WWE 2K17: 10 Most Shocking Roster Omissions

How can you possibly include Papa Shango and not these guys?!

Rhyno Wwe 2k17
2K Games

We’re less than a week away from WWE 2K17’s October 11th release, and developers have broken the record for the highest number of playable characters in a WWE game for the second year running.

This year’s incarnation features a whopping 156 playable wrestlers (including DLC), and with more set to be added throughout 2K17’s lifespan, the gigantic roster offers unparalleled variety. 2K17 sees WWE’s Four Horsewomen, Shinsuke Nakamura, and AJ Styles make their WWE gaming debut among others, with the likes of Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Austin Aries set to join though DLC.

It’s a comprehensive list of WWE stars past and present, but while it’s hard to be disappointed with such a headcount, there are still a number of notable omissions from the 2K17 roster. Some, like CM Punk and Hulk Hogan, remain absent for obvious reasons, but others? Not so much.

2K’s rosters are always a few months out of date at the time of release. It takes the developers several months to code characters into the game, so while TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick are playing prominent roles on Raw at the moment, their arrivals came a few months too late. Still, there are a number of high-profile veterans and current WWE stars missing from the list, and while they may later be added as DLC, it’s astonishing that some of these names haven’t already been announced.

Here are WWE 2K17’s 10 most shocking roster omissions.

10. X-Pac

Rhyno Wwe 2k17
2K

Shawn Michaels? Check.

Scott Hall? Check.

Kevin Nash? Check.

Triple H? Check.

As far as The Kliq go, they’re all present and correct in WWE 2K17 aside from one man: X-Pac.

He was featured in last year’s incarnation, but 2K Sports have seen fit to cut the former WWE European Champion from 2K17 all-together. Maybe they’ll look to integrate him later-on, but considering that most of his DX buddies are also in the game, his exclusion is pretty startling.

Regardless of how you feel about him, X-Pac played a big role throughout the Attitude Era, and stood at the heart of some of WWE’s biggest storylines. It was him who Triple H turned to for help in the wake of Shawn Michaels’ first retirement, and while his WWE career faded away through X-Factor and the nWo reincarnation, Pac’s WWE status cannot be denied.

Besides, surely even his detractors can agree that he'd be a fun inclusion if only to throw around the ring, right?

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.