WWE 2K16 is mere weeks away, and it boasts the biggest roster of any WWE game to date! Over 5 weeks, 2K revealed the giant roster of 123 superstars and divas, and released several gameplay videos, screenshots, and a few trailers, all of which you can check out here.
It's an amazing roster and, the game is sounding quite promising, but as is the case every year, there are a few roster omissions that fans have been quick to point out. It's important to keep in mind that 2K and Yukes tend to scan the guys and gals about a year (or more) before the game actually ships, and so any wrestlers who've appeared in the past few months are understandably absent. However, that doesn't mean they won't be on this list - some are. But a few omissions are just baffling.
WWE 2K16 releases on October 27th, just 2 days after the Hell In A Cell live event. Once the game launches, you're guaranteed to get some extra Superstars and Divas via DLC and the season pass, so don't freak out about any of the roster omissions just yet. Until then, read on and get slightly aggravated!
Bayley
We'll start with the NXT Diva's Champion and resident lovable lady, Bayley. When Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and even Summer Rae were running roughshod over NXT, Bayley fell into the background with Emma and a few other ladies. Then Bayley's journey took another bad turn when she broke her hand and was sidelined for several months. Just as she came back, Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were called to the main roster, and a big spot opened up for her. Since then, Bayley and Sasha have been locked in one of the greatest feuds NXT has ever seen. Bayley is the NXT Women's Champion and cemented her place as a star and a fan favorite.
And yet Bayley is nowhere to be seen in WWE 2K16. This is pretty surprising, considering Yukes has included quite a few NXT stars - including Finn Balor, Tyler Breeze, The Vaudevillains, Enzo Amore & Big Cass, etc. It's particularly frustrating when the roster features Layla, who hasn't had a match in WWE since April, and Stephanie McMahon, who isn't actually a wrestler. Maybe Bayley's wacky waving inflatable tube men were just too hard to animate!
Braun Strowman
The Wyatt Family's newest monster is notably absent from WWE 2K16 because he's become such a prominent figure on WWE television. Strowman is a victim of the fact that he debuted late in the calendar year - not in time to be scanned and made in the game.
Strowman debuted on Monday Night RAW the night after SummerSlam, and became the first new member of the Wyatt Family since the team arrived in WWE way back in November 2012 on NXT. It's unclear what state the Family will be in in 2K16. Maybe they won't be a faction at all, considering Bray Wyatt has been a solo act for the majority of the year.
Strowman is a fairly strong candidate for DLC.
Charlotte
A huge absence in this year's version of the game is WWE Diva's Champion, Charlotte. Sure Charlotte spent most of the year in NXT, but not including her in 2K16 is an odd oversight, especially considering WWE had plans to bring her to the main roster for quite some time.
Charlotte is one of the best Divas in WWE and now stands at the head of the division. She's been a big part of the resurgence in both quality and popularity of women's wrestling - I refuse to say "Diva's Revolution", because WWE has bastardized the term and what they've attempted to manufacture is not what Charlotte & co. created in NXT.
Charlotte, along with Bayley, is sure to be part of a DLC pack in the months following the release of the game.
The Dudley Boyz
Much like Braun Strowman, The Dudley Boyz are simply not in the game due to their very recent return to the company. Bubba Ray and Devon are WWE Legends, and fans will be sad not to have them in the game.
The duo were a massive part of WWE's ground-breaking tag division back in the late 90s/early 2000s. They left the company in 2005 and signed with exciting new organization, TNA. The Dudley Boyz spent almost 10 years with TNA - and Bubba, specifically, grew into a fantastic main event talent and even lost a ton of weight. However, the two left TNA in 2014 and Bubba Dudley unexpectedly showed up at the Royal Rumble to a rapturous applause. Finally the prodigal sons officially returned to WWE in August 2015 and took on The New Day.
Sadly, I don't expect to see Team 3-D anywhere near 2K16. It's too late for them to be included. So you can either wait for WWE 2K17, or you can download them in the Community Creations suite. Fans always make great Superstars.
Becky Lynch
WWE's resident "Lass Kicker" Becky Lynch is another Diva missing from WWE 2K16. The lack of NXT Divas is obviously a recurring theme in this list, and ]there's another one to come, but Becky Lynch is every bit as deserving of a place on the roster as anyone else.
Another integral player in the resurgence of women's wrestling, Becky Lynch moved up to RAW, along with Charlotte and another female, in order to kickstart the Diva action on the main roster. Sadly that hasn't really happened, but it's no fault of the women involved.
Becky Lynch is a great wrestler and it's shame she won't be there on Day 1 of WWE 2K16; however, I guarantee she will be part of the same DLC pack as Bayley, Charlotte, and...
Sasha Banks
The Boss, Sasha Banks, is arguably the best woman in wrestling today. She trail-blazed in NXT and the fans chant for her every week on RAW. But she won't be part of WWE 2K16. Yet.
Sasha Banks is part of the self-named Four Horsewomen, along with Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Bayley. These are the four women who completely revolutionized women's wrestling in WWE and forced their way into main events. So the fact that none of them are in the new game, while many NXT men are, is an annoying oversight. It's also ridiculous that you cannot be a woman in the MyCareer mode, but let's hope that is changed for the next installment in the game.
While it's disappointing on all accounts that the Four Horsewomen won't be in the new game, I would bet a lot of money there will be a DLC pack with their name (literally) on it.
Samoa Joe
And the final shocking omission from WWE 2K16 is the Samoan Bulldozer, TNA legend and NXT star, Samoa Joe. Maybe Joe is another victim of how early Yukes has to scan all the Superstars and Divas, but regardless, it's a real shame we won't get to play him in 2K16.
Joe didn't debut in NXT until May, but given that the team subsequently had 5 months to get him in there, it's disappointing that he was left out. I was going to say that Samoa Joe is a sure-fire candidate for DLC, but it was literally just announced that he will indeed be part of a DLC pack that comes with the season pass. The expansion will also include NXT tag team Blake and Murphy, as well as Los Matadores. No word yet on the Four Horsewomen.
So there you have it. Those were the 7 Superstar's and Divas that we want to see in WWE 2K16 DLC.
Who would you like to see show up in the game? Let us know the comments below and stay tuned to GameSkinny!
