WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain remains a PS2 wrestling peak. Snappy combat, brutal animations and an addictive career mode. An absolute reference for the era.
Your verdict
Category
Sports2 players16+
Description
A Yuke's and THQ sports game released in 2003, the Here Comes the Pain WWE SmackDown! franchise entry. Absolute PS2 franchise peak according to fans, with roster of 60+ wrestlers (Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle), new Body Damage system visualizing injuries and deepened Season mode. Fluid and brutal wrestling mechanics, destructible environments. Considered the PS2 peak of arcade wrestling.
WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
The art direction brings the wrestlers' likeness to its peak. This entry models the ring stars with unprecedented care: detailed musculatures, faithful faces, tattoos and outfits reproduced down to the logo. Above all, a localized damage system colors and swells the struck body zones, so that a fight's wear reads on the wrestler's very flesh.
The soundtrack makes the stars' entrance themes its heart. Each wrestler surges to his own music, licensed nu-metal, rock or hip-hop pieces that accompany his advance to the ring and trigger the crowd's reaction. These personal anthems, instantly recognizable, cast the character before he has moved, between aggressive riffs and rallying refrains.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Wrestling in all its excess: spectacular moves, tight-timed reversals and a localised damage system that makes every bout visceral. Feeling the rhythm of a match shift and triggering your finisher delivers an instant thrill. A plethoric roster, generous modes and gleeful chaos with several players: a benchmark of the wrestling game, built for the couch with friends.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Chaining holds, throws and spectacular finishers in a ring where the stamina gauge dictates the tempo recreates all the theater of wrestling. Building your wrestler and climbing the titles in season mode keeps reviving the progression. The system grows repetitive over time, but this generosity of roster, these moves and this career mode keep a formidable pull, especially with others.
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Often cited as a series peak, this entry pairs a hearty roster with a particularly polished grapple system. Running the season, creating your wrestlers and chasing the belts fills countless hours, revived by frantic multiplayer bouts. That density, still a benchmark, founds a longevity dear to wrestling fans.
Often cited as the best entry of the SmackDown series, WWE Here Comes the Pain sharpens its grappling system and season mode into a PS2 wrestling benchmark. Still common in the West, its interest lies in this status as a lasting favorite among wrestling fans rather than scarcity. A safe bet for fans of arcade wrestling of the era.
Better with friends
Super-charged wrestling where up to four grapplers tangle in spectacular melees, with signature moves and props of every kind. The competition quickly turns to delicious chaos: makeshift alliances, betrayals and last-second pins make the whole couch yell. Accessible and bursting with character, it turns every match into a delirious soap opera where rivalries are written with chairs and rematches.
Is WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2003 on PS2, Yuke's project is often cited as the peak of the SmackDown line, thanks to a refined combat system that adds body part damage management and more credible submissions. The massive WWE roster, the fleshed out season mode and the very complete wrestler editor make for an offering of remarkable generosity. The readability of the matches and the immediate pleasure have aged well. The technical side and the shutdown of the online servers weigh. An absolute benchmark of wrestling video games, recommended for fans of the discipline and for those nostalgic about the golden age of WWE.
