WWE 2K21: 10 Predictions For What We Could Have Got

So WWE 2K22 is well on the way, and it looks honestly pretty promising. We're getting GM mode back, Rey Mysterio is this year's Showcase superstar, the controls have been given a much-needed overhaul and the character models look fantastic. It's looking like the biggest revamp of the series since 2K took over the franchise. And yet, you can't help but wonder what could have been if the world hadn't taken a year off.

Obviously 2K20 was the wake-up call that 2K needed for them to take a year or so to rethink the premier wrestling series and give dedicated fans something they deserved. Because of this, WWE 2K21 was officially cancelled and it wasn't unwelcome news. Yearly instalments are difficult to maintain for any video game series, as Madden, Assassin's Creed and every football/soccer game on the market have shown over the years, often needing a hard reset to keep the fans satisfied.

This does beg the question, though: what would 2K21 have looked like had it been released? With 2K20 being so poorly received by fans and critics, would they have been right to push another entry out so quickly? What could we have ended up with?

One thing to be concerned about with 2K22 is the roster. This year alone, WWE have released a grand total of 80 superstars, including some enormous names like Keith Lee, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Jeff Hardy, Aleister Black, Adam Cole, Daniel Bryan, the list goes on. 2K will likely fill out the numbers with legends and a few names missing from the previous game (WALTER anyone?), but it won't look nearly as impressive.

2K21 would likely have seen a truly amazing roster of stars, especially from the standpoint of NXT with names like Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler, Ilja Dragunov, Kay Lee Ray, Kacy Catanzaro, Damian Priest, as well as the returns of names of the previous game like The Fiend, Chyna, and updated versions of Roman Reigns, Bayley and, for our sins, Shorty G.

It's from the point of the selection of wrestlers available that will make us pine for 2K21, especially when compared to a likely poultry selection we'll end up with in the next instalment thanks to WWE higher-ups demanding the removal of the most popular superstars they let go.