How To Create Aj Styles Wwe 12

WWE 2K22 roster guide tracking every confirmed wrestler so far

(Image credit: 2K)

The WWE 2K22 roster is in for sweeping changes, and will be missing numerous staples when it lands in March 2022. Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho are now on the rival AEW roster, while Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman were just two of the many established names axed from WWE in 2021. But WWE 2K22 is getting fresh blood to fill those gaps, such as Austin Theory, Kay Lee Ray and Raquel Gonzalez. Below we profile all those characters confirmed so far, along with others highly likely to make the cut, in your WWE 2K22 roster guide.

AJ Styles (confirmed) & Omos (50% certain)

WWE 2K19 cover star AJ Styles is unsurprisingly confirmed after a glittering career spanning WCW, ROH, TNA, and WWE. Tag partner Omos – formerly known as Jordan Omogbehin – is less assured of a spot, but enhanced his chances but claiming the Raw tag championships with Styles at WrestleMania 37.

Alexa Bliss (99% certain)

One of WWE's most baffling character choices of the last 12 months has been repackaging Bliss as 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt's sidekick – then having her feud with Randy Orton in the latter's absence. Mercifully that storyline ended at WrestleMania, with Bliss crying black tears as Wyatt lost clean to Orton following an RKO.

Angelo Dawkins (99% certain) & Montez Ford (confirmed)

The Street Profits were fast-tracked to the Raw roster in 2019 after shining on NXT, and by the turn of 2021 had enjoyed tag-title reigns on both main WWE brands. The concern is what happens next: WWE has a history of breaking up tandems for the sake of it, such as other former NXT faves American Alpha and Heavy Machinery. That type of quizzical decision-making is the only potential threat to their WWE 2K22 status.

Apollo Crews (confirmed)

Once beloved on the independent circuit as Uhaa Nation, WWE never quite got Crews' character right as a babyface - and so turned him heel, complete with cringeworthy fake Nigerian accent. He overcame the dodgy new voice to claim the Intercontinental title from Big E at WrestleMania 37.

Asuka (confirmed)

Presented with the Raw Women's Championship upon Becky Lynch's maternity leave, Asuka briefly traded the belt with Sasha Banks before slaying all comers in 2020. Aussie newcomer Rhea Ripley finally dethroned her at WrestleMania 37, but it won't be long before she's back in the gold.

Austin Theory (confirmed)

As highlighted in our extensive WWE 2K22 preview, the most requested new feature this year is MyGM – and its announcement came alongside confirmation of Theory as one of the roster's freshest heels. After a false start on Raw in 2020, he was recalled a year later in order to feud with the evergreen Jeff Hardy (more on whom later).

Bayley (confirmed)

In May, new WWE 2K22 supremo Patrick Gilmore revealed that Bayley was the very first wrestler captured for this year's game. "First to get scanned this year was @itsBayleyWWE," he wrote on Twitter. "Thank you, Bayley! I owe you a bottle of wine. Name your grape and it's on the way." Her response? "I'll take a case of 19 Crimes Snoop Dogg Edition and the cover of the video game too, thanks!!"

Becky Lynch (confirmed)

WWE's biggest star of recent times had the misfortune of being cover athlete on total dud WWE 2K20 – but enjoyed much happier real-life news with partner Seth Rollins (who's also a cert for WWE 2K22), giving birth to daughter Roux in February 2021. She returned at Summerlam, immediately capturing the Smackdown Women's Championship from Bianca Belair.

Bianca Belair (confirmed)

After graduating from developmental brand NXT in 2020, Belair stormed to victory in January's female Royal Rumble – then claimed the Smackdown world title from Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37. Her likeness was one of many infamously downgraded from WWE 2K19 to 2K20, meaning a sizeable visual improvement in 2K22 is essential.

Big E (confirmed), Kofi Kingston (confirmed) & Xavier Woods (99% certain)

Collectively known as The New Day, this timeless trio shockingly split in 2020 – with Big E claiming Intercontinental title glory on Smackdown, followed by a much-deserved world championship reign on Raw. It was a great year for Woods too, as he won the King of the Ring tournament. The threesome still appear together at big events and are certain to have a trio entrance included in WWE 2K22.

Bobby Lashley (confirmed) & MVP (confirmed)

August's gameplay trailer, unleashed at Summerslam, confirmed 15 names for the WWE 2K22 roster – with the 'All Mighty' chief among them. Victory over Goldberg that night extended Lashley's WWE Championship reign to six months, and he is joined in the videogame by long-time manager, and occasional tag partner, MVP.

Booker T (confirmed)

A five-time WCW World Champion and one-time WWE World Champ, Booker was confirmed for WWE 2K22 via a behind-the-scenes video showcasing the scanning tech being used in this year's game. Hopefully that means we get a modern version of his character in addition to the gold-hoarding retro look.

Brock Lesnar (99% certain)

With Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman released and Daniel Bryan jumping to rival AEW, the WWE 2K22 roster is in need of a star-power injection – so you sense developer Visual Concepts rejoiced as one when the larger-than-life Lesnar returned at Summerslam. He's an immediate lock to be one of the game's highest-rated characters.

Carmella (confirmed)

Close inspection of 2K22's Summerslam trailer confirmed Carmella's spot on the roster – by taking a clothesline from the aforementioned Bayley. She feuded with Bianca Belair throughout the summer of 2021, but was unable to capture the Smackdown Women's Championship, first won in April 2018, for a second time.

Cedric Alexander (80% certain) & Shelton Benjamin (confirmed)

At the outset of 2021, four-man stable The Hurt Business was WWE's hottest act – making the decision to split it up just before WrestleMania all the more baffling. Lashley and MVP have prospered since, but the same can't be said of this pair. Let's hope the quartet's entrance is included in-game, for those who fancy returning Alexander and Benjamin to prominence.

Cesaro (confirmed)

WWE 2K22's second confirmed wrestler, with the Swiss king of swing being shown chewing a 619 finisher from Rey Mysterio in the game's WrestleMania 37 reveal trailer. He fared much better at the real-life supershow, defeating Seth Rollins in a technically excellent Saturday night highlight.

Chad Gable (confirmed) & Otis (90% certain)

WWE has become notorious in recent times for splitting up tag-teams before their time, and Heavy Machinery are a textbook example. Promoted from NXT to Smackdown in 2019, Tucker and Otis caught on with fans, partly due to the latter's unique bowling-ball build – leading to an unnecessary break-up. After a short singles push Otis was back in tag action alongside Gable as Alpha Academy, and Tucker was released. Bravo.

Charlotte Flair (99% certain)

Father Ric Flair is already confirmed for WWE 2K22, and you'd expect the ten-time women's world champ to follow imminently. Hopefully the daddy-daughter tandem appearing in WWE 2K22 together also means the return of inter-gender tag matches, one of WWE 2K20's few decent additions.

Damian Priest (80% certain)

Renowned for his work in Ring Of Honor (ROH) as Punishment Martinez, Priest switched to WWE in 2018, and snagged NXT's North American Championship two years later. His rise continued in 2021 upon joining the Raw roster, and overcoming Sheamus for the United States Championship should rubber-stamp Priest's application for a spot in WWE 2K22.

Dolph Ziggler (confirmed) & Robert Roode (99% certain)

An unlikely pairing thrown together in 2019, this twosome transitioned into genuinely watchable tag title contenders – and finally overthrew Street Profits for the Smackdown gold in January 2021. The only doubt for WWE 2K22 is whether Roode's superb solo theme Glorious makes the cut. To omit it would be a gaming travesty.

Dominik Mysterio (confirmed)

Rey Mysterio's son was confirmed for WWE 2K22 when Visual Concepts announced the new MyFaction mode, in which you build your own squad of past and present wrestlers to compete in weekly challenges. Despite the link to FIFA 22 Ultimate Team, the studio assured GR that the mode won't be pay-to-win in a November news story.

Drew McIntyre (confirmed)

As in real life, 2020 was a year like no other for WWE, with fans kept away from arenas for more than nine months. McIntyre carried the company during that time, claiming the WWE Championship twice and making hay from feuds with Randy Orton and AJ Styles. He was confirmed for the roster in November 2021.

Edge (confirmed)

Days ahead of his triumphant clash with Seth Rollins at Summerslam, 2K unveiled the above screenshot on Twitter – confirming both that the 'Rated R Superstar' had made the WWE 2K22 roster, and that the game looks immaculate. Sadly, tag partner Christian won't be included after signing with rival federation AEW (which has three games coming out in 2021!) earlier in the year.

Elias (99% certain)

Once known on the independent circuit as curious names such as Heavy Metal Jesus and Logan Shulo, the guitar-playing grappler has featured on WWE's main roster since 2017 – but never with a fully defined role, aside from his pre-match waxing lyrical. A short-lived tandem with Jaxson Ryker ended in late May, casting Elias adrift once more.

Finn Balor (confirmed)

The traditional modern career path in WWE sees a grappler spend a couple of years in NXT before ascending to the main roster. Balor followed that trend, eventually capturing the WWE Universal Championship in 2016 – then returned from whence he came. Re-established in NXT from October 2019 onwards, he became champion of the brand for a second time by defeating Adam Cole last September.

Goldberg (confirmed)

Famed for obliterating all comers in a dominant late-'90s WCW spell, Goldberg's return to the ring at Summerslam 2021 ended in defeat to WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. Still, there was some good news on the same night, as the WWE 2K22 trailer confirmed his spot in the upcoming game.

Happy Corbin (99% certain) & Madcap Moss (33% certain)

There are plenty of fans who'd like to see Corbin disappear from WWE 2K22 – and the company altogether – but the man himself enjoys riling up his haters on social media, and survived the early-2021 round of cuts which bade farewell to Braun Strowman and Aleister Black. Smackdown sidekick Madcap Moss is an outside bet to make the roster, given that he only aligned with Corbin in September.

Jeff Hardy (confirmed)

Last summer saw rumours of retirement swell after Jeff's brother and tag partner Matt Hardy jumped ship to join the AEW roster. However, the 'charismatic enigma' later revealed that he'd signed a new contact with WWE, widely believed to be for five more years. That'll see him right for ladder matches in WWE 2K22, and far beyond.

Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso (99% certain)

These multi-time champs will both make WWE 2K22, but they've been through markedly different experiences in recent times. As Jimmy recovered from injury, twin brother Jey spent 2020-21 feuding with cousin Roman Reigns, only to align with him and christen himself 'Main Event' Jey Uso. It paid off when he won the annual Andre The Giant Battle Royal in April.

Jinder Mahal (90% certain)

You've have been a laughing stock on wrestling forums in 2014 for suggesting that two members of comedy troupe 3MB would one day be world champions. Yet here we are, with Drew McIntyre's long 2020 reign following Mahal's six-month stint as WWE Champ in 2017. Wherefore art thou, Heath Slater?

Joaquin Wilde (confirmed), Raul Mendoza (80% certain) & Santos Escobar (80% certain)

Given that their stint in WWE has been limited to NXT only, the faction known as Legado Del Fantasma were considered distant outsiders for the roster – until Wilde popped up in a screen captured from the new MyGM Mode. Escobar is the trio's figurehead, having starred in Lucha Libre federation AAA as El Hijo del Fantasma, and later enjoyed a 321-day reign as WWE cruiserweight champion.

John Cena (99% certain)

The most decorated wrestler of modern times – and I mean in terms of belts rather than garish T-shirts – hasn't been a TV regular since 2017, but he'll still be a fixture of this series for many years to come thanks to 16 world championship reigns, five US Championship reigns, five WrestleMania main events, and TV and film appearances. Yes, even 12 Rounds.

Johnny Gargano (90% certain)

A three-time NXT North American champion, Gargano opened up 2021 as leader of four-person stable The Way. Real-life wife Candice LaRae was in WWE 2K20 and so should also make the roster, but it'll be touch and go for team-mate Indi Hartwell, who has never appeared in a WWE game before.

Kane (confirmed)

Glenn Jacobs has been absent from WWE TV through much of 2020 and 2021, with good reason: we're in the midst of a global pandemic, and he has an important real-world job as mayor of Knox County. Nonetheless, his past as a former WWE Champion and storyline brother to The Undertaker keep his character essential on the video-game front.

Kay Lee Ray (confirmed)

Among the welcome additions this year is Scottish grappler, and former NXT UK Women's Champion, Kay Lee Ray. The timing is perfect: in August 2021 she was switched from the WWE's British brand to the main NXT roster, immediately entering into a three-way feud with Dakota Kai (who debuted in WWE 2K19) and Raquel Gonzalez. The latter is also new to the series this year: more on her below.

Kevin Owens (confirmed) & Sami Zayn (99% certain)

These real-life best pals finally got the match they've always dreamed of in April 2021: a face-off against one another at WrestleMania. Sadly it was only given nine minutes (with Owens predictably triumphing over Zayn), but it still made for a fun flashback to the pair's heated and hard-hitting bouts in Ring Of Honor and NXT. Owens was confirmed as part of November 2021's MyGM announcement.

The Miz (confirmed) & Maryse (60% certain)

Three-time tag champions John Morrison and The Miz were surprisingly split up in the summer of 2021, but fans still looked forward to seeing Morrison in his first WWE game for more than a decade. Sadly, that wasn't to be: the former Johnny Nitro was axed from the company (and, surely, the game) in November 2021. Miz is still definitely in, and you'd hope his wife, former Divas Champion Maryse, merits a spot too.

Mustafa Ali (confirmed)

Face, heel, face, heel: Ali has struggled to find an identity in WWE. He's been placed in partnerships with Retribution and Mansoor, only to see them split before gaining traction, each time with an unnecessary personality switch thrown in. His best stint was as a high-flying face on cruiserweight show 205 Live, and they're the days we're looking forward to revisiting in WWE 2K22.

Natalya (99% certain) & Tamina (confirmed)

This unlikeliest of tandems became cult favourites in 2021, going so far as to claim the Women's Tag Team Championships from Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler. Lapsed '80s fans will recognise both of their fathers: Natalya is the daughter of Jim 'The Anvil Neidhart', while Tamina is the offspring of Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka.

R-Truth (99% certain)

WWE invented the 24/7 Championship in 2019 with the idea of a belt that could be defended in-ring, backstage, on the road or in the air (really) – and it's become a comedy vehicle for R-Truth, racking up 52 reigns by May 2021. Other past holders such as Doug Flutie, Rob Gronkowski and Santa Claus (!) are less likely to appear.

Randy Orton (confirmed)

Still going strong at the age of 41, Orton clocked up a 14th world title reign in 2020 and was always a cert for WWE 2K22. In May lead dev Patrick Gilmore confirmed his spot this year with a very simple tweet, addressed to @MattyJBayBay: "I think you will be happy with Randy Orton's entrance!".

Raquel Gonzalez (confirmed)

Gonzalez was a surprise November 2021 reveal in order to promote WWE 2K22 MyRise, a new mode in which you can ascend to the top of the wrestling world using either a male or female created character. Something she's doing adeptly in real life, having captured the NXT Women's Championship from Dakota Kai at NXT Takeover 36 last August.

Rey Mysterio (confirmed)

San Diego's cruiserweight legend was the very first wrestler announced for the 2K series' comeback edition, by way of its WrestleMania 37 reveal trailer. Ironically, the veteran didn't feature on this year's big show, but his athletic moveset and legendary luchador masks assure him of must-play status in WWE 2K22.

Rhea Ripley (confirmed)

An instant hit upon appearing in WWE's 2017 Mae Young Classic tournament at the age of 20, Ripley regularly outshone the entire NXT female division before finally arriving on Raw this past February. She overcame Asuka to claim the brand's Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37, in her very first man roster singles bout.

Ric Flair (confirmed)

Like Booker T, 'the dirtiest player in the game' was confirmed for WWE 2K22 by way of a May scanning session. Flair shares the record for the number of world title reigns across WWE, WCW and NWA with sixteen – only John Cena can match him, and all of his championships came in WWE. Next on the list are Triple H and Randy Orton, with 14.

Ricochet (confirmed)

WWE's best high-flyer continues to be woefully mismanaged, and has hardly been seen on Raw this year – despite a hyper-athletic, match-stealing performance in the 2021 Money In The Bank ladder match. Even so, his catalogue of eye-catching flips and moves are guaranteed to make Ricochet's WWE 2K22 character hella playable.

Riddle (95% certain)

If there's a Raw special effect even more cringeworthy than Braun Strowman's steam train noise, it's the CGI flying birds intended to enhance Riddle's ring entrance. Thankfully the former MMA star's matches are often sufficient to overcome such clownishness, and he repeatedly shone in strong bouts with Sheamus and Randy Orton this past spring.

Roman Reigns (confirmed)

While Drew McIntyre carried Raw through the pandemic, former super-face Reigns was doing the same on Smackdown – now recast as an imperious heel with legendary yarn-spinner Paul Heyman as his mouthpiece. Just don't mention the WWE 2K20 cover.

Samoa Joe (confirmed)

The long-time rival to AJ Styles and Kurt Angle was widely considered to have retired upon joining the Raw commentary team in April 2020 – and was released altogether one year later. That appeared to be the end of his WWE 2K22 hopes, until Joe made a shock return to the company in June 2021, before capturing the NXT Championship for record third time at Takeover 36.

Sasha Banks (99% certain)

WWE's standout female performer of 2020 and 2021 so far, thanks to a barnstorming run as tag-team champs with Bayley, a fiery feud after that pairing inevitably overheated, and a fantastic Wrestlemania night-one main event in which she dropped the Smackdown gold to Bianca Belair.

Seth Rollins (confirmed)

Fans were desperate to cheer Rollins when the former Shield member returned from paternity leave, having fathered daughter Roux with the wildly popular Becky Lynch. Yet not only did Rollins return as a heel, ultimately – and senselessly – Lynch did too. His 2021 feud with Edge was mostly watchable, but it still feels like an opportunity missed.

Shayna Baszler (confirmed)

With long-time tag partner Nia Jax shockingly released by WWE (and therefore the videogame roster) in November, submission specialist Baszler has again been left to stand alone – a role she thrived in during a dominant spell on developmental brand NXT. Baszler is close friends with Ronda Rousey in real life, but there's still no word on whether the former UFC and WWE champ has been signed up for this year's instalment.

Sheamus (confirmed)

"It's a shameful thing, lobster head…" The Irishman man no longer uses his comically misheard entrance theme, but is still delivering bruising, highly watchable brawls at 43 – such as a WrestleMania 37 US title victory over Riddle. Should be super fun to smash jobbers with in WWE 2K22.

Shinsuke Nakamura (confirmed) & Rick Boogs (50% certain)

A wrestling legend in his homeland of Japan, Nakamura has enjoyed his best year since signing for WWE in 2016 – overcoming Baron Corbin to become King of the Ring, then capturing the US Championship for a second time. He was confirmed for the game at Summerslam, and we're hoping to see guitar-playing sidekick Boogs debut too.

Trent Seven (65% certain) & Tyler Bate (confirmed)

The pandemic saw Brit favourites Moustache Mountain return to their homeland after a successful tag-team run in NXT, but we expect the duo back in the States at some point in 2022. WWE 2K20 saw Seven make his series debut, and to mark the occasion he told GamesRadar about his longstanding love of video games – and why he always chose Ken over Zangief.

Triple H (confirmed)

The long-time guru of NXT handed the reins back to father-in-law Vince McMahon over the summer, and took a break from WWE TV altogether following a cardiac event in September 2021. Nonetheless he'll likely play a central figure in WWE 2K22, as both a backstage executive in MyRise, and highly rated playable character given his 14 World Championship reigns.

Undertaker (99% certain)

Taker's last real match came against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, with all signs since pointing to retirement. Just don't expect that to apply to digital rings. Clocking up more than 30 videogame appearances over three decades, 'Taker has never missed out on the WWE sim roster – going all the way back to its PS1 debut, as WWF Smackdown.

I'm GamesRadar's sports editor, and obsessed with NFL, WWE, MLB, AEW, and occasionally things that don't have a three-letter acronym – such as Chvrches, Bill Bryson, and Streets Of Rage 4. (All the Streets Of Rage games, actually.) Even after three decades I still have a soft spot for Euro Boss on the Amstrad CPC 464+.