The original WWE Smackdown vs Raw title from ’04 is one that often gets overlooked in relation to the PS2 era of gaming. WWE Smackdown vs Raw was developed by Yuke’s and published by THQ and was the sequel to the critically acclaimed WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain game from 2003. WWE Smackdown vs Raw had better and more smooth graphics than Smackdown: HTCP which a minor improvement. The biggest improvement that we got in WWE Smackdown vs Raw compared to Smackdown: HTCP was the inclusion of voice-over acting from actual Superstars in the Season Mode. Similar to the Season Mode in Smackdown: HCTP players could choose a variety of top stars including the champions and challenge for certain titles. Players could challenge for the World Heavyweight or Intercontinental Championship on Raw while having the option to compete for the WWE or United States titles on Smackdowm. The game featured various top stars from the Ruthless Aggression era including Triple H, The Undertaker, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Kane, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Edge, Batista, JBL and more.

Players also had the option on whether or not they wanted to fight clean or dirty a fighting mechanic which ended up being used in other installments within the Smackdown vs Raw series until SvR ’07. WWE Smackdown vs Raw included both pre-match & mid-match mini games which added to realism to the game making it look more like something you would see on television. The inclusion of game modes like Create-a Wrestler, Create-a Championship along with players having the ability to make their own PPV were all strong positives in the original Smackdown vs Raw title. The inclusion of Bra & Panties matches was also pretty cool but the divas roster in WWE Smackdown vs Raw game was very limited. WWE Smackdown vs Raw also had a variety of different match types including Single, Tag-Team, Handicap, Triple-Threat, Hell in a Cell, Ladder, Six-Man Tag along with Parking Lot Brawl which was a new addition. WWE Smackdown vs Raw is quite possibly one of the most underrated pro wrestling video games from the 2000’s decade. Despite, the original SvR game not getting the attention it deserves the game still managed to be the prequel to quite one of the greatest wrestling titles of all-time Smackdown vs Raw 2006. The original SvR is still a very fun game to play 20 years later some people prefer it over a majority of pro wrestling games that came out during the 2010’s decade.