WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain

Chapter 2: General Strategies
This section offers general strategies for WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain. These general strategies apply to all match types, exhibition, and season modes.

• Mix it up! The computer controlled opponent (and certainly a human controlled opponent) will catch on quickly if you're only doing grapples or only doing strikes. Smackdown's combo system makes it very easy to mix up your maneuvers. For instance, perform two strikes against your opponent then go in for the grapple. Or just perform one strike then move in for the grapple. You could even move in for the grapple and instead of performing one of the moves, revert back to strikes. Many of the top computer controlled wrestlers excel at counters (especially those with a high technique rating, such as Chris Benoit) so it's important to mix up your style so you can avoid being countered constantly.

• WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain features location-based damage. That means you can inflict damage to specific areas of your opponent's body: the head, torso, arms, and legs. Damaging your opponent is always important but inflicting location-based damage will help you gain the upper hand for submission maneuvers. For instance, if you control a wrestler with a special submission "Smackdown" maneuver, like Chris Jericho's Walls of Jericho, you can work on damaging a specific area (in this case, the torso), then after it's sufficiently damaged, slap on the special maneuver to force your opponent to tap out. You can detect damaged areas by its color: blue means none or little damage, yellow is light damage, orange is moderate damage, and red means heavy damage.
• Along the lines of "mix it up," don't begin a match going straight for grapples. Strikes are as effective as grapples; though strikes don't inflict the same kind of damage, the variation of moves keeps your opponent off guard. Further, the strikes help increase your Smackdown meter as you start down the path of cracking a finishing move on your opponent.
• If you're looking to make your opponent bleed, certain maneuvers will be required. Check the move lists (in "Create" mode) to see which moves have a "B" next to them, like Undertaker's Irish whip to big boot combination. Weaken your opponent's head region (check the location damage next to the wrestler's name in the corner of the screen) and perform one of the specific maneuvers and you may cut open your opponent.
• Don't get careless during a match and allow your opponent to steal a victory away from you. You could have your opponent all red with heavy damage to all parts of the body but your opponent can still pull off finishing maneuvers. Even if you're just moderately damaged, you could get pinned after a finishing move and all that damage you inflicted to your opponent will be lost. Finish off your opponent and don't let them hang around longer than necessary.

• Go for a pin right after a finishing move. Don't waste time with other moves or your opponent can get a second wind and kick out. After a finishing move, move your opponent to the center of the ring (hold down "circle" and then use the directional stick to move your opponent around the ring) and go for the pin. Don't go for the pin near the edge of the ring if "ropebreak" is active in the match or you won't be able to get the pin. By the time you get your opponent down again, he'll likely kick out.