The time has finally arrived. We have the long-awaited WWE 2K23 Revel With Wyatt pack. Some, if not the entire wrestling community was up in arms when it was announced that the returning (now MIA) Bray Wyatt would be DLC and further down the road in the release schedule.
So was the wait worth it? And if you didn’t get the season pass should you pick this pack up now? To get things started, here is a quick list of all the wrestlers included in this pack:
- Bray Wyatt
- Zeus
- Valhalla
- Joe Gacy
- Blair Davenport
- Uncle Howdy
At first glance, it looks like a mixed bag of wrestlers, however they all have one major feature in common which is they are all character wrestlers with unique attire and entrances. If you are up to date with your WWE UK / NXT programing than names like Joe Gacy and Blair Davenport should ring some memory bells.
The same might not occur for Zeus. The character first appeared in the 1989 Hulk Hogan movie “No Holds Barred” and was played by seasoned actor Tommy Lister Jr. He made some appearance in the ring to help promote the film but was never a full-time wrestler. Regardless, he is fun addition to the game and there is some fun commentary for him when matched against The Hulkster.
Valhalla (FKA Sarah Logan) hasn’t seen much in ring action since her WWE return but she does get plenty of TV time as the manager of Viking Raiders. Thanks to her inclusion, the Viking Raiders now have multiple updated entrances with and without Valhalla.
It’s also worth mentioning that she is in fact a playable character. I like that the developers are taking the time to make the adjustments instead of just dumping a new character and letting the community figure out ways to get them in a group.
Now the addition of Uncle Howdy was a great surprise, especially considering he has also been MIA since Bray’s leave of absence. In fact, when it was confirmed he would be a playable character, the main question everyone had was simply what is his moveset and finisher? Besides a run-in attack on Bobby Lashley months back, we have actually never seen Uncle Howdy in a match (although we have a pretty good idea who is under the mask).
Uncle Howdy pretty much plays like Bray Wyatt including the Sister Abigail finisher. Do I wish there was a bit more substance to the character? Of course, but that’s not up to the devs at 2k to figure out. Its up to the in-ring performer and since this character hasn’t performed, the devs could only make a safe, logical guess on how he would perform in the ring.
Last but obviously not least is Bray Wyatt. To be completely honest, I was disappointed to see just the current iteration of Bray. I truly believed that with how popular ALL his characters are (cult leader, The Fiend and Firefly funhouse Bray) that they would have also been included as alternate attires.
Of course there are some great creations for all said characters in the community creation center, but it’s disappointing that for whatever reason they are not included.
If you are a die-hard wrestling fan like myself and Editor in chief Richard Bailey Jr., then you want ALL the wrestlers DLC or creations to create the ultimate Universe mode or MYGM. This pack includes key pieces such as Valhalla to complete the Viking Raiders or Joe Gacy to rekindle his rivalry with Bron Breakker.
They all have a place which means there is plenty of fun to be had. I just wish there was more Bray. With that said, we have one more DLC pack remaining which includes the following wrestlers. Stay tuned for our thoughts on these additions in the future.
DLC 5: Bad News U Pack (August 16)
- Eve Torres
- Wade Barrett
- Damon Kemp
- Andre Chase
- Nathan Frazer
This review was written based on a digital review copy of WWE 2K23 for the Xbox Series X provided by 2K Sports.
