10 WWE Superstars Who Got FIRED But Still Made It Into The Game

[@alec2000]

CM Punk’s inclusion in 2K15 still shocks me to this day. Considering this was the time when he not only walked out of WWE, but also had the biggest hate against the company due to everything, and considering how WWE games are able to remove controversial figures relatively quickly like with Benoit in SVR 2008, I’m surprised WWE or Vince specifically didn’t threaten 2K to remove him or something. Then again, with or without Punk, 2K15 still wouldn’t be good due to how lackluster it is in both gameplay and content. It truly was a lose lose situation.🤷‍♂️

[@gnosis_pr37]

I think it was because since CM Punk had a showcase with Cena and it was a big part of the game then maybe they couldn't take him out even if them wanted to(but maybe I'm wrong)

[@WrestleWarp]

CM Punk being a Showcase superstar made it almost impossible to remove him from the game

[@โทนี่นะค่ะพร่อง]

For me not shock at all because of he is in showcase with Cena impossible to remove CM Punk from 2K15.

[@someone0]

Do you ever make any comments that aren't overly long paragraphs

[@DC-YTC]

With Benoit removing him only affected that awkward middle part of 24/7 mode where they replaced it with all those voice messages but Pink was actually the main part of showcase mode. 2K couldn't risk that in the first game they developed from the start

[@christiankallio8586]

There was al Christian in SmackDown vs Raw 2006 who was either already in TNA when the game came out . Interesting thing about him while he was left in due to playing a major role in a My Career chapter his tights are with out his "C" logo because I guess at the time that was now considered a TNA logo in a way

[@retrogeneric5687]

Wow. Yeah that always bothered me about the game. Then I found out Day of Reckoning 2 on GameCube also had his tights logo removed as well (SvR 06 and DoR2 both released in 2005). I thought Yuke's or someone at modeling the wrestlers f'd up or something. But it's still weird how Christian is in the games but his logo didn't make it, lol. That logo more expensive than the actual talent, apparently

[@CeemPlay]

Hurricane not being playable was silly

[@wingedhussar1453]

Maybe being playable etc means u pay more idk

[@Kingofb0ngstyle]

​@@wingedhussar1453Not that time. Now it does

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Where's Kurt Angle from Smackdown vs RAW 2007, Wrestlegamia? Kurt's last WWE match was on August 14, 2006 and made his TNA debut on October 19 in the same year.

[@DTownNash]

The cutoff is usually after Mania. It would have been too late.

[@AMMB]

Well he was part of the company for most of the year

[@coldkid4019]

With Brian Kendricks inclusion in Svr 2010. He was also in Mickie James RTWM as well And key to the RTWM plot

[@AverageAthieus]

2K22 not only had the most outdated roster imo but if I’m being honest the roster had everyone we thought wouldn’t make the cut and tbh seeing guys like Swerve and John Morrison back and debuting in WWE games instantly peaked my interest. But can we talk about how BAD they did Paul London and Brian Kendrick (if y’all don’t know they basically carried the ruthless aggression era’s tag division) they’re only true game together as a tag team was when they broke up and Paul London was I think on his way outta the company back when SVR 2009 released they should’ve been in SVR 2007 all the way to 2009 tbh like cmon bro

[@crashpal]

Although the roster in my opinion wasn't bad especially considering some secret characters came from My Faction and Community Creation

[@Nahan_Boker94]

Ah I remember Paul & Brian vs MnM era. Such entertaining feuds. Also super crazy and psychosis. When tag team mean something really.

[@donthatetheking1191]

Fr both Brian Kendrick and Paul London definitely should have been in svr 2007 and svr 2008 especially svr 2008 as that game was missing lots of people n tag teams

[@HighSummoner_Izzy]

you could have made a video itself off of the WWE 2k22 roster. Funfact too, Mickie James (to my knowledge) would be potentially the only superstar to remain in the games after both her releases (WWE 2K22 and SVR 2011)

[@TheBlockerNator]

I think most of these are due to apperances in story/career/season modes. Unlike No Mercy with Big Show and Steven Richards, you can't just replace someone so easily in these later games, due to the amount of voice acting. You can't just switch out a model.

[@CeemPlay]

Simon Dean had some lines in the season one year but all his stuff got replaced by Johnny Nitro

[@Dave_Albright]

Maria replaced Lita.. in the story mode with Edge and Maria.

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

⁠@@Dave_AlbrightEdge and Maria was 09 game. Lita left the company in 06

[@NilsyTunes]

"We won't be including the entire 2K22 roster" After hearing that & the first 2 being 2K22 I was buggin'; but y'all stayed truthful.

[@theJimmyAndrews]

The Brian Kendrick was also a part of the Mickie James RTWM story, so he was doubly important to keep in the game. I recently played through it all in one sit down. Surprising how unique her storyline was that there were no other female RTWM after Mickie James...

[@oznahgaming2770]

I'm pretty sure Kendrick was also a big part of Mickie James' Road to Wrestlemania if I'm not mistaken

[@jamalbethea957]

You right 👍

[@juancl7658]

It should've been Chris Jericho or Randy Orton or any main eventer

[@Kingofb0ngstyle]

Yup, he was face love interest. I loved Natalya copying Mickie.

[@Kingofb0ngstyle]

​@@juancl7658Nah, they are overrated

[@EliteEasyE]

London and Kendrick are my favorite tag team of all time. So glad that Justin Leeper put him in HBK's story because I loved playing him in SVR '10. I love that Justin knows that HBK trained him.. in fact The Brian Kendrick or TBK is a reference to HBK by Vince.

[@kennyking9347]

i’m not gonna lie. The whole list can just be 2K22.😂

[@OmegaS-117]

In others words about 75 to 80% of the games were Smackdown Vs Raw characters

[@ShanetheFreestyler]

I think WWE could've saved a lot of headaches for themselves and the developers if they simply locked in the roster at a certain date like any sports game would, especially since even for superstars who are in the game may likely have changed gimmicks by the time the next game releases. All they need to do is say something along the lines of "Superstars and their depictions in this game are as accurate as of [date]" the same way that some football or basketball game would say "team rosters are accurate as of 1/12/2024" so people won't say things like "why is X here/not here?" Because that's how it was at the time!

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

They generally seem to lock the rooster by looking at last Mania before release.

[@DTownNash]

It's insane knowing that Edge, RVD, Shelton Benjamin, Dolph Ziggler, and more won't be in '24.

[@brolysupersaiyan1634]

Honorable mention to Bobby Lashley Smackdown Vs Raw 2008. Correct me if i'm wrong but it was the only case where the superstar on the cover was already gone.

[@joesakic70]

He left WWE at February 4, 2008

[@crazychristopher1989]

And Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 was released in 2007. Lashley was still in the company by then as he left in 2008. If it were Smackdown vs. Raw 2009, which WAS released in 2008, then that would've been a different story.

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

⁠@@crazychristopher1989yeah 09 Chris Jericho story mode was apparently was written with Bobby Lashley in mind. But they found out he was leaving, thus rewrote for Jericho

[@Shlumbus69]

Thank god he didnt say owen hart in wwf attitude

[@lukethomas6900]

Hell, I remember just being glad that Sabu was actually in a WWE game for the first time. Thankfully WWE didn't take him out.

[@jamesinho28]

Bret Hart in Warzone. Came out almost a year after Montreal.

[@DBoy38]

And British Bulldog who left alongside Bret and Ahmed Johnson who left after the No Way Out from Texas PPV.

7:12 i'm sure RVD and Heyman were replaced by Sabu and Dreamer in this particular cutscene

[@brandonperez8977]

I'm no expert but I think that almost every removed Wrestlers movesets and entrance in every SVR games because when looking for the VIP entrance in SVR 2011. I found a few wrestlers were in the game renamed to SUPERSTAR##/DIVA## the first one I found was The Boogeyman and JBL entrance since they were not in that game and a few existing movesets from the ex-WWE wrestlers which they were also renamed into some generic ones and SVR 2008 picks a random Wrestler for the story because when I played as John Cena in my PS2 about getting attacked by Chavo and Umaga but when I played in my PSP as my Created Superstar. Cena tooked Chavo's place. No matter which of them you played as. The game will pick their replacement

[@ceejay3121]

Jazz and Nidia for WM21 Joy Giovanni for SVR 2006

[@tubster105]

(Punk) The legal issue didn’t come with his inclusion in the game it came with them not giving him his royalties.

[@WowSuchGaming2009]

If anyone who gets fired at the last second they can still make it in the game

[@denikurniawan7183]

Poor jeff hardy didn't make it into smackdown here comes the pain when he get fired

[@EliteEasyE]

I've always heard Hurricane's deletion was DUI related.

[@Topgamer-nz7sd]

What about Jeff hardy smackdown vs raw 2010 a few months before the games release he lost a steel cage match against cm punk where loser leaves wwe

[@RobSkillz881]

Bret Hart WWF War Zone

[@makenton15]

You forgot Cody Rhodes as Stardust. He left the company before the WWE 2K17 release

[@TanakaSigauke]

Wwe 2k22 had the best roster thanks to fired people lmao

[@tedjomuljono3052]

Its the real AEW Fight Forever game, due to the abundance of AEW wrestlers in it

[@michaelvazquez7851]

Nice game

[@suavelife]

Hopefully edge on 24

[@stevesteve0521]

Bret hart Wwf warzone

[@hadysayeh3301]

Where's Jeff Hardy??

[@hypermartin2146]

AJ Lee Should’ve been in 2K16 idc

[@ROLEGEND16]

fr

[@annakiss268]

Punk didn’t get fire, he quit

[@nzuzovilakazi901]

He did get fired though. On his wedding .

[@SolaryFlames1]

Jesus is Lord, repent while you can

[@Bubba__Sawyer]

_"Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself"_ *-George Carlin*

[@SolaryFlames1]

@@Bubba__Sawyer "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation." In mark 15:16 (I don't follow George Carlin I foll Jesus Christ)