WWE 2K23 fans spot new ring announcer and referee in Showcase trailer

Sharp WWE 2K23 fans have spotted Greg Hamilton’s replacement as ring announcer as well as a brand new referee in the upcoming game.

WWE 2K23 made a splash with its brand-new Showcase trailer. The mode will put players in the shoes of John Cena’s opponents in all of his most legendary matches. Major WWE stars like The Rock, Roman Reigns, and Dave Bautista all take center stage as fans relive the biggest moments of Cena’s storied career.

What fans found most interesting though was not the wrestlers themselves, but the people elsewhere in the arena as a new generic referee and a familiar face at ringside are bringing a new look to the familiar formula

WWE 2K23 fans spot new ring announcer and referee in trailer

For the first time (outside of Special Guest scenarios), WWE 2K23 will feature a woman serving in the role of referee. While the game doesn’t incorporate the likeness of actual officiants like Smackdown’s Jessika Carr, the implementation of women in the role does match up to the current product that’s on TV.

Some fans were worried that this will disrupt the continuity of the Showcase mode given that this new ref will be featured in matches that were actually overseen by men, but given that the referees have never been accurate in the 2K series, not much has changed on that front.

“We don’t get real refs in 2K games, we shouldn’t expect them to match the highlights, they never do,” one player stated.

A woman referee in WWE 2K23 trailer. Seems like that’s the first time we’ve had women referees from WWEGames

Elsewhere, fans noticed that longtime voice Greg Hamilton wasn’t shown in this trailer, with his friend and current announcer RAW announcer Mike Rome taking the reins.

Hamilton was released from the company back in 2021 and Rome has served as his replacement for most of that time. Samantha Irvin, the voice of the company’s blue brand, notably didn’t make an appearance in this trailer.