It's not perfect, but WWE 2K19 has experienced something of a comeback year, thanks largely to the surprisingly excellent WWE 2K19 career mode. Another thing it gets right is the WWE 2K19 roster, serving up 184 wrestlers on disc – almost a quarter of them female, which is a welcome step on from previous years. That impressive number is bolstered further by DLC, which has Irish-whipped its head count towards the 200 mark.
Below you'll find a complete rundown of all WWE 2K19 DLC, last updated in mid-February. Still want more characters? Then zip over to our WWE 2K19 CAWs guide, showcasing 11 fan creations you have to download right now.
Who's in it?
19 wrestlers make up WWE 2K19’s DLC offerings, split into four packs.
The Rising Stars pack comprises seven wrestlers: real-life married couple Mike and Maria Kanellis plus Lio Rush from 205 Live, and Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Lacey Evans and Ricochet from NXT.
The Titans pack adds former ECW champion Bobby Lashley, who returned to Raw immediately after WrestleMania, and three more NXT favourites: cocky heel EC3 (known as Derrick Bateman in his first WWE stint) and dominant tag team War Raiders, AKA Hunter and Rowe.
Originally sold as pre-order bonuses, the Ronda & Rey pack and Wooooo! Edition Pack! collectively add eight further grapplers to the game. They are Ronda Rousey and Rey Mysterio in the first instance; plus Rowdy Roddy Piper and alternate versions of Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, Undertaker, Macho Man Randy Savage and Ric Flair in the second.
What else is in it?
Three other DLC offerings are available, in addition to the characters mentioned above.
The Accelerator opens up all unlockable on-disc content, such as hidden arenas and Championship belts, from the outset. It also enables you to edit the attributes and traits of every wrestler in the game.
MyPlayer Kickstart provides exactly what the name suggests: boosted ratings and XP if and when you start a new solo career mode. It also immediately unlocks all items of clothing that provide attribute boosts.
The New Moves pack delivers 50 extra slams, suplexes and finishers that aren’t already in the game. Among the list of those revealed so far are Mustafa Ali’s Slingshot X-Factor, Jeff Hardy’s Atomic Drop/Double Leg Combo, and the Avalanche Splash/Side Effect Combo used by the now-defunct team of Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt.
How much is it?
The seven-wrestler Rising Stars pack and the four-character Titans pack are $9.99/£7.99 apiece.
The Accelerator costs $4.99/£3.99.
MyPlayer KickStart is $9.99/£7.99.
The New Moves pack is $3.99/£3.29. Note that it requires you to manually add all moves to their respective superstar, or download an updated, fan-made moveset from Community Creations.
Alternatively all the above DLC offerings can be bought together as a Season Pass for $29.99/£24.99.
The Ronda & Rey pack is not included in the Season Pass, and costs $7.99/£6.49.
The Wooooo! Edition pack is not included in the Season Pass, and costs $7.99/£6.49.
Who isn't in it?
2K has moved on a number of legends from previous years, such as Mark Henry, JBL, Rob Van Dam and Mick Foley. Surprisingly, however, it’s also cut three wrestlers currently under contract to WWE and who were in last year’s game: Tommaso Ciampa, Nikki Cross, and Brian Kendrick.
Ciampa’s omission is especially puzzling because, as of mid-September, he’s the reigning NXT Champion, and the best outright heel in the entire federation. No explanation was offered for these cuts, other than an in-character Ciampa tweet which was swiftly deleted: “Well, it’s quite simple. I’m The Champ for a reason. I don’t lose. Not in real life. Sure as hell not in your fantasy world.”
What's the WWE 2K19 DLC release date?
Here's what I wrote when this piece first went live in September 2018:
"I anticipate the smaller Titans wrestler pack headlined by Bobby Lashley to go live in November 2018, and the larger Rising Stars pack boasting Ricochet and Lio Rush – who ironically is currently being trialled as Lashley’s onscreen manager – to hit in January 2019."
Sure enough, the Titans pack landed on 20 November 2018, and all other content has since followed suit as predicted. The MyPlayer KickStart, Accelerator, Ronda & Rey pack, Wooooo! Edition pack, New Moves pack and Rising Stars pack are all now available. Happy grappling.
WWE 2K19 is out now. For more on the absence of Tommaso Ciampa, Nikki Cross and Brian Kendrick, check out our detailed look at WWE 2K19 missing wrestlers.
