User:Xanarki/sandbox/List of playable characters in the WWE games

The following is a list of playable characters (typically wrestlers) in the WWF/E video games.

Background
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was formerly known as World Wrestling Federation (WWF) until early 2002. Starting from that point on, all of the company's games had begun to bore the WWE name; thus, "WWF/E" refers to both the company's former and current name.

In the WWF/E games, the player chooses a selectable wrestler to play as. The vast majority of the characters are based on the real-life wrestlers whom appeared on WWF/E programming. Many of the wrestlers used a ring name as opposed to their real name, and some even used multiple ring names during their tenure with WWF/E. Most of the WWF/E games are, as expected, wrestling games, which in itself is a subgenre of the fighting genre. With a few exceptions of retro-based spin-off titles, most of the WWF/E games were released with then-current rosters, sometimes with a few older wrestlers included. As a result, unlike most other fighting franchises, WWF/E games don't normally have a consistent roster from game-to-game due to employees leaving the company in real-life.

The first licensed WWF game was MicroLeague Wrestling in 1987. The game utilized on-screen text and digitized photographs to simulate the matches. From 1989 to 1997, every game was released with 2D graphics, and the view of the matches were typically shown from a side or top perspective. The first WWF game to utilize 3D graphics was WWF War Zone in 1998. Except for handheld titles, WWF games then relied exclusively on 3D graphics. The company changed their name from WWF to WWE in 2002, and the first game to not feature the WWF logo or name in any capacity was WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 in late 2002. Throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and the first half of the 2000s, WWF/E games were developed by different entities as it depended on the platform, with completely different games on each platform. Starting in 2006 with WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2007, the multi-franchises approach was dropped, and thus the mainline games became restricted to one yearly franchise. The ''SmackDown! vs. Raw series was followed by WWE '12 in 2011 and WWE '13 in 2012, which was eventually replaced by the WWE 2K series, starting with WWE 2K14'' in 2013.

Criteria
To maintain a sense of structure, the tables below contains a criteria list. The video games are divided by eras to avoid formatting issues.


 * An individual's ring name is listed instead of their real name, due to popularity and familiarity.


 * Non-playable characters (NPCs) are not listed. This includes managers, commentators, ringside announcers, and backstage personalities.


 * If a wrestler appeared in multiple video games under different ring names, then the ring name that appears the most overall is the one listed. A note is added next to a checkmark if they appeared in a video game under a different name. For example, Matt Bloom appeared in 9 games as "Albert", in 3 games as "A-Train", in 2 games as "Tensai", and in 1 game as "Prince Albert"; thus, "Albert" is the name that is listed throughout.


 * If a wrestler appeared in one game as multiple different characters, then they are only counted once. Often times, a game will include retro versions or alternate personalities of a wrestler.


 * Fictional characters are not listed, since they are not typically based on a real-life person. For example, Turok appears in WWF War Zone and Josie Jane appears in WWE 2K20, but since both are fictional, they are not listed. Guest characters, such as Fred Durst in WWF Raw and Gronkster (Rob Gronkowski) in WWE 2K Battlegrounds are listed since they are real individuals.


 * Created wrestlers (CAWs) are not listed since they were not officially included in the roster, even if a move set or facial feature was included. The only exception is WWF No Mercy, since real-life portraits were left in the game and the selection screen can be customized so that the small handful of wrestlers can be "blended in".


 * Individuals that were left in the game and can be played via a cheat device or hacking is included; however, if the data is incomplete and if it causes the game to become unplayable, then the individual is not listed. For example, Brock Lesnar's model and picture remains in the beta of WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw, but he is removed in the retail game and the game will crash if a player tried to use him; thus, he is not listed. In contrast, Ken Shamrock remains on the disc for WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, and he can be played without the game crashing; thus, he is listed.


 * Only WWF/E licensed games are listed. Spin-offs (such as The King of Fighters All Star which features six WWE wrestlers) are not listed. In addition, Android/iOS exclusive WWE games are not listed due to their semi-official status and ambiguous rosters. WCW and ECW (two companies both owned by WWE) games are also not listed.

1987 to 1991
Notes:

1992 to 1998
Notes:

1999 to 2002
Notes:

2003 to 2005
Notes:

2006 to 2012
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2013 to 2020
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2021 to present
Notes:

Trivia

 * There are 536 unique playable non-fictional characters in the listed WWF/E games.


 * The wrestler which appears in the most games overall is The Undertaker at 54. The female wrestler which appears in the most games overall is Trish Stratus at 28.


 * Three wrestlers appears as the most different personas, with four each: Charles Wright as The Godfather, Papa Shango, Kama Mustafa, and The Goodfather; Mick Foley as Mankind, Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mick Foley; and Matt Bloom as Albert, A-Train, Tensai, and Prince Albert.


 * The wrestler which has the longest "drought" of appearing in a WWF/E game is Paul Orndorff at 37 years total. He appeared in 1987's MicroLeague Wrestling, and he has not appeared in a WWF/E game since then.


 * The wrestler who currently has the longest "gap" between appearances is Harley Race. He appeared in 1987's MicroLeague Wrestling, and did not appear in another WWF/E game for 36 years, until 2023's WWE 2K23.


 * Not including the most recent video game (WWE 2K23), 73 wrestlers have only appeared in one WWF/E game as a playable character: Aksana, Alex Riley, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin Aries, Ax, Bob Orton, Brian Knobbs, Corey Graves, Danny Burch, David Hart Smith, Dawn Marie, Dr. Death, Earl Hebner, Fabulous Moolah, George Steele, Gronkster, Hillbilly Jim, Howard Finkel, Isaiah Scott, Jamie Noble, Jaxson Ryder, Jerry Lynn, Jerry Sags, Jimmy Hart, Joey Mercury, John Laurinaitis, Joy Giovanni, Justin Credible, Kaitlyn, Kenny Dykstra, Kenzo Suzuki, Kid Kash, Koko B. Ware, Kurrgan, Kushida, Laheem Lillard, Linda McMahon, Lio Rush, Luna Vachon, Machine Gun Kelly, Mae Young, Marcus Cor Von, Mark Andrews, Mason Ryan, Maven, Mike Tyson, Mikey Whipwreck, Miss Jackie, Mr. T, Paul Burchill, Paul Orndorff, Psicosis, Rich Swann, Rob Conway, Rodney Mack, Sabu, Samu, Sarray, Sawyer Fulton, Sean O'Haire, Shannon Moore, Stevie Ray, Sylvain Grenier, Tegan Nox, The Blue Meanie, The Sandman, The Warlord, Timothy Thatcher, Último Dragón, Vance Archer, Vickie Guerrero, Virgil, and Vito.


 * 9 wrestlers have not appeared in a 3D WWF/E game to date: Brian Knobbs, Crush, Irwin R. Schyster, Jerry Sags, Luna Vachon, Paul Orndorff, Samu, The Mountie, and The Warlord.