Every former AEW star is playable in WWE 2K26

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While WWE 2K26 releases during a bit of a rough patch for the TKO-owned company, as ticket prices, questionable booking, brutally small PPV match cards and more have led to a steady increase in criticism, there's still plenty of hype for the game itself. Not only does it embrace nostalgia by focusing on the Monday Night War, but its CM Punk is sure to appeal to many given Punk's enduring popularity. Also disappointed for AEW fans Fight forevermissing creative set and outdated list, WWE 2K26 is something they might be interested in picking up. Not only can they draft or draft AEW's biggest stars like MJF, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay, but there are many familiar faces that will appear on the official roster WWE 2K26.

A big part WWE 2K26The DLC lineup remains undisclosed, so it's safe to assume that two recent ex-AEW pickups, Royce Keys (Powerhouse Hobbs) and Danhausen, will eventually join them. However, this is only speculation.

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As an AEW fan, I'm buying WWE 2K26 to save Mariah May from her terrible booking

While WWE 2K26 relies on nostalgia with its 90s-themed skins, if I pick up the game, it will make one modern day wrestler the star he should be.

All former AEW stars you can play as in WWE 2K26

  • Aleister Black (Malakai Black)

  • Blake Monroe (Mariah May)

  • CM Punk

  • Cody Rhodes

  • El Hijo del Vikingo — DLC

  • Ethan Page

  • Jade Cargill

  • Lexis King (Brian Pillman Jr.)

  • Penta

  • Rey Fenix

  • Ricky Saints (Ricky Starks)

  • Rusev (Miro)

  • Shawn Spears

  • RVD

Obviously, the biggest names here are CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. The former returned to wrestling after several years away following a controversial departure from WWE due to years of abuse. During his time in AEW, he had an excellent feud with MJF, but also became involved in backstage controversy, butting heads with The Elite and getting into a fight with Jack Perry that got him fired from AEW. He then returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023 and is currently the World Heavyweight Champion. Cody Rhodes' return at WrestleMania 38 was probably even more shocking because he was one of the EVPs responsible for founding AEW and spent years taking shots at Triple H and WWE. While the exact turning point for Cody has not been revealed, it is believed that the crowd turning him down due to his refusal to go heel, his inability to challenge for the World Championship and “finish the story” after a controversial booking decision, and the changing identity of the company all contributed to Cody's monumental return to WWE. He has since become the face of the company, filling the void left by John Cena.

Although they're the biggest names on the roster, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are hardly the only big ex-AEW pick-ups WWE has made in recent years. Blake Monroe, for example, was formerly known as Mariah May and had what many consider to be the best women's rivalry of all time with AEW megastar Toni Storm before her departure. He has since been developing his WWE character in NXT alongside fellow AEW members Ricky Saints, Ethan Page, Shawn Spears and Lexis King. On the main roster, the Lucha brothers, Penta and Fenix ​​have had their share of matches, although the former has had much more success in WWE than the latter thus far. And while current WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill has frustratingly had no defenses since winning the belt, she still became a household name in WWE after her dominant run as TBS Champion in AEW.

While RVD and Vikingo weren't formally under contract with AEW, they made several appearances in the company, with the former having a standout battle against Swerve Strickland along with some fun ECW tributes with Taz's son Hook, while the latter appeared regularly in high-profile lucha matches. Perhaps the most controversial names on the roster are Aleister Black and Rusev, as they were regularly rumored to refuse to lose to certain AEW stars and were inconsistently written because of it. How true this actually is remains a mystery, as Black has pushed back against the idea on social media. Regardless, the two had some memorable moments in AEW, such as Miro's Redeemer run with the TNT title and Black's brutal cage match with Adam Copeland (AKA Edge).

WWE 2K26 DLC could be one of AEW's most important characters

Former WWE star and current AEW star Chris Jericho holds a baseball bat with his arms outstretched. He is wearing a jacket with fringes on the arms Image via AEW

Along with the aforementioned potential roster additions of Danhausen and Royce Keys, Chris Jericho has long been rumored to return to WWE when his contract with AEW expires. If and when that happens, the many replays of Jericho could justify the entire Ringside Pass by itself. From The List and Y2J to Lionheart and The Painmaker, his long career and many, many gimmicks ensure he'd be too widely asked not to add. But even if Jericho doesn't return to WWE in time to make the DLC series, there will no doubt be his own downloadable versions alongside current AEW stars, ensuring players can recreate any AEW matches they desire. WWE 2K26.

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