AEW roster: Who will be in the WWE rival’s first videogame? – GamesRadar

WWE’s hot new rival is getting a videogame with a release date still TBC, and speculation over which members of the AEW roster will appear has already hit fever pitch. That’s due to rumours that it’ll be a spiritual successor to N64 classic No Mercy. Japanese developer Syn Sophia, which made No Mercy in its previous guise of Aki Corporation, has been heavily linked to the project, although there’s no official confirmation of its involvement. GR will bring you that news if and when it occurs. In the meantime, you’ll find profiles of all wrestlers guaranteed to make the AEW roster, including former WWE favourites such as Chris Jericho, below.

Adam Page

The man known as Hangman Page during spells in ROH and NJPW holds the honour of winning the first ever match at the first ever AEW event: a 21-man Casino Battle Royale which opened the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view in May 2019. His surname was inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.

Awesome Kong

Renowned for her dominant spell in TNA from 2007 to 2010, Kong was renamed Kharma after being poached by WWE, and indeed appeared in WWE 12 (as DLC) and WWE 13. But in real rings she became lost in the mix, aside from a cameo in the men’s Royal Rumble. Signing for AEW should inspire a return to form.

Billy Gunn

The former member of DX and New Age Outlaws no longer wrestles, but AEW is going to need some sort of ‘legends’ representation in order to maximise sales. It’d therefore be common sense for both Gunn and fellow coach Jerry Lynn, a former ECW favourite, to be included as playable characters. 

Brandi Rhodes

As of mid-November 2019, AEW’s chief brand officer had only wrestled once in the company, defeating Allie at July’s Fight For The Fallen event with assistance from Awesome Kong. Even so, her name value and family ties – wife to Cody Rhodes, sister-in-law to Dustin Rhodes – ensure she’ll be in any video game, even if real-life in-ring appearances are intermittent. 

Britt Baker DMD

The best wrestling gimmicks are a hybrid of fiction and reality, where you can’t really tell that the person behind it is acting – and this is very much the case of Baker. Her onscreen character is a dentist, because she is indeed a practising dentist in real life, too. And a fine wrestler too, who’ll be in AEW Women’s World Championship contention for some time. 

Chris Jericho

A bona fide legend who features high on our list of WWE 2K20 missing wrestlers, after signing for AEW and becoming the first AEW World Champion at All Out in August 2019. Among his other achievements are four World Championships in WWE, two in WCW, nine Intercontinental Championships, and seven studio albums as the frontman of Fozzy.

Cody Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes’ youngest son is one of the big names highlighted in our 15 wrestlers you’ll never see again in a WWE game feature. That’s because he and indie favourites the Young Bucks are the trio that set up AEW – and, along with Kenny Omega, now act as its executive vice presidents. Meaning his days working for Vince McMahon are long over. 

Dustin Rhodes

Cody’s big brother was still with WWE when AEW sprang to life, portraying his long-standing character of Goldust. Upon expiry of his contract he departed in April 2019, and immediately leapt into a blood feud with his sibling, which was settled in a brutal and brilliant brawl at Double Or Nothing. Even at 50, Goldy can still go. 

Jake Hager

Another veteran of WWE videogames, having appeared as Jack Swagger in Yuke’s’ series from WWE Smackdown vs Raw through to WWE 2K17. Hager switched to mixed martial arts upon departure from WWE, where he holds a record of two wins, no losses and one no contest. He immediately aligned with Chris Jericho in his first AEW appearance. 

Jon Moxley

The former Dean Ambrose is AEW’s most shocking signing. He seemed well set in WWE as a former member of The Shield and world champion, and his wife, Renee Young, still works there. Even so, after differences with the creative team he quit WWE when his contract expired in April 2019, and is certain to be a key player for AEW.

Kenny Omega

Arguably the best wrestler of the last ten years to not have been wooed by WWE. Omega has racked up classic matches and feuds in numerous organisations based in both America and Japan, and already contested memorable contests with Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley during AEW’s formative months. He puts the ‘Elite’ in ‘All Elite Wrestling’. 

Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (The Young Bucks)

If Omega is this decade’s MVP of independent one-on-one wrestling, the Young Bucks can claim the same honour from a tag perspective. Chikara, Ring Of Honor, Dragon Gate and NJPW have all hosted staggeringly great matches from the pair, and at All Or Nothing they captured their first Mexican title, the AAA World Tag Team Championship, from the Lucha Brothers. 

Nyla Rose

Ever see Canadian TV series The Switch? Then you’ll recognise Rose as lead character Sü, an IT manager forced to rebuild her life after coming out as transgender. She’s the first trans person to sign with a major American wrestling company, and contested AEW’s first women’s championship bout in October 2019 – coming up just short against Riho.

Pac

Known as Neville in his 205 Live days, this Geordie lad’s departure from WWE was infamously frosty. In October 2017, Pac walked out ahead of an episode of Raw in which he was due to lose to Enzo Amore – and despite rumours of positive discussions backstage, he’d never be seen in WWE again, eventually departing in August 2018.

Riho

Aged just 22, Riho is – incredibly – a thirteen-year veteran of the squared circle. No, you’ve not read that incorrectly: she began working for the Ice Ribbon promotion in her homeland of Japan at the age of nine. After seven years with Gotah Move Pro Wrestling she jumped to the US and joined AEW, becoming its first women’s champion in October 2019.

Shawn Spears

Spears may not have the name value of Goldust, Jericho or Moxley, but he’s another to have taken exit following the release of WWE 2K19 – where he was known as Tye Dillinger – to sign for its new rival. Shockingly, he turned his back on the fans and established himself as a heel by attacking Cody Rhodes with a chairshot to the head.