Take-Two Interactive CEO CEO Strauss Zelnick was quietly added to WWE 2K26 on June 3, 2026, as a playable Cruiserweight with a 77 rating, custom entrance, and Frank Sinatra's "My Way" as his theme.
Let it not be said that Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick is not a man of the people. Because, after spending most of the year calling AI "laughable", describing Grand Theft Auto 6 as the "most spectacular entertainment on Earth", and filing $8 billion in SEC guidance, the 68-year-old executive is giving everyone a chance to clothesline the man who decides when GTA 6 pre-orders open through a virtual announcer's table or powerbomb those who keep on blaming him for the delays as him.
The best part? This was all a surprise. Zelnick was quietly added to WWE 2K26's roster on June 3, 2026, as part of the Ringside Pass Season 3 update. He is not mentioned in the official patch notes. He was not part of the Season 3 promotional materials. Players simply found him on the character select screen, faintly smiling, listed as a Cruiserweight with a 77 overall rating and Frank Sinatra's "My Way" as his exclusive entrance theme.
Mind you, this wasn't just a random shoo-in. 2K Sports planned for it. Zelnick has a custom entrance animation while Michael Cole and Wade Barrett recorded new commentary lines specifically for him. Cole calls out: "It's the chairman, the CEO! Strauss Zelnick." Barrett adds: "Ladies and gentlemen, Strauss Zelnick has crossed over from the boardroom to the squared circle." A third line delivers the pun that someone at 2K Sports has been sitting on for months: "Strauss Zelnick looking to take a title here in WWE, in fact, he might Take-Two."
But while no one probably expected this to happen, it might be a long time coming, especially after Zelnick went shirtless for a fitness segment and the internet discovered that the CEO of the company behind Grand Theft Auto had the physique of someone who takes physical fitness as seriously as quarterly earnings back in 2018.
After the image became a meme, eventually evolving into internet lore, Take-Two and Zelnick decided to run with it and add their biggest public figure as a harmless Easter egg that lets frustrated fans vent on the man whose company laid off employees, delayed GTA 6 three times, and has not opened pre-orders yet.
This is all headcanon, by the way. We don't exactly know the rationale behind this addition.
Strauss Zelnick WWE 2K26 Stats
| Character | Overall Rating | Weight Class | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Strauss Zelnick | 77 | Cruiserweight | CEO of Take-Two; exclusive Frank Sinatra entrance; custom commentary from Michael Cole and Wade Barrett |
Johnny Gargano | Below 77 | Cruiserweight | Actual professional wrestler; rated lower than a CEO |
Retro CM Punk | Below 77 | Various | One of the most popular wrestlers of a generation; rated lower than a CEO |
1997 Eddie Guerrero | Below 77 | Cruiserweight | WWE Hall of Famer; rated lower than a CEO |
William Regal | Below 77 | Various | 25+ year career; rated lower than a CEO |
Triple H | Just above 77 | Heavyweight | 14-time world champion; barely above a CEO |
The 68-year-old corporate executive who has never taken a bump in a wrestling ring has a higher in-game rating than Eddie Guerrero, CM Punk, and Johnny Gargano.
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For GTA fans, it tells a lot about the company's confidence. A CEO who has time to mocap a custom WWE 2K26 entrance, approve exclusive commentary lines, and license Frank Sinatra for a wrestling game Easter egg is a CEO who is not spending his May in crisis mode. The marketing starts this summer, analysts have factored GTA 6 into their projections, November 19 is locked in, and the man in charge of all of it is letting developers put him in a wrestling match so the internet can RKO him.
Whether you find this kind of confidence reassuring or infuriating depends entirely on how long you have twiddled your thumbs, waiting for Trailer 3.