Kurt Angle revealed as pre-order bonus character for WWE 2K18

The announcement came before even 2K Sports expected it, but Kurt Angle is the official pre-order bonus character for the WWE 2K18 video game.

Angle himself announced the news on Twitter earlier this afternoon. He had posted the information early, originally using artwork ripped from speculative YouTube videos. He then confirmed the information a few hours later, using official artwork from 2K.

The WWEGames Twitter account responded by writing, “We now know what it feels like to be hit with an Angle Slam. But it’s true! @RealKurtAngle is the #WWE2K18 pre-order Superstar!”

The trailer introducing Angle as the pre-order playable bonus character will air on the July 10th episode of Raw. The game will be released for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles on October 17th.

Dave Meltzer wrote in the Observer last week that Angle was expected to be included as the pre-order bonus this year, while mentioning The Undertaker as another viable option. In recent years, Sting, Goldberg, and The Ultimate Warrior have been as picked pre-order exclusives by 2K.

Angle was this year’s pick even before his return, but unlike with past options, this wasn’t a case where 2K first made a deal with Angle and that led to him coming back to WWE.