Honestly, if you ask a group of wrestling fans about the "golden era" of games, you'll hear a lot of noise about Here Comes the Pain or No Mercy. But then there’s WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008. It’s the black sheep of the mid-2000s. People either love it for the nostalgia or bash it for being the moment the series started to "feel" different. It was the first time the series landed on the PlayStation 3 and Wii, and with that jump to a new generation came a lot of ambition—and some pretty weird growing pains.
You’ve got to remember the context of 2007. WWE was in a strange place. The ECW revival was in full swing, but it wasn't the "blood and guts" ECW we remembered; it was the "C-brand" with a purple logo. This game was the first to actually include ECW as a full-blown third brand. That was a huge deal at the time.
The Fighting Styles Experiment: A Love-Hate Relationship
The biggest thing anyone remembers about WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008 is the Fighting Styles system. Every wrestler was assigned two styles out of a list of eight: High-Flyer, Powerhouse, Hardcore, Submission, Showman, Brawler, Dirty, and Technical.
In theory? Awesome. It meant Rey Mysterio felt like a high-flyer and Great Khali felt like a powerhouse.
In practice? It was kinda restrictive.
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If you picked a "Powerhouse," you could do the "Rampage" ability where your grapples became unblockable for a short time. If you were a "Showman," you could literally steal your opponent’s finisher. That sounds cool until you realize that if your favorite wrestler didn't have the "High-Flyer" style, they suddenly forgot how to do a springboard attack. It felt like the game was putting handcuffs on the move-sets.
For example, a guy like Carlito or Chavo Guerrero might lose their signature aerial flair just because of the way their primary and secondary styles were slotted. It created this weird imbalance. If you were playing as a Submission specialist, you could force a "Struggle Submission" and win matches way too quickly, while other styles felt like they were just along for the ride.
24/7 Mode: When Season and GM Mode Collided
Before 2008, you had a Season Mode for the story and a GM Mode for the management nerds. Then Yuke’s decided to smash them together into something called "24/7 Mode."
It was a bold move. You could play as a specific superstar and try to become a "Legend," or you could take the reins as a General Manager.
The Good, the Bad, and the Repetitive
The "Superstar" side of 24/7 Mode was basically a calendar simulator. You’d wake up in your locker room, check your emails (which you had to read, or the game would ignore your choices), and decide if you wanted to train, go to a fan signing, or rest.
The goal was to fill up a "Legend Meter." But man, it was a grind. You’d end up doing the same training mini-games over and over. And the storylines? They were a bit thin compared to the branching paths of SmackDown vs Raw 2006.
On the GM side, adding ECW as a third brand sounds great on paper, but the roster was actually smaller than the previous year. You only had 53 wrestlers on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Trying to split 53 people across three brands (Raw, SmackDown, and ECW) meant you were booking the same match every single week. "Oh look, it's CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke... for the fourteenth time this month."
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The Roster: New Faces and Big Omissions
Speaking of the roster, WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008 was a weird snapshot of WWE history. This was the debut of CM Punk, who came in with a massive 92 rating. You also had guys like MVP, Kelly Kelly, and the Cryme Tyme duo (JTG and Shad Gaspard) making their first appearances.
But the roster felt "light."
- No Rob Van Dam (he left the company right before).
- The "Legends" list was smaller.
- The Divas (as they were called then) were still limited to just a handful of performers.
There was also the "Benoit factor." The game was in development during the Chris Benoit tragedy in June 2007. While he was obviously scrubbed from the game, many fans felt the game was rushed or "chopped up" in the aftermath as the developers scrambled to adjust.
Console Chaos: Why Version Matters
Back then, "multi-platform" didn't mean the same game on every box. If you played on the Wii, you were basically playing a different sport. The Wii version used motion controls—literally swinging the Wiimote to strike—but it lacked the 24/7 Mode, the WWE Shop, and many of the creation tools. It was a "lite" version that focused on "Main Event" mode.
The PSP version actually had more characters! It had exclusive legends like Eddie Guerrero, Jim Neidhart, and Sgt. Slaughter. If you were a PS2 player, you could see the data for those characters on the disc, but you couldn't play them without a cheat device like Action Replay or Gameshark.
On the PS3, they tried a "first-person" entrance mode. It was a gimmick where you could see through the wrestler's eyes as they walked to the ring. It was dizzying, weird, and never came back.
The Struggles of "Struggle Submissions"
The gameplay itself moved toward a more "simulation" feel. They introduced the "Struggle Submission" system where you used the analog sticks to apply or escape pressure.
It was a departure from the "button mashing" of the past. It made matches feel more like a tug-of-war. Some fans loved the tactical depth; others hated that it slowed down the arcade-like pace that made the older games so addictive. This was the beginning of the "simulation" era that eventually defined the 2K years.
How to Enjoy the Game Today
If you’re dusting off an old copy of WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008, there are a few things you should do to get the most out of it.
First, don't ignore the Hall of Fame mode. It’s actually one of the best parts of the game. It gives you specific challenges—like winning a Royal Rumble as the #1 entrant or beating a certain legend on Legend difficulty—to unlock the "hidden" content. It’s way more rewarding than just grinding through the 24/7 Mode.
Second, experiment with the "Ultimate Control Grapples." This was the system where you could pick an opponent up, hold them in a vertical suplex position, and then choose when to drop them or walk around the ring with them. It’s a feature that modern games often struggle to get right, but it felt tactile and "heavy" in 2008.
Pro-tip for the GM Mode junkies: If you’re playing the GM side of 24/7, don't try to balance all three brands. Pick one, turn off the others if you can (or just ignore them), and focus on building one "Supercard." The budget is tight, and the "Writer" system is fickle, so keep your rivalries simple.
Moving Forward With Your Retro Session
If you really want to dive back into the 2008 era, start by checking out the "Create-A-Superstar" (CAS) mode. While it doesn't have the thousands of parts modern 2K games have, the "Create-A-Finisher" feature wasn't quite here yet (that came in '09), so you have to get creative with the move-sets allowed by the Fighting Styles.
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Try building a character that combines two styles that shouldn't work together—like a Hardcore Technical wrestler. It changes the way you approach a match entirely.
Once you’ve mastered the Hall of Fame challenges, you’ll have a much better appreciation for what this game was trying to do. It wasn't perfect, but it was the bridge between the arcade madness of the PS2 era and the high-def simulation world we live in now.
For your next session, try these steps:
- Clear the Hall of Fame: This is the fastest way to unlock the legends and arenas that make the roster feel "complete."
- Toggle the HUD: If you want a more cinematic experience, try playing with the damage meters off. It makes those "Struggle Submissions" way more tense when you don't know exactly how much health you have left.
- Check the Soundtrack: Honestly, the 2008 soundtrack is a banger. It’s got that mid-2000s rock vibe that just fits wrestling perfectly. Turn the music up in the menus; it's half the experience.
The game is a flawed masterpiece of ambition. It tried to give us ECW, a deeper career mode, and specialized fighting styles all at once. It might have stumbled, but it’s a fascinating piece of wrestling history that still feels unique today.
Next Steps:
Go into the Hall of Fame mode first. This is where the real meat of the unlockable content lives. Completing these challenges is much faster than grinding the 24/7 mode and will give you the full roster of legends to use in exhibition matches.