This week brought the debut trailer for 2K Sports’ WWE 2K18, which is set to debut on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC (and maybe even Nintendo Switch) on October 13th. This one promises to be the most loaded to date roster-wise, between the current slate of superstars on WWE Raw, Smackdown Live and NXT, as well as 205 Live. And that’s not including the many legends that will be included in the game, as well as the women’s division on all shows.
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With that, the trailer is action-packed, as cover star Seth “Freakin’” Rollins goes on a rampage, destroying everything in sight, including many legendary items from WWE icons. That said, you might have missed a few things from it, as the company threw in a lot of Easter eggs hinting at possible additions to the roster.
Let’s take a look at the best hidden stuff and see what it hints at with the forthcoming wrestling game!
Jake “The Snake” Roberts
First up, we caught a glimpse at the WWE Hall of Fame inductee, with a clip taken from the WWE Network show Story Time. While it’s just a glimpse, it hints that Roberts could be making a return to the WWE video game front, with his patented wrestling style and DDT finisher completely intact. But here’s what we really want to see – a post-match celebration that involves his snake Damian, who he’ll unleash from the bag and spread all over his opponent. It worked well in real matches, so we don’t see why it can’t be included in the game. In fact, let’s recreate that Roberts/Andre the Giant match where that colossus proved to be very afraid of snakes.
The Ultimate Warrior
While the security guard begins looking around WWE headquarters for a possible intruder, you’ll be able to catch a quick glimpse of a statue featuring the Ultimate Warrior. This superstar, who thrived in the 80’s and 90’s back in the WWF days, was recently featured in the series again, following his Hall of Fame induction a few years back. Sadly, his passing came all too suddenly, but we’ll at the very least be able to recreate some epic match-ups with him in WWE 2K18 – including current superstars. How do you think he’d fare against the likes of Dean Ambrose? Or, for that matter, Shinsuke Nakamura?
Sting
The WCW icon has been a cool addition to the WWE 2K series as of late, whether you prefer his old-school 90’s World Championship Wrestling character, or his later-career Crow-like hero, who dives down from the ceiling and takes on everyone with a trademark baseball bat. This hint indicates that he’ll be back for WWE 2K18, still packing his old-school moves, including the Stinger Death Drop and the Stinger Splash. But the real question is, will we be able to use the bat again? Because it turns out it’s quite a counter to a steel chair or other weapons that can be found on the outside of the ring…
“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair
Of course, Flair’s in the game. This only makes sense. He’s been a key addition for the past few years, and his persona continues to be one of the greatest ever inhabited by a wrestler in WCW and WWE history. His wrestling style is still one of the best, and you can pair it up with a number of current superstars as well, including The Miz (who kind of stole his figure-four leglock for a while there) and maybe even Roman Reigns. And, hey, we’d kill to see the old 90’s Flair come back, complete with his poofy blonde hair and his sunglasses. Whoo, indeed.
Degeneration X
This is a given, considering that Triple H is no doubt being added to the roster in WWE 2K18, and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels is likely to be included as well. But the thing we’d like to see is the ability to recreate the Degeneration X tag team with the two of them and pair them up against other current superstars on the roster. Imagine a DX/American Alpha match, or, for that matter, let’s see what The New Day can do against them, if they’re not too busy promoting cereal and ice cream snacks. We’d be down with a DX reunion in the game, and if you’re not, we’ve got two words…
The Undertaker
This is a must. Despite the fact that he pretty much retired at Wrestlemania this year after a match against Roman Reigns, the Undertaker is still an icon by WWE terms, and not including him in WWE 2K18 would be a huge mistake. He’s one of the greatest in the business, mainly because of his mobility and his array of moves, including walking the ring rope to deliver his arm strike, or letting an opponent have it with his trademark Tombstone. He may be gone from the business (for now?), but the Undertaker should live on forever as an icon in the WWE video game roster.
Mankind/Mick Foley
Even though Foley’s taking some time off from the WWE at the moment (probably to rest from his recent hip surgery), that doesn’t mean he can’t keep busy on the video game front. And we caught a couple of glimpses regarding the return of his hardcore personas, namely Mankind (the mask and Mr. Socko are clearly seen in a case), as well as Cactus Jack (with the barbed wire baseball bat). Could we see Dude Love make a return as well? Hopefully, 2K Sports will bring the collective so we can wrestle with all three. Fans will certainly “have a nice day” with these guys around.
“The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase
“Everybody’s got a price!” One of the best heels during the WWF’s glory years in the 80’s and 90’s, the “Million Dollar Man” was easily the one to hate in the era, mainly because how he passed off dollar bills like they were going out of style. But he was also a great wrestler for his time, so seeing him return to action in WWE 2K18 would be rather cool. For that matter, he could easily bring Virgil back into the mix as well, since he was a fun wrestler in his own right. Oh, and maybe include a bribe option. Because, you know, money.
Andre the Giant
This hulking phenomenon left us all too soon, dying in the 90’s following a great run in WWE and a starring stint in Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride. But his legacy lives on with the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania, and, of course, his presence in the WWE 2K video games. His return would be very welcome, especially when it comes to pitting him against other behemoths like Braun Strowman, Big Cass (poor, poor Enzo) and even The Big Show. Hell, put all four of them into a match together and watch the ring collapse like nobody’s business.
Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake
Back in the 80’s, the World Wrestling Federation (as it was known back then before changing to WWE) had its fair share of great personalities. Among them was Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, who would put his enemies “to sleep” before giving them a free shoddy haircut, on the house. His return to WWE 2K world would be most certainly welcome, as he was a great wrestler that deserves digital representation. Plus, if 2K were real savvy, it’d throw in a mini-game where we could cut someone’s hair just the way we see fit. Hey, a Barber fan can dream, right?
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Even though the commercial doesn’t feature any sort of beer or “3:16” shirts to be seen, we do get a good look at the ATV that Steve Austin rode around in during several Wrestlemania entrances, right before Rollins destroys it in a fiery explosion. This can only indicate that Austin will make a return in WWE 2K18, bringing his no-nonsense wrestling style and signature Stunner back to the table. Maybe after the match, we can get a celebration animation where he knocks down a few Steveweisers before leading the crowd in a bunch of “What?” chants. Can we get a hell yeah?
