THQ's Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011: Mostly Complete Roster Revealed SECOND UPDATE

On Wednesday, September 08, THQ held its second annual Smackdown vs. Raw roster reveal from the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. The event was also streamed live on Gamespot.com for fans at home, of which I was one. The event was a good one, with trivia prizes, a game tournament, a live demonstration of the game, and, of course, the revealing of the game’s roster. This edition of the game promises to be a good one, with the largest roster yet achieved by any of the SvR games thus far, and far superior, lifelike graphics.  In attendance were ring announcer Justin Roberts, WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel, current WWE Diva Eve Torres, and current United States Champion and Money in the Bank contract holder Mike “The Miz” Mizanin. Roberts was doing the announcing of the roster as it was revealed and Finkel was doing a good job giving his opinions on each grouping of Superstars. Eve Torres even chimed in a few times with her opinion but the real entertainment came from the Awesome One himself. He’d make jokes here and there and I kept getting the vibe that he doesn’t really play a gimmick anymore. He really is The Miz. One of the best moments of the conference was when The Miz made a joke about how Shad is in the game. You know that if Shad is in the game and he has alternate ring gear that the game HAS to be good. Here’s a look at the roster with an opinion or observation of mine thrown in here and there.

Raw:

Chris Jericho - Where would we be without the man who’s the best in the world at what he does, the Ayatollah of Rock and Rollah, the first ever undisputed champion, Y2J?

David Hart Smith – Had to include the Tag Team champions. Eh, if they didn’t have the belt I’d say they shouldn’t be in the game. Boring.

Edge – Of course we’ve got the Rated R Superstar.

Evan Bourne – Mr. Airbourne has risen to new heights in the WWE so it comes as no surprise that he’s making his return to the SvR franchise.

Ezekiel Jackson – While he hasn’t done anything since coming to Raw (due to injury), Big Zeke is sure to make an impact when he returns, and has made a huge impact in the past, which is why he’s earned his place among this year’s roster.

Goldust – The Bizarre One returns, as well he should.

John Cena – Of course Superman himself, the face of the WWE is included, no surprise.

John Morrison – The Shaman of Sexy who has evolved to be our Monday Night Delight, while being underutilized on Raw, definitely deserves to be included in the latest installment.

Mark Henry – The World’s Strongest Man will of course be making his return.

Primo – Huh? Haven’t seen him do much of anything until this season of NXT.

R-Truth – Kids love him, of course he should be included.

Randy Orton – It would be a folly not to include The Viper in the latest installment.

Santino Marella – What a guy…

Shawn Michaels – Surprise inclusion, as he recently retired. No complaints from me, though!

Sheamus – As the new dominant force on Raw and current WWE Champion, The Celtic Warrior definitely had to be included.

Ted DiBiase – While The Million Dollar Son has fallen short as of late on Raw, hopefully he can bring life back to a forgotten gimmick and shine like a new coin once again. I say he deserves to be here, but maybe I’m just an optimist.

The Miz – The Awesome One, current United States Champion, Money in the Bank contract holder, future WWE Champion. ‘Nuff said.

Triple H – The Game needs no introduction which speaks for itself.

Tyson Kidd – Once again… Eh… Just because he’s a Tag Champion.

Vladimir Kozlov – Once a serious competitor, the Russian brawler, now in obscure gimmick land, still deserves to be highlighted in the latest installment.

William Regal – Even though he’s done absolutely nothing as of late I still consider him to be one of the more talented Superstars on the roster which is why he is deserving of this spot.

Yoshi Tatsu – I sure wish this Japanese flyer would be used more often. He’s so talented in the ring.

Zack Ryder – Who doesn’t know his catch phrase? Woo! Woo! Woo! If you knew that, then that’s why he’s here. Pretty much that’s all though. Maybe the choice of ring gear…

Smackdown:

Big Show - The Giant. That is all.

Chavo Guerrero – Even though he hasn’t been used much as of late he still had a great past and is extremely talented.

Chris Masters – I can do the pectoral dance, too.

Christian – Come on, he’s gotta represent his peeps.

CM Punk – Well, looks like the Straight Edge Savior will need to recruit new followers for his society so what better way to do it than through a video game?

Cody Rhodes – This star is the most Dashing in the WWE so of course he’ll be there representing beautiful people (no relation to TNA’s BP, or British Petroleum).

Dolph Ziggler – The newest Intercontinental Champion needs to show off his gold in the game.

Drew McIntyre – Of course he’ll be making his debut on SvR, he’s the chosen one.

Finlay – Oh, he’s still around? Well… He’s got a shillelagh.

Jack Swagger – All American American American, representing his country country.

JTG – He’s fun, people love him. And he has shiny teeth.

Kane – The Big Red Monster is finally a force to be reckoned with on Smackdown, once again. The current World Heavyweight Champion of course will be in the game.

Kofi Kingston – Looks like there’s no Trouble in Paradise with our Jamaican superstar as he’s extremely entertaining to watch and is very popular.

Luke Gallows – All I’ve got is his association with Punk…

Matt Hardy – Loveable superstar whose accomplishments make him worthy of joining the roster.

MVP – The ballin’ superstar has a huge following which brings him into the mix.

Rey Mysterio – This high flyer and master of the 619, who is so much fun and loved by pretty much all, has achieved so much over the years and definitely deserves his inclusion.

Shad – Well, we’ve got JTG… So I guess we’ve got Shad, too. With alternate ring attire…

Undertaker – The Deadman, one of the most dominant forces in WWE history, as a true Phenom, I would be flabbergasted if he wasn’t here.

Vance Archer – Oh, uhh… Ok?

Divas:

Alicia Fox – Recent WWE Diva’s Champion.

Beth Phoenix – The Glamazon is arguably the most talented Diva in the WWE, if not the most dominant.

Brie Bella – Eh, guys like twins…

Eve – Recent WWE Diva’s Champion.

Gail Kim – One of the more talented Divas on the roster.

Kelly Kelly – More like yummy yummy. My favorite Diva to watch, and definitely improving in the ring. Did you see the premiere of NXT season 3?

Maryse – Great to look at, not so great to hear. But also a great competitor.

Melina – Also one of the best Divas in the business currently. Very talented. Current Diva’s Champion.

Michelle McCool – Very talented Diva, and plenty good to look at.

Natalya – Talent being underutilized is still talent nonetheless which is why it is such a great thing to have Natalya in the game.

Nikki Bella – Again, hooray for twins.

 DLC:

British Bulldog – Classic wrestler shown again in a WWE video game, what’s wrong with that?

Lex Luger – See above, except it's his debut.

Wade Barrett – While I’m stoked to see him included, I’m slightly disappointed he didn’t make the main game.

David Otunga – Not sure why he’s here without the rest of Nexus. Nothing too special about him.

Justin Gabriel – While I’m surprised to see Otunga without Nexus, I’m not surprised here. Gabriel is leaps and bounds one of the most talented members on Nexus and deserves to be featured here.

Layla – As Co-Women’s Champion and member of LayCool, I’m very surprised to see the British muffin, Layla El not a part of the main game. Just as well, she does deserve to be featured.

There you have it, folks, the newest installment in the Smackdown vs. Raw franchise. It should be a great game. Is there anyone you think should have been included (Daniel Bryan)? How about someone who should NOT have been included (Lance Archer?)? Let your opinion be known, let the comments fly.

UPDATE - After checking WWE.com I've found that their roster does include Batista and Hornswoggle as playable characters for the main game, as well.

SECOND UPDATE - It is also being reported that Paul Bearer and Shelton Benjamin have been added to the roster, although I have yet to confirm this. Vince McMahon can be seen in a screenshot so it can be assumed he'll be back as a playable character.