WWE 2K22: 10 Legends that NEED to be included in the game

Hamish Woodward

WWE 2K22 Legends Atletifo

With just weeks before WWE 2K22 hits the shelves, fans are furiously refreshing their twitter feeds to catch a glimpse of the legends in the game.

The WWE 2K series of games has been famous for including some of the biggest rosters in the history of WWE games. 2020’s edition featured over a hundred wrestlers including a vast catalogue of legends, including Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.

However, some lesser known legends of the squared circle also need their chance in the ring. While they may not be able to wrestler anymore, long time fans all have their wish list that they want to play with again in WWE 2K22.

WWE 2K22 Legends

10. Sabu

Former ECW Champion Sabu retired late last year, put an end to a long and storied career. Sabu wrestled for all the major promotions across the globe, showcasing his death defying style which wowed and shocked fans everywhere.

He has appeared in WWE games before, most recently Smackdown vs Raw 2007. That game featured a large ECW contingent, and was the last time Sabu was seen inside a WWE ring. It would be only fitting that the innovate hardcore wrestler be included in a WWE game once against, and maybe even induced in the WWE hall of fame.

They could even include a barbed wire death match that Sabu helped make famous, when he fought Terry Funk in ECW.

9. Bob Backlund

Bob Backlund only retired three years ago, wrestling in Japan in the 48th year of his career. This shocked fans, as the 68 year old had been most recently seen as the manager of Darren Young in WWE.

What fans may not realise is that the crazy, kooky Backlund was one of the greatest WWE Champion of all time. He won the WWE Championship twice, with his first reign lasting a whopping 5 years.

His absence in recent WWE games is criminal and the WWE Hall of Famer would be a fine addition to the WWE 2K22 Legends roster.

8. Big Daddy

Even though he never made a name for himself outside of England, Big Daddy needs to be recognised as one of the all-time great draws in pro-wrestling. Real name Shirley Crabtree, Big Daddy captured the hearts of the British public in the 1980s with a series of blockbuster matches against his arch nemesis, Giant Haystacks. Millions tuned in across the country to see these superheavyweights do battle, with even the Queen and Margaret Thatcher reportedly huge fans of the former Coldstream Guardsman.

Big Daddy never set foot in a WWE ring, but surely deserves to be recognised and one of the legends of the sport. Millions will still cite his name in the UK if asked about “The Wrestling” and still have fond memories of their Saturday afternoon spent chanting “Easy! Easy” at the television.

7. Bull Nakano

One of the greatest women’s wrestlers of all time was the menacing looking Bull Nakano. Breaking down barriers of what a female wrestler could be, Bull Nakano wowed American fans in the mid 1990s during stints with WWE and WCW.

The Japanese star is one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time and is thoroughly deserving of a spot in WWE 2K22 as a legend.

6. Harley Race

Considering the fact that Harley Race is one of the all-time greats in wrestling, it’s a shock that he has never been included as a legend in the WWE 2K series.

The former NWA Champion has been cited as Triple H’s favourite wrestler of all time, so it’s strange someone with such influence has failed to secure the rights to Harley Race to enter WWE 2K22. Race famously lost the NWA Championship to Ric Flair in the young Flair’s greatest moment, and fans would love to recreate that moment in one of the classic arena in WWE 2K22.

Race was also a former King of the Ring in WWE and is a fan-favourite for fans of old-school wrestling.

5. Dynamite Kid

The Dynamite Kid was one of the most exciting young pro-wrestlers in the 1980s. He lit up the WWF as one half of the incredible “British Bulldogs” tag team, along with Davey Boy Smith. The pair are former WWE Tag Team Champions and one of the most fondly remembered tag teams of that era.

While Davey Boy Smith, who was last featured in WWE 2K19, was undoubtedly the biggest star out of the pair. But it was the Dynamite Kid that revolutionised wrestling with his matches against Tiger Mask in Japan. Their ridiculously paced matches filled to the brim with exciting counters set the stage for the modern style of the junior heavyweight matches in New Japan and across the world.

Dynamite Kid has not been included in any WWE games due to his real-life troubles and his personality has soured him on a lot of people. However, I think now is the time for WWE to mend bridges and include one of the legends of wrestling history in WWE 2K22

4. Rob Van Dam

The one of a kind Rob Van Dam has been out of WWE for years, but is a fan favourite that needs to be included in the WWE games.

The former ECW and WWE Champion wowed fans since the 1990s with a fantastic high flying moveset and boasts one of the best Frog Splashes of all time.

RVD was last a member of the WWE roster in 2015, when he was included in the WWE 2K15 game. His last appearance in the game was as a pre-order bonus in WWE 2K18 as a legend character.

3. The Boogeyman

The Boogeyman WWE

One of the strangest and beloved wrestlers who made very little impact was The Boogeyman. Despite a short stint in the company, he was retained under a “legends contract” and fans are still terrified of him with every appearance.

The Boogeyman came into the business as a 40 year old with no training. However, sheer determination and dedication to the character made it work, and eating worms and wearing a beating heart round his neck while he shook his way to the ring made his character on fans simply could not look away from.

2. Umaga

Fans of WWE in the mid 2000s all have a soft spot for the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga. Umaga was one of the scariest and most ferocious wrestlers in WWE history, playing the character of the savage Samoan who was managed by the charismatic “Armando Alejandro Estrada”.

Umaga was different to most “monster of the week” gimmicks. He committed fully, making you think that they really had drafted in a wild man from deep in the jungles of Samoa. He was also supremely gifted in the ring, putting on brilliant matches with wrestlers like John Cena and Jeff Hardy.

He deserves to be included finally in WWE 2K22, 13 years after his untimely death. Maybe even a hall of fame induction for a man who wrestled under many gimmicks in WWE before settling on the incredible Umaga. Umaga also had a really fun move set which would be really fun to play with in WWE 2K22.

1. Jushin “Thunder” Liger

It is highly likely that Jushin Liger will be included in WWE 2K22 as a legend character, which is a great thing. Whilst Liger only had one WWE match, at NXT Takeover Brooklyn against Tyler Breeze, he was a star of the WCW Cruiserweight division of the 1990s.

He is likely to be included as part of the Rey Mysterio showcase on WWE 2K22, as the Starrcade 1996 arena has been confirmed as a classic arena in WWE 2K22. Mysterio’s attire for the match is also confirmed, so it’s likely that the Japanese legend will be included as a playable character in the game.

Liger is one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers ever, having been one of the greatest junior heavyweight champions in NJPW’s history. He is known for inventing the shooting star press and completely changing his style when he aged and loss his speed and agility.

Liger was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020.

Privacy Policy