we'll surely get more theatrics in AEW's shows, and open up the doors for a potential Wyatt character in both AEW and WWE 2K22.
8. Ruby Riott / Ruby Soho
The former Riott Squad leader didn't make the splash she would have wanted in WWE. May her underutilization in WWE be due to a lack of faith from the upper management or a lack of trying, it's clear that her move from WWE move to AEW has benefitted Ruby's career. Now that she's treated as a proper star in AEW, she could debut in their game with high ratings, and who knows, maybe as a champion as well by the time the game is released. Meanwhile, Soho is still eligible to show up in WWE 2K22, so there's a potential for her to appear in both games when the time comes.
7. Aleister Black / Malakai Black
Aleister Black is one of the biggest names to be included in the list of wrestlers released by WWE this year. A proper star with a lot of mystique and mystery surrounding him, one would have thought that he fits perfectly in WWE's more fantastical stories. Still, WWE released the former NXT star, clearly not having anything for him in Creative. His move to AEW surprised no one, and he has since picked up from where he left off, performing as scrappily as he used to in AEW. With his signing, it opened the door for his inclusion in both WWE 2K22 and AEW's game as well.
6. Tony Nese
Cruiserweights, no matter how talented, usually get put on the sidelines in the Land of the Giants. Tony Nese, regardless of his talent and physique, was doomed to forever be second fodder in Vince McMahon's WWE. Even though he won the 205 Live Cruiserweight Champion, he never felt like a legitimate competitor in WWE's main shows, usually ending up jobbing for up-and-comers. Now that he's on AEW, Tony Nese was treated with a lot of respect, even getting a shot at the AEW TNT Championship in his in-ring debut. Whether or not this will lead to a rejuvenated career will remain to be seen, but his move to AEW does open up doors for his appearance in both games.
5. Ric Flair
Ric Flair Trends In Terrible Way After Dark Side Of The Ring's 'Plane Ride From Hell' Episodehttps://t.co/nW4Vy2iYUM
— Ringside News (@ringsidenews_) September 17, 2021
The Nature Boy has been in tough times recently, with a downpour of controversies smudging his legacy after an episode of Dark Side of the Ring. The show came out just shortly after Ric asked for his release from WWE's Legends Program. He was headed to AAA back then to manage his daughter's fiance Andrade, but any hope of him regularly accompanying La Sombra at ringside was dashed when the aforementioned episode came out. Still, the Nature Boy may still re-emerge as a star in AEW if Tony Khan gave him the chance. Being already included in WWE 2K22‘s released roster and without any indication of him leaving that list, a simple move to AEW can lead to the 16-time World Champion featuring in both games.
4. Andrade El Idolo / Andrade Cien Almas
While we're bending our rules here a bit, we're still hopeful that the former Andrade Cien Almas can make his way in WWE 2K22. He's a fantastic superstar with a lot of charisma WWE wasn't able to capitalize on his charms. While his appearances in AEW have been sporadic, spending most of his time in AAA instead, he still is eligible to be part of AEW's roster when Yuke's game comes out. Since it's very unlikely, this is more of a wish from us that Andrade can show up in both games.
3. Bret Hart
It's been two years since the Excellence of Execution stood in an AEW ring and two years since he appeared on WWE programming. Still, Bret is a highly-respected wrestler on legendary status. WWE games always included legends in their rosters, sometimes even those not actively part of their Legends Program. This makes Bret eligible to show up in WWE 2K22. Meanwhile, his one-time appearance in AEW is an integral part of the company's history, and may just be enough reason to include him in Yuke's AEW game.
2. Jeff Hardy
The recently-released Jeff Hardy clearly needs a lot of help to get his career back on track. With a revived career in WWE, Hardy left a show through the crowd and refused to receive any help from management, leading to his release. Meanwhile, WWE 2K22 trailers already featured Hardy extensively, so it's unlikely for them to remove him from their roster at this point. With his brother Matt Hardy having a great time in AEW, he might just wind up becoming part of AEW's roster as well. That is, if Tony Khan would pick him up in spite of his personal demons.
1. Daniel Bryan / Bryan Danielson
Daniel Bryan is one of the most popular WWE superstars of all time. He has had a checked past with the company but ultimately left WWE with a good relationship with him. His move to AEW will cement AEW's position as one of the best wrestling shows in US history, which really added a lot of star power to AEW's “indie” roster. The arrival of the American Dragon at AEW came a few months after his release from WWE, which could have given developers Visual Concepts a lot of time to get his likeness ready for WWE 2K22 before he got busy on the other side. Meanwhile, AEW will be amiss if they wouldn't include Bryan Danielson in their upcoming console game.
Bonus: Christian Cage
As an added bonus, we're including Christian Cage in the list. Of course, he left WWE before Wrestlemania. However, the former Impact World Champion spent a lot of years in WWE and had a great run with them, including a recent one where he feuded with Randy Orton and competed at the Royal Rumble. He never made a complete in-ring return in WWE, but instead took his talents to TNA and AEW, where he's currently actively wrestling alongside Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus while feuding with Adam Cole and the Young Bucks. Appearing in both games will be a godsend, but is highly unlikely.
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