10 Things To Know About The WWE SmackDown Video Games

As WWE reached the peak of its popularity in the Attitude Era, there was a resurgence of interest in WWE video games. Games like WWF WrestleMania 2000 and WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64 were smash-hits published by THQ, and the Sony PlayStation was the perfect platform to launch a new series of wrestling titles for Sony gamers.

Developed by Yuke’s, the SmackDown series proved popular with gamers, becoming deeper and more refined as the Attitude Era gave way to Ruthless Aggression. From 1999 to 2003, the SmackDown series transcended from PlayStation 1 to 2, and paved the way for future series of WWE games.

Fred Durst Is The Only Celebrity To Appear As A Playable Character In The SmackDown Series

The Limp Bizkit Vocalist Also Appeared In 2002’s WWF Raw For The X-Box

• The Undertaker used Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin'” as his entrance theme from December 2000 to May 2002.
• Limp Bizkit’s “My Way” was used as the theme song for WrestleMania 17.
• Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit performed “Rollin'” during The Undertaker’s entrance at WrestleMania 19.

Limp Bizkit first rose to fame going into the new millennium, with their album ‘Chocolate Starfish and The Hot Dog Flavored Water’ reaching Gold status worldwide. Limp Bizkit were also popular with WWE audiences, so it should’ve been no surprise that Fred Durst appeared as a playable character in 2001’s Just Bring It.

The lead vocalist for Limp Bizkit appeared as part of an agreement between the band and WWE/THQ. In exchange for the rights of “Rollin'” to be used as The Undertaker’s theme music in the game, Fred Durst would be an unlockable wrestler.

Here Comes The Pain Was The First SmackDown Game To Introduce Playable Legends

An Incarnation Of The Undertaker From The Early Nineties Was Also Playable

• WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64 featured Andre The Giant as an unlockable wrestler, predating Here Comes The Pain.
• Here Comes The Pain featured 11 playable legends in total, with 6 only available after purchasing them in the game’s Shop Zone.
• Here Comes The Pain was released in 2003. During that year, Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter and the Legion Of Doom had all made returns to WWE.

Previous wrestling games had featured secret wrestlers that could be unlocked via cheat codes, fulfilling certain tasks or purchasing them from in-game shops. Here Comes The Pain introduced a pioneering concept to the SmackDown series by introducing playable Legends.

It was thrilling for gamers to be able to select the likes of Roddy Piper and Ted DiBiase once again, and see them clash against WWE’s biggest stars at the time. Although the Legends lacked their proper entrances and original theme music, the experience would be refined for future WWE games.

Just Bring It Is The Only SmackDown Game To Feature Eight Players On Screen At Once

The Only WWE Game To Feature More Wrestlers On One Screen Is WWF Royal Rumble With Nine Wrestlers In The Same Ring

• The PlayStation 2’s controller ports allowed two multi-tap adapters to be plugged into the console, enabling up to eight-player action.
• It would be the only WWE game to feature eight wrestlers on screen simultaneously until WWE 2K18 sixteen years later.

Being the first SmackDown game for Sony’s PlayStation 2, Just Bring It offered a variety of new gameplay mechanics and game modes. The biggest feature being the capacity for 6-man tag team matches/battle royals, and even 8-man battle royals.

The Survival Mode was a fantastic free-for-all and played perfectly. However, due to WWE constantly changing and evolving – and Just Bring It being a prototype for SmackDown games on the PS2 – the developers limited the action to six wrestlers on-screen simultaneously for future titles.

Beta Versions Of Here Comes The Pain Included Jeff Hardy, Hulk Hogan And The Ultimate Warrior

All Three Were Removed From The Game Long Before Its Official Release

• Al Snow, Billy Kidman, Spike Dudley, Molly Holly, Billy Gunn, William Regal, Bradshaw and 3-Minute Warning were also intended to be included in the game’s roster.
• An 80’s Version of Hulk Hogan was also intended as an unlockable wrestler.

When the first preview images emerged fans were thrilled to discover the new features that would be in 2003’s Here Comes The Pain. Fans were even more excited to learn that the Ultimate Warrior would also be playable in the game.

Unfortunately, the Warrior was removed from the final version of Here Comes The Pain when he and WWE couldn’t come to an agreement. Fans were further disappointed when both Hulk Hogan and Jeff Hardy were also removed due to their departures from WWE in 2003. However, data for these three wrestlers (and others) remains on the final disc.

The Big Show And Ken Shamrock Were Removed From SmackDown 2: Know Your Role

Both Wrestlers Were Initially Playable In The Game

• Ken Shamrock and The Big Show were members of both The Corporation and The Union.
• Although Ken Shamrock was removed from Know Your Role, he remained an unlockable wrestler in WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64.

The Big Show and Ken Shamrock were prominent players in the Attitude Era. So it seemed bizarre for both wrestlers to be removed from the second SmackDown game to hit the PlayStation.

However, Big Show was written off television in August 2000 and sent to OVW, whereas Shamrock had left WWE to resume his MMA career, hence their removal as playable characters in Know Your Role. Despite this, Shamrock and Big Show could be used in the game via cheat devices.

• Michael Cole first joined WWE in 1997 as a backstage interviewer, then became a play-by-play announcer for Raw & SmackDown.
• Tazz made his WWE debut at Royal Rumble 2000, gradually transitioning from wrestler to color commentator.
• Tazz & Michael Cole began commentating together on SmackDown in February 2001, becoming the permanent commentary team for SmackDown after the 2002 Brand Split.

Wrestling commentary was featured in Acclaim’s games – like WWF War Zone and WWF Attitude – but it was absent in the first two SmackDown games from THQ/Yuke’s. For the first WWE outing on PlayStation 2, Just Bring It promised play-by-play commentary from Michael Cole and Tazz.

Alas, the first attempt at commentary in the SmackDown series was a disjointed, repetitive disaster, with notable pauses in-between calls of the wrestlers’ names & moves. Thankfully, Yuke’s would master the commentary for future WWE games.

The SmackDown Series Introduced Backstage Brawling To WWE Games

WCW Mayhem Was The First Wrestling Game To Incorporate Backstage Areas

• Know Your Role featured secret backstage areas to fight in, like a hidden shower room and Mankind’s Boiler Room.
• Just Bring It featured then-WWE Commissioner William Regal’s office as a backstage area to fight in.
• Shut Your Mouth enabled wrestlers to board a subway train and take the fighting to other places like Times Square and The World restaurant.

As backstage brawling grew in popularity on WWE television, it became apparent that WWE video games needed to incorporate this feature. Thankfully, the first SmackDown game achieved just that for PlayStation owners, with several backstage areas to explore and fight in.

With the groundwork successfully laid, subsequent SmackDown games would build upon the foundations. Each new title in the series offered more backstage areas to fight in, even allowing wrestlers to drive vehicles and leave the arena altogether. The feature has long become a necessity for WWE games.

Know Your Role Discreetly Included Several Legends

Various ‘Unknown’ Wrestlers Appeared In Season Mode And Create-A-Wrestler

• Both Ken Shamrock and The Big Show appeared randomly in Season Mode despite being removed as playable characters.
• Other wrestlers’ likeness could be found in the Create-A-Wrestler mode, enabling players to recreate various legends like Andre The Giant and Sgt. Slaughter.

Although Ken Shamrock and The Big Show had been officially removed from SmackDown 2: Know Your Role, they still appeared in the Royal Rumble match. Players have even been able to take control of either Shamrock or Big Show in the Rumble mode.

But due to their names and select screen images being removed from the game, they appear as ‘Unknown’ wrestlers. Other wrestlers who didn’t make the final cut for Know Your Role’s roster also appear in the Create-A-Wrestler mode via likenesses and move-sets.

Shut Your Mouth Allowed Wrestlers To Scale The TItantron And Even Leave The Arena

Areas Outside The Arena Were Modeled On Manhattan, New York

• The SmackDown Arena itself was based on Madison Square Garden.
• The SmackDown! Station was based on the New York City Subway.
• WWE’s restaurant The World featured in the game. It first opened in November 1999 and closed down in April 2003.

For 2002’s Shut Your Mouth, Yuke’s really improved the backstage brawling and falls-count-anywhere aspects. Players could take control of Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam, scale the Titantron on the Raw stage (or even the giant fist on the SmackDown set), and perform a high-risk maneuver onto their opponent.

Players could even leave the arena (as mentioned previously), and fight aboard the subway, in Times Square and at The World. It was a major advancement that took the SmackDown series to new heights.

Intergender Wrestling Was Alive & Well

The SmackDown Series Allowed Male And Female Wrestlers To Compete With/Against Each Other In Most Modes

• The Attitude Era frequently featured female wrestlers like Chyna and Lita competing against male wrestlers in both single and tag-team matches.
• Chyna defeated Jeff Jarrett at No Mercy 1999 in a Good Housekeeping match to win the Intercontinental Championship.
• Lita and The Hardy Boys defeated Trish Stratus and T&A in a six-person intergender tag team match at Fully Loaded 2000.

Intergender wrestling is something that WWE is reluctant (at best) to promote these days. But back in the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras, men and women fighting each other in the ring wasn’t just accepted, it was hugely popular.

So it’s no surprise that the SmackDown series allowed gamers to pit The Rock against Chyna or Lita against Matt Hardy. Across all the games, female and male wrestlers could fight with or against each other, and not even the Right To Censor could stop it.