WWE 2K20 will be released in the Fall, and it’s quite likely that Becky Lynch will be the video game’s cover star. But she isn’t the only Superstar with a shot at gracing the cover of professional wrestling’s biggest virtual franchise.
Becky Lynch has broken ground over the last year ever since her character change took place at SummerSlam 2018. She had WWE’s best match of the year at Evolution, won the Royal Rumble, and then captured both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships at WrestleMania 35 by defeating Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey in the first women’s WrestleMania main event.
Along the way, she subverted gender roles, cut insanely good promos, and made herself the most talked about wrestler in WWE.
If that doesn’t earn her the cover of WWE 2K20, then I don’t know what does.
But there were other Superstars who made waves in late 2018 and early 2019. Kofi Kingston completed one of the greatest stories ever told in professional wrestling history at WrestleMania 35 and is currently the best champion in WWE. Roman Reigns beat cancer and is still WWE’s top star. Charlotte Flair was a key part of Becky’s story and is arguably WWE’s best big match wrestler.
So here are five Superstars who could possibly grace the cover of WWE 2K20, and I even decided to include a Superstar from NXT for good measure. Because what’s the fun without sending a little love back to Triple H’s favorite brand?
Charlotte Flair
I don’t consider Charlotte Flair to be a likely option to feature on the cover of WWE 2K20, but I wouldn’t be upset if she were the video game franchise’s choice. That said, 2K generally picks babyfaces and fan favorites, such as Seth Rollins and AJ Styles, as cover stars and not despised heels like Charlotte Flair, who has leaned into the supposed favoritism she’s been given in her recent character work.
Charlotte, however, deserves all the praise in the world as a person and a wrestler. Many fans look up to her, especially women and children. She is one of the strongest wrestlers and best athletes in the entire WWE. More importantly, she does a brilliant job of putting over others, especially by shining on the biggest stages possible. Like, you know a wrestler has made it in WWE when they have beaten The Queen.
I wouldn’t mind if WWE 2K20 decided to add some “Flair” to its cover this year, but if Charlotte did make the cover, she probably would have to co-star with Becky Lynch. Their careers are pretty much intertwined at this point after their all-time great rivalry, and some fans might be upset at the video game franchise if they specifically picked Charlotte over Becky.
Then again, those same fans would buy the game anyway, and neither 2K nor Charlotte would mind their critiques. Charlotte has heard them all and has thrived on them.
The Velveteen Dream
There may not be a single wrestler in WWE with a higher ceiling than The Velveteen Dream, who has become the main attraction in NXT despite never holding the brand’s main title. Wrestlers like Kurt Angle, John Cena, and Drew McIntyre have sung The Dream’s praises, as the current North American Champion has clearly established himself as a future main roster star.
The chances of a wrestler from NXT getting the WWE 2K20 cover are next to zero, but Dream is one of the few guys on WWE’s Third Brand who could potentially move the meter. He, Bianca Belair, Shayna Baszler, and Matt Riddle would be my four picks to one day make the cover of 2K and be huge stars representing the WWE brand.
Velveteen Dream has taken to pro wrestling faster than almost anyone else in the history of the business, and he’s added so much to the NXT product. From his sense of style to his genius promos, The Dream is one of WWE’s most engaging Superstars. And he has the in-ring awareness, strength, size, and agility to back up all of the talk when the bell rings.
By the way, writing this up made me have an itch to rewatch his TakeOver WarGames match against Aleister Black. There’s a reason why that was far and away 2017’s Rivalry of the Year.
Roman Reigns
Even though Roman Reigns isn’t in a title picture as he works his way back after kicking cancer’s ass, it is unmistakeable that he remains WWE’s top star. Even so, Reigns has somehow never been on the cover of a WWE 2K video game, even at his peak when he was main eventing consecutive WrestleManias.
Last year, Reigns main evented WrestleMania 34, losing a train wreck of a match (thanks to none other than Vince McMahon) to Brock Lesnar. At SummerSlam 2018, Reigns finally conquered The Beast, immediately had a killer match with Finn Balor on the next Raw, but then had to relinquish the title due to leukemia just when he was having the best reign in the history of the Universal Title.
Reigns needs to be on a WWE 2K cover sooner rather than later, and he was probably only bypassed by the likes of Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, and AJ Styles due to the vocal, “smarky” fans who tend to buy wrestling video games.
But only the most delusional of those fans still dislike Reigns, and the impact of that market on the game’s sales is likely negligible anyway. Reigns’s greatness inside and out of the ring is impossible to deny, as most of his past critics have since turned the corner in praising one of wrestling’s most complete stars.
And ask any person who has ever written about professional wrestling: nobody moves the meter quite like Roman Reigns.
Kofi Kingston
Honestly, all three members of The New Day should be on the cover of a WWE 2K video game at some point in their careers, because they just might be the greatest faction in WWE history. Look at all the merchandise they’ve sold, all the great moments they’ve made, and the individual promo and in-ring brilliance of all three members. They are literally in a class of their own.
Kofi Kingston is the current WWE Champion and is on an unprecedented run as a solo world champion in this era of wrestling. It’s harder than ever for a WWE Superstar to stand out as a champion with all the different whims of the fan base, but Kingston has been entertaining, engaging, and brilliant in every phase imaginable.
He’s also the first African-born world champion and one of the only Black wrestlers to have become a world champion in WWE or even pro wrestling as a whole. Kingston broke new ground with his storyline leading up to WrestleMania 35, with the match against Daniel Bryan standing out as one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history. It was beautiful.
Kingston has been one of WWE’s best wrestlers for the better part of a decade, and it’s about damn time everyone recognized what he’s capable of in and out of the ring. He really needs to be on a WWE 2K cover at some point in his career, and WWE 2K20 or WWE 2K21 could be his best chances. (Yes, I think Kofi could still be WWE Champion at this point next year…if anyone can still feel fresh as a champion, then it’s him.)
So consider Kingston almost on an even level as Becky in terms of being the game’s cover star. When it’s all said and done, he just might have a case at being the greatest WWE Champion ever.
Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch is such an obvious pick for the cover of WWE 2K20 that it’s been “leaked”. Wrestling fans waited a long time for women to main event The Show of Shows, and Becky, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey did it at ‘Mania 35. Likewise, they’ve been waiting years for a woman to feature on the cover of a wrestling video game, and this should be the year it finally happens.
The one thing that gives me pause is that Lynch will have other opportunities to be on the cover of the game, whereas Kingston, who would be the first Black wrestler on the cover of a 2K video game, may only have this one shot. But Lynch’s popularity has been building for longer, even as Kingston is probably the better champion at this moment in time.
Regardless, we don’t need to pit the two against each other, which is what some fans unwisely decided to do in the build to WrestleMania 35. Lynch became the most popular star in wrestling before main event WrestleMania, even upstaging John Cena in one memorable SmackDown Live segment. She just might be the most complete performer in all of wrestling, elevating everyone who has been in a program with her despite the fact that she hasn’t had a rival on her level since Charlotte Flair.
(Can we please get Becky Lynch vs. Naomi after SummerSlam so The Man’s Raw Women’s Championship reign can finally kick into the next gear?)
Becky Lynch is the easiest choice to be the cover star of WWE 2K20, and it’s an honor she has wholeheartedly earned as she continues to shatter records and problematic status quos.