‘WWE 2K17’ – The Five Most Exciting New Superstars

Henry Gilbert
Games
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WWE 2K17 is the newest entry in the biggest sports entertainment franchise in gaming. Just like in previous years, the game promises new modes and updates, but it’s all about the WWE Superstars. This year, the list of WWE 2K17 superstars is one of the largest rosters any wrestling game has ever seen.

Not only will the final WWE 2K17 roster include more than 150 performers (including DLC additions), but the release will feature many famous wrestlers who’ve never been in a WWE game before. It’s hard to pick who excite us the most, but we especially can’t wait to play as these brand new 2K performers when the game finally launches this month. Let’s take a closer look at some of the coolest new faces.

A.J. Styles

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A.J. Styles has performed around the world, gaining accolades and championships everywhere he went. When Styles finally arrived in WWE, he took the promotion by storm, becoming the WWE Champion in less than a year after his debut. And his phenomenal first year in WWE now includes a WWE 2K debut. He’ll be bringing his full arsenal of moves to the game, and via DLC he’ll even be backed up by his friends in The Club. A.J. is known to be dedicated gamer, so he’s got to be pretty pleased to play as himself in a WWE game finally.

Sasha Banks (And Other The Four Horsewomen)

WWE 2K17 Roster

It’s impossible to single out one of them, so let’s consider Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch as the quartette that made them famous in NXT. The last year in WWE has seen a huge change in the Women’s Division and at its core were these four champions. Many fans have been dying to play as all these superstars, and now they can with Sasha Banks leading the way in ads for the game. WWE 2K17 beefs up its Women’s Division considerably this year, and these four incredible performers are essential to it. Sasha, Charlotte, Bayley, and Becky were too good to be overlooked or forgotten, and now they’re dominating the virtual ring just as much as the real life squared circle.

Shinsuke Nakamura

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If you pay attention to international wrestling, there are few bigger names outside the USA than Shinsuke Nakamura. The King of Strong Style is known for his incredible charisma and hard-hitting strikes, which has already made him a champion in NXT. Nakamura is so popular that he’s front and center in the WWE 2K17 NXT Collector’s Edition. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Shinsuke’s or just recently discovered him stateside, it’s a huge thrill to finally see dream matches against the likes of John Cena or Randy Savage play out in video game form. Now the only question is how many variations on the Kinshasa knee strike will Nakamura be able to pull off?

American Alpha

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These recent additions to SmackDown are one of the most promising duos in all of WWE. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan went from a mismatched pair to a dominant tag team in NXT thanks to embracing their pasts as amateur wrestlers. Now they’re taking their mix of technical skills and brutal suplexes to WWE 2K17, making the tag ranks of the series feel more exciting than they have in some time. Here’s looking forward to countless online matches against American Alphas’ greatest rivals, The Revival (also debuting in this year’s game).

Asuka

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While The Four Horsewomen are in charge on Raw and SmackDown, one woman rules over NXT with brutal kicks and killer submissions. That’s Asuka, the incredibly dominant NXT Women’s Champion, and another new member of WWE 2K17. The game not only captures her very physical brand of offense, but also her intriguing entrance, right down to her creepy masks. This Japanese star is one of the most dominant on TV, so expect her to be just as dominant in the final game.

Henry Gilbert
Henry Gilbert is Senior Games Editor at Fandom. He's worked in the gaming press since 2008, writing for sites as diverse as GamesRadar, IGN, and Paste Magazine. He's also been known to record a podcast or two with Laser Time. Follow him on Twitter @henereyg.