Tired of staring at greyed-out superstars and hidden arenas in WWE 2K23? This guide shows you exactly how to earn every secret wrestler, arena, title, and bonus gear-from the 2K Showcase to every hidden John Cena variant-so nothing stays locked behind the menu screen.
Here is a list of the every WWE Superstar, Legend, Arena, and Championship you can unlock in WWE 2K23. In some cases, you unlock the content by completing objectives in certain modes, most notably 2K Showcase, which stars John Cena this year. In others, they can be purchased through the in-game store – 1,000 VC per Superstar, 500 VC per Arena, and 100 VC per Championship.
Note: If you have the Supercharger add-on that comes with the Deluxe or Icon editions of WWE 2K23, all of the unlockables from the in-game store are immediately unlocked. The Supercharger is $4.99 a la carte if you bought the standard edition of WWE 2K23.
WWE 2K23 Unlockables Earned Through Play
Playing WWE 2K23 yields numerous rewards from matches, challenges, and story modes. Win ranked online bouts or complete daily objectives to claim unique attires, like alternate John Cena outfits from the 2K Showcase. Advance through MyGM or Universe Mode by hitting milestones, such as championship reigns or faction dominance, for custom arenas and entrances. Backstage brawls and rivalry quests drop rare paybacks and finishers, while hitting VC thresholds via pure playtime opens legacy superstars without purchases. These gains build your roster organically across all divisions.
2K Showcase
For starters, most of the free unlockables are earned by completing matches in the 16-chapter Showcase mode. Here are the matches and what you get for winning these bouts.
Match 1
Superstars: Rob Van Dam, John Cena ’06
Arena: ECW One Night Stand ’06
Championship: WWE Championship ’05-’13
Match 2
Superstars: Kurt Angle, John Cena ’02
Arena: Smackdown ’02
Match 3
Superstar: Undertaker ’03
Arena: Vengeance ’03
(additionally, Cena’s U Can’t See Me entrance is unlocked for use in Creation)
Match 4
Superstars: The Undertaker ’18, John Cena ’18
Arena: Wrestlemania 34
Match 5
Superstars: Triple H ’08, John Cena ’08
Arena: Night of Champions ’08
Match 6
Superstars: AJ Styles ’06, John Cena ’16
Arena: SummerSlam ’16
Match 7
Superstars: Edge ’06, Lita ’06, John Cena ’06 (alternate attire)
Arena: SummerSlam ’06
Match 8
Superstars: Edge ’06 (alternate), Lita ’06 (alternate), John Cena ’06 (alternate)
Arena: New Year’s Revolution ’06
Match 9
Superstars: Roman Reigns ’21, John Cena ’21
Arena: Summerslam ’21
Match 10
Superstars: The Rock ’12, John Cena ’12
Arena: Wrestlemania 28
Match 11
Superstars: Brock Lesnar ’14, John Cena ’14
Arena: SummerSlam ’14
Championships: World Heavyweight Championship, WWE Championship ’13-’14
Match 12
Superstars: Brock Lesnar ’03, John Cena ’03
Arena: Backlash ’03
Championship: WWE Undisputed Championship
Match 13
Superstars: Batista ’08, John Cena ’08
Arena: SummerSlam ’08
Match 14
Superstars: Randy Orton ’09, John Cena ’09
Arena: Hell in a Cell ’09
Match 15
Superstar: Super Cena
Match 16
Superstars: Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino
MyRise: The Legacy and MyRise: The Lock
Next come several Unlockables via the MyRise career/narrative mode.
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Superstars:
- Ezekiel: Complete the “Showcase of the Immortals” side mission in MyRise: The Lock.
- Jean-Paul Levesque: Complete “The Monarchy” chapter of MyRise: The Lock by beating Levesque with Tavish.
- Mighty Molly, Molly Holly, and Molly Holly ’02: Complete MyRise: The Legacy.
Additionally you’ll unlock 10 arenas over the course of completing MyRise, both The Legacy and The Lock:
- Raw 2002
- WWE Live Event Arena
- BCW High School Gym
- Motion Capture Studio
- Club UK
- Japan Dome
- Japan Hall
- Mexico Plaza
- SummerSlam MyRise
- WarGames MyRise
Also, players unlock the Performance Center arena by completing the game’s Tutorial Match (available in the Extras menu if you didn’t do it when you first booted up the game).
WWE 2K23 Unlockables at the In-Game Store
The in-game store in WWE 2K23 offers several characters, arenas, and championships that can be purchased using Virtual Currency (VC). Players earn VC by completing matches, progressing through Showcase objectives, or competing in MyRise and Universe modes. Once enough VC is collected, it can be spent on classic WWE legends, special attire variations, or retro locations that aren’t immediately accessible. This feature allows players to build their roster and collection at their own pace, without needing to complete specific challenges first.
Superstars
The following Superstars are available from the WWE 2K23 in-game store for 1,000 VC each. (the minimum amount of WWE 2K23 VC you can buy is 15,000 VC for $4.99.) Again, all of these Superstars are unlocked for those who have the Supercharger DLC included with the Deluxe or Icon editions, or $4.99 a la carte.
- Andre the Giant
- Batista
- Beth Phoenix
- Big Boss Man
- Bobby “The Brain” Heenan (manager)
- Boogeyman
- Booker T
- Bret “The Hitman” Hart
- Brie Bella
- British Bulldog
- Cactus Jack
- Chyna
- Diesel
- Doink the Clown
- Eddie Guerrero
- Eddie Guerrero ’97
- Eric Bischoff
- Faarooq
- Goldberg
- Hollywood Hulk Hogan
- Hulk Hogan ’02
- Jake “The Snake” Roberts
- JBL
- Jerry “The King” Lawler
- Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart
- Kane
- Kane’08
- Kevin Nash
- Kevin Nash (NWO)
- Macho Man Randy Savage
- Maryse
- Nikki Bella
- Razor Ramon
- Rey Mysterio, Jr.
- Rikishi
- Rowdy Roddy Piper
- Scott Hall
- Scott Hall (NWO)
- Shane McMahon
- Shawn Michaels
- Shawn Michaels ’05
- Stacy Keibler
- Stephanie McMahon
- Stephanie McMahon (as manager)
- Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Syxx
- The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase
- The Hurricane
- The Rock
- Triple H
- Triple H (as manager)
- Trish Stratus
- Ultimate Warrior
- Umaga
- Undertaker
- Undertaker ’98
- Vader
- X-Pac
- Yokozuna
Arenas
The following Superstars are available from the WWE 2K23 in-game store for 500 VC each. They are also part of the Supercharger DLC unlock.
- Raw – Thunderdome (2020)
- Raw 2005
- SmackDown – Thunderdome (2020)
- SummerSlam ’88
- WCW Halloween Havoc 1997
- WCW Monday Nitro ’98
- In-Game Store Championships
Championships
The following championship belts are available from the WWE 2K23 in-game store for 100 VC each. These may be used during intros and other cinematics in other modes of play. They are also part of the Supercharger DLC unlock.
- 24/7 Championship
- ECW Championship ’08-’10
- ECW World Championship ’06-’08
- ECW World Heavyweight Championship ’94-’01
- ECW World Tag Team Championship
- ECW World Television Championship
- Hardcore Championship
- LeftRightLeftRight Championship
- Million Dollar Championship
- NXT Championship ’12-’17
- NXT Championship ’17-’21
- NXT Cruiserweight Championship
- NXT Tag Team Championship ’13-’17
- NXT Tag Team Championship ’13-’17 (Alt)
- NXT UK Tag Team Championship
- NXT UK Women’s Championship
- NXT United Kingdom Championship
- NXT Women’s Championship ’13-’17
- NXT Women’s Championship ’17-’21
- Performance Center Championship
- UpUpDownDown Championship
- WCW Cruiserweight Championship
- WCW Hardcore Championship
- WCW United States Championship
- WCW Women’s Classic Championship
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship ’91-’93
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (nWo)
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (nWo Wolfpac)
- WCW World Tag Team Championship
- WCW World Tag Team Championship ’91-’96
- World Tag Team Championship ’02-’10
- World Tag Team Championship ’97-’02
- World Wide Wrestling Heavyweight Championship
- WWE Championship ’88-’98
- WWE Championship ’98-’02
- WWE Championship (Brahma Bull)
- WWE Heavyweight Championship (Smoking Skull)
- WWE Cruiserweight Championship ’01-’07
- WWE Divas Championship
- WWE European Championship
- WWE Intercontinental Championship ’11-’19
- WWE Intercontinental Championship ’90
- WWE Intercontinental Championship ’94
- WWE Intercontinental Championship ’98-’11
- WWE Light Heavyweight Championship
- WWE Tag Team Championship ’02-’10
- WWE Tag Team Championship ’10-’16
- WWE United Kingdom Championship
- WWE United States Championship ’03-’20
- WWE United States Championship (Cena)
- WWE Universal Championship (Raw)
- WWE Women’s Championship ’98-’10
How to unlock Super Cena in Showcase Mode step by step
To unlock Super Cena in WWE 2K23’s John Cena Showcase Mode, first complete the initial 14-15 matches as Cena’s opponents (you can win on easy difficulty without all objectives if needed). This unlocks bonus matches, including the key one: “Didn’t See That Coming” (Match 16).
Preparation
Set the game to easy difficulty in Options before starting Showcase-this makes Super Cena less punishing since he’s invisible (only his wristbands and shorts are visible). Choose a strong wrestler like Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar when prompted to pick Cena’s “best opponent.”
Step-by-Step Objectives
Complete these four objectives in order during the match:
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Heavy Combo in-ring: Enter the ring and perform any heavy combo (check your moveset with pause > Combos; e.g., press Square/X three times or mix with heavy attacks like X/A).
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Extreme Damage: Fill the top-left meter by dealing heavy punishment-focus on head/torso strikes, grapples, outside-the-ring attacks, and counters (Triangle/Y). Orange health on Cena helps.
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Finisher in-ring: Build at least one finisher bar (via damage dealt), then hit R2 + X (PS) / RT + A (Xbox) on standing Cena. Position matters for some wrestlers.
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Pinfall Victory: Immediately after the finisher (or anytime he’s down), stand beside him and flick right stick down for the pin. Win the match to unlock.
Super Cena (100 overall rating, invisible meme version) unlocks post-match for use everywhere. Total time: 5-10 minutes if prepared.
How to use Super Cena moveset and abilities effectively
Super Cena in WWE 2K23 is an invisible (99% transparent) John Cena variant with a 100 overall rating, boasting elite stats in strength, stamina, and durability. His moveset mirrors peak Cena-powerful grapples, strikes, and submissions-making him dominant in any mode, but his invisibility demands smart positioning and audio cues (grunts, footfalls). Use him for fun, memes, or stomps in Universe/MyRISE.
Key Moveset Breakdown
Super Cena’s arsenal emphasizes brawling and slams for crowd control and momentum.
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Strikes: Spam light/heavy punches (Square/X chains) into 5 Knuckle Shuffle (Signature 1: after knockdown, ground pound sequence). Builds signature meter fast; mix with shoulder blocks (Circle/B run-ins) for stagger.
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Grapples: Heavy grapples (Circle/B near stunned foe) lead to Spin-Out Powerbomb or Throwback. Attitude Adjustment (Finisher 1: R2+Circle/RT+B) lifts anyone-save for weakened giants.
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Signatures: Five Knuckle Shuffle (taunt into punches); STF submission (lock for drain). Activate Payback (L1/LB) for resilience to kickouts.
| Move Type | Examples | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Strike Combo | Shoulder Block → Knuckle Shuffle | Build meter, wear down |
| Grapple | AA, Powerbomb | Stun → finisher setups |
| Ground | STF, stomps | Post-knockdown control |
Effective Strategies
Mix aggression with reversals-Super Cena’s high stats auto-reverse spammers. Target stamina (blue meter) with grabs; use Irish Whips to corners for Avalanche AA. In tags, tag in for hot finishes. Against AI, feint strikes to bait counters, then punish. Practice in custom matches to master invisible hitboxes (aim via wristbands/shorts). He’s unbeatable on normal, tweak sliders for challenge.
