While the high flyers and technical mat wrestlers are often heralded as the most skilled in the ring, the best brawlers in wrestling also make their art look realistic and brutal. Moreover, it's a style that works well against technical, high flyers, and powerhouses. The stylistic differences between wrestlers are featured in WWE 2K23.
However, picking the right kind of brawler is more than picking or creating a striker base in WWE 2K23. A striker can be a martial arts-based wrestler like Rob Van Dam or Shinsuke Nakamura. The brawler needs roughhouse moves and attacks to gain the advantage. They use eye pokes, chokes, headlock-punch combos, stomping a mudhole in the corner, and more. Let's look at some of the best brawlers in WWE 2K23.
8 Big Boss Man
The Big Boss Man is a legend from the golden era of WWF/WWE wrestling. He's a wrestler who weighed in over 300 lbs in his prime, and he was surprisingly agile for a big man. He had a memorable feud against Hulk Hogan when he performed as a heel, and they had one of the best steel cage matches of the era.
He has a criminally low rating in WWE 2K23, but luckily fans can adjust his overall to perform better in the ring. The Big Boss Man has a good range of brutal action and moves that make a great brawler and a good choice for players who like playing as a fast big man with a good finisher - the side splash.
7 Jake The Snake
Jake the Snake was one of the most charismatic wrestlers of a generation. He stood out because he was one of the few wrestlers who didn't shout, rant, and rave like an angry Incredible Hulk that's missed a meal. Jake was cool, calm, and deliberate in his delivery.
This persona was replicated in the ring. Even though he wasn't known for his technical ability, Jake the Snake hit his opponents with a range of hard-hitting attacks like the short-arm clothesline, his iconic punches, and of course, the DDT as his finishing move.
6 JBL
JBL, aka John Bradshaw Layfield, has been featured in WWE wrestling games for several years. Some of his most memorable runs were as one-half of the APA tag team with Ron Simmons/Faarooq when he was known as a Bradshaw. However, his most successful was when he modified his persona to the JBL character.
As JBL, he played a rich pompous Texas tycoon-like character reminiscent of the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase and JR from the Dallas TV series. Unlike Dibiase, JBL wasn't a technically-minded wrestler and maintained his brawling style, having memorable feuds against Eddie Guerrero and John Cena. JBL was a big bruiser with one of the best clothesline lariats in the WWE.
5 Vader
Vader, aka Big Van Vader in WCW, was known for being one of the most fearsome and violent wrestlers in the 1990s. He didn't shine in WWE as he should have, but his matches in WCW and Japan against Stan Hansen and Cactus Jack are some of the stiffest matches fans have ever witnessed.
Vader has the benefit of being one of the best powerhouses in WWE 2K23 and one of the best brawlers. He has brutal punches that can floor his WWE 2K23 opponents in one shot and violent combinations that replicate his real-life wrestling style. Vader is also an agile 400 lb man that hits a Moonsault finisher on his downed opponents.
4 Kevin Owens
Whether performing as a heel or a babyface, Kevin Owens has been a favorite among fans who followed his career from Ring of Honor to performing in - and winning - the main event on night one of WrestleMania 39. As an everyman, Owens isn't the most intimidating or the most muscular but makes up for it with talent and a style that merges brawling with some impressive moves.
Owens' style pays homage to the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and even uses the Stunner as his finisher. However, his agility, gritty style, and determination are represented well in WWE 2K23 with his distinct move set.
3 Cactus Jack
The Cactus Jack character was used by Mick Foley until 1996 and is arguably Foley's best and most violent persona. With violent matches against Vader and Eddie Gilbert, the latter in a barbed wire match in Tri-State Wrestling, Cactus was and still is remembered as one of the most extreme brawlers ever.
Foley had tremendous feuds with Sting, Abdullah the Butcher, and Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff. However, Cactus Jack's match against Vader would be his most infamous after Jack's ear was ripped off during a WCW match. Foley eventually left for WWE and became known as Mankind, but the Cactus Jack persona reemerged along with the 70s-inspired Dude Love character. Now, fans can recreate some of Foley's most prominent matches, whether in a Hell in a Cell with The Undertaker or an Extreme Rules match against Vader.
2 Rowdy Roddy Piper
Rowdy Roddy Piper may be one of the best brawlers in WWE history that could tell a story in the ring and had fans on the edge of their seats. As one of the top villains in the company against Hulk Hogan or as one of the most entertaining good guys going up against legends like Rick Rude, Ric Flair, and Adrian Adonis.
In addition to his iconic brawling style, Piper was never afraid to use rule-breaking moves like eye pokes, low blows, and weapons. Piper is often regarded as the performer that got the best out of Hulk Hogan during their feud in the 80s, leading to the first WrestleMania main event. Piper's high-energy style worked whether he was against Hogan or Bret Hart in their memorable Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 8.
1 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Perhaps one of the most iconic brawlers in WWE history. Stone Cold Steve Austin is undoubtedly one of the highest-rated in the game. Austin's trademark brawling has often complimented his opponent's style. Austin could match the pace of wrestlers like The Undertaker, Triple H, and The Rock in their WrestleMania matches.
Austin wasn't limited to his bar-room brawling style. Fans may remember his villainous run as the arrogant Stunning Steve Austin. This often saw Austin breaking the rules and brawling, but he mixed it up with wrestling and grappling. Like Piper, he could tell a story in the ring and keep the fans entertained by controlling the pace, mixing in some classic rest holds, and exploding into his trademark stomps, elbow drops, and middle-finger salutes.
WWE 2K23 is available now for the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.