WWE 2K23 Roster grows with the return of one massive name

With the landscape of pro wrestling constantly in flux, our expectations for the WWE 2K23 roster continue to move as well.

While official news about WWE 2K23 remains scarce, major changes since Triple H took creative control could be very good for the next game's roster.

Latest - Bray Wyatt finally returns to WWE

After months of speculation, Bray Wyatt finally made his return to WWE at Extreme Rules on October 8, 2022.

At this point, it's pretty safe to say that Bray Wyatt will make it into the WWE 2K23 roster when that game finally arrives in the next few months.

It still remains to be seen which version or versions of Bray Wyatt we'll get to see, though, as his arrival has raised plenty of questions about where things will go next.

With most of his character assets remaining in the game such as moves and entrance animations, that should speed things up for the development team as they get his in-game models ready for launch.

WWE 2K23 Roster reclaimed seven potential superstars since Triple H took charge

Following the departure of longtime CEO Vince McMahon amidst sexual misconduct allegations, WWE has seen significant creative changes with Triple H at the helm.

Despite the difficult circumstances that led to this scenario, it's hard to argue with the results as Triple H has pushed hard to implement his own creative vision to definite success.

Fortunately for gamers, these moves are likely to have a very positive trickle down impact on the WWE 2K23 Roster which now looks to be larger than many expected.

WWE has been hemorrhaging talent over the last few years due to a combination of self-inflicted mass releases and several superstars choosing to leave the company or not renew their contracts upon expiration.

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As a result, there are still dozens of characters we don't expect to make the WWE 2K23 roster that were a part of WWE 2K22.

However, changes since Triple H took control have seen six different superstars return to the company in addition to one backstage figure.

Each of these recently returned superstars were either released by the company or chose not to renew their contracts:

• Braun Strowman
• Karrion Kross
• Scarlett
• Johnny Gargano
• Candice LeRae
• Dakota Kai

With all of them now fixtures on Raw or SmackDown once again, it's unlikely they'd be left out of the WWE 2K23 roster as they each have preexisting models from WWE 2K22.

In addition to these names, there have been reports that longtime backstage producer "Road Dogg" Jesse James is back with the company, and as a result will likely still be included in the WWE 2K23 roster.

More returns expected, other legends could make the roster

In addition to the names we've already seen back in WWE, there are several others rumored to return or sitting as potential free agents.

The biggest one is Bray Wyatt, who has been relatively off the grid since departing WWE but is heavily speculated as the source of the White Rabbit story going on in WWE right now.

Tyler Breeze, a longtime staple of NXT during Triple H's early years leading that brand, has done off-television events as of late with Xavier Woods and could return at some point.

Sasha Banks and Naomi are darkhorse possibilities as nothing concrete is showing they'll be back in WWE, but it's well known they're more likely to be willing to negotiate with Triple H than they ever would've when Vince McMahon was still in control.

A few legends could also be added, as Ric Flair was quietly distanced from the company after sexual assault allegations outlined in an episode of Dark Side of The Ring, but apparently that's not something they're worried about anymore.

Mia Yim is reportedly close to being a free agent, and as another former NXT star could be someone Triple H tries to bring back into the company.

Shane McMahon had a falling out prior to Vince McMahon's stepping down, and while Triple H has never been close with him, he might be more open to leaving him in the WWE 2K23 roster.

Finally, one name almost certain to make it into the game is X-Pac, longtime D-Generation X member and friend of Triple H.

While he'd departed the company and worked independently in GCW through the last year, he's likely to be part of the upcoming DX Reunion on Raw and will probably make the cut for WWE 2K23.