WWE released the first teaser for the Rising Stars DLC pack yesterday. It is one of the bigger DLC releases for the 2k series of games with seven playable superstars becoming available for download.
Experience the greatest love you've ever known in the #WWE2K19 Rising Stars Pack. Releasing January 22. @RealMikeBennett @MariaLKanellis https://t.co/gm1Yw92bZh
— #WWE2K24 (@WWEgames) January 11, 2019
The downloadable content characters include Maria and Mike Kanellis. The Kanellis’ currently appear on 205 Live. Mike Kanellis, formerly Mike Bennett, wrestled in Ring Of Honor and New Japan before a brief stint in IMPACT Wrestling which saw him win the X-Division title. Maria Kanellis worked in WWE from 2004-2010 before moving on to Ring Of Honor and New Japan. She then spent two years in IMPACT Wrestling before signing on for a second run with WWE.
Ricochet and Lio Rush also become playable characters with this DLC drop. Ricochet is the current NXT North American Champion in his first year with WWE. He previously had very successful runs with New Japan and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) which saw him wrestle in many highlight reel matches while winning the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Titles three times, the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Titles three times and the PWG Heavyweight Championship. Lio Rush performs on 205 Live but also appears with Bobby Lashley on Raw. He has previously appeared in Ring of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), winning the CZW Heavyweight title one time.
Lacey Evans and Dakota Kai are two of the female superstar additions to the game. Evans is a former Mae Young Classic competitor and was just recently called up to Raw but as of yet has not had her debut match. Dakota Kai is another former Mae Young Classic competitor and has also appeared with NXT and NXT:UK, including several unsuccessful Woman’s title matches.
Candice LeRae is the final addition with this DLC content. The current NXT superstar spent ten years with PWG competing in both women’s and intergender competition. She would team with Joey Ryan to form the World’s Cutest Tag Team, winning the PWG tag team titles in 2014.
With each superstar coming to the game with their own entrances and move sets, it also gives players the chance to team up with some real-life combinations, such as pairing Bobby Lashley with Lio Rush. Intergender matches are not allowed in the game but you can pair Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano together so they escort each other to the ring for their matches.
The Rising Stars DLC content is available for download on January 22nd.
