As confirmed during the Saturday, January 23 episode of SmackDown, WWE 2K26 will be launching with a special Attitude Era Edition that will be available to preorder on January 30.
While there is not yet a confirmed release date for the game, we know of several legendary Attitude Era names which will be appearing in the game such as: Kane, Kurt Angle, Lita, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chyna, The Dudley Boyz and more.
With the focus being on the WWE Attitude Era, we perhaps could see even more names join that list by the time the game launches, or via post-launch DLC.
Here are six more WWE Attitude Era stars to potentially return in WWE 2K26.
6. The Hardy Boyz
With their last WWE video game appearance being in 2019’s WWE 2K20, Matt & Jeff Hardy could make their long-awaited return in 2K26.
While not signed to WWE, The Hardy Boyz made several appearances for them in 2025 by way of the company’s partnership with TNA Wrestling.
Whether it be wrestling on NXT or appearing in the crowd at SummerSlam 2025, Matt and Jeff appearing in WWE 2K26 is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.
Whether a part of an Attitude Era helping of WWE Legends, or perhaps a TNA Wrestling DLC pack – hopefully players will be able to play as the entirety of Team Xtreme in 2K26.
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5. Chris Jericho
While certainly not arriving in time to be included in the base game’s roster, Chris Jericho’s expected WWE return could potentially see him added to the WWE 2K26 roster at a later date.
Similarly to when CM Punk was the headline DLC character for WWE 2K24 after returning to the company at Survivor Series 2023, Jericho’s return at the Royal Rumble could see Y2J sold separately to fans.
Given how many iterations of Jericho there has been over the years, WWE could even sell an entire DLC pack of Jericho variants.
Whether it be his WWE debut look (see above), late 2000s heel run or the “List of Jericho” era, Y2J would make for an excellent addition to what would be his first WWE video game appearance since WWE 2K19.
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4. Steve Blackman
While not as big of a name as our first two entries, Steve Blackman is someone many Attitude Era fans remember fondly to this day.
Typically armed with a kendo stick or two, the “Lethal Weapon” was about as no nonsense as they come in WWE, so much so that they paired him with Al Snow in an attempt to lighten his character up on TV.
Whether it be his run with Snow, or his six runs as WWE Hardcore Champion, Blackman was an ever present on television throughout the entirety of the Attitude Era (1997-2001).
Despite the Attitude Era being spotlighted in past video games such as WWE 13 and WWE 2K16, Blackman has not featured on the roster of any game since 2002’s WWE Raw on the original Xbox.
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3. Haku
While certainly not synonymous with the Attitude Era, Haku’s return to WWE at the 2001 Royal Rumble saw him mix it up with some of the company’s biggest names such as: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kane or The Undertaker.
Haku’s final WWE run was nothing to shout about by any means, as he took losses a majority of the time and spent much of his tenure competing on WWE Heat, Jakked and house show events.
However, his legend obviously goes well beyond that spell, and WWE could opt to bring an earlier version of him back for his first video game appearance since WWE 2K16.
Whether it be his time as one half of The Islanders, King Haku or Meng in WCW, Haku would be a solid addition.
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2. Viscera
Another former WWE star who had many different aliases and characters over the years was Viscera.
Initially breaking into WWE in the mid 1990s as Mabel – one half of Men on a Mission along with Mo – the real-life Nelson Frazier would later win King of the Ring in 1995 and challenge Diesel for the WWE Championship at that year’s SummerSlam.
Mabel would later be transformed again into Viscera in 1999 after joining The Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness, debuting an intimidating new look and persona.
While both this run and his later reinventions into the “World’s Largest Love Machine” and Big Daddy V wouldn’t see him achieve too much success by way of title wins (only one brief WWE Hardcore Title reign), Viscera remains a well remembered character from the Attitude Era and someone WWE could spotlight in 2K26.
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1. Brian Pillman
With his son Lexis King likely set to appear in his second consecutive WWE video game in 2K26, it would certainly be awesome to see him featured alongside his late father Brian Pillman.
Standing out as an iconic figure of the Attitude Era despite his tragic death in 1997, Pillman’s “Loose Cannon” persona was tailor made for the boundary pushing TV WWE would be defined for.
The “Pillman’s Got A Gun” segment on the November 4, 1996 episode of WWE Raw in particular still stands out as one of the company’s most notorious and controversial moments, and something still discussed to this day.
Pillman has not appeared in a WWE video game since WWE 2K17, but this year’s title feels like the perfect time to bring him back.
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