This article has a talk page!WWF SmackDown! is the first in THQ/Yukes' long-running "rassling" series, named for and based off of the WWF's then-second syndicated show of the same name. Given The Rock used to call SmackDown "his" show since it derived from a catchphrase of his, you could consider this "his" game too.
Hidden/Unused Cutscenes#
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With the following GameShark codes, you can choose what cutscene plays next in Season Mode. Most are used in-game, while others either go unused or are very hard to get normally due to the random nature of Season Mode. The accompanying text for many of these cutscenes still exists in the ROM too, though as the cutscenes themselves are incomplete, it stands to reason that the text doesn't show up when they are forced to load.
Brahma Bull Symbol#
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This one is obviously supposed to be The Rock talking in the ring with a huge version of his signature Brahma Bull symbol/statue being lowered behind him (similar to the one below).
Here is the People's Champ, The Rock!
The people are chanting his name.Ministry Symbol/Sacrifice#
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This one is based off of the infamous Ministry of Darkness "Sacrifice" storyline that was huge in the WWF in 1999. Supposed to be Paul Bearer and The Undertaker talking in the ring.
Is The Undertaker going to perform some kind of ceremony?
No one can stop the Undertaker!
%4 is coming into the ring to take out the Undertaker!
The Undertaker is glaring back into the ring while walking backstage.The text in the ROM implies that this angle was going to be adapted further than what was shown in the above cutscene, with an unspecified wrestler (likely Stone Cold Steve Austin) entering the ring to foil The Undertaker's plot. (The ring intrusion is not shown on the video.)
Singles Title Stolen#
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Cutscene of a wrestler gloating to the camera with his championship just to get attacked by two other wrestlers and have his belt "stolen".
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An alternate version of the cutscene.
%2 is attacking the champion and the belt is literally being stolen.
%2 and %3 are attacking the champion.Tag Titles Stolen#
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Similar to the above, but with two wrestlers getting attacked and having their titles stolen.
%1 and %P are stealing the tag team championship belts.
%1 and %P are the tag team champions.
%3 and %4 are stealing the tag team championship belts!Broken Bloodbath Cutscene#
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A unfinished duplicate of the "bloodbaths" cutscene that The Brood (Edge, Christian, and Gangrel) used to pull on their enemies. Compared to the used cutscene, the duplicate appeared obviously unfinished – the lights stay on, the animations are buggy, there's no "blood" (in the used version, the lighting goes red to simulate blood), and the game softlocks afterward (the game loops the last few seconds of the cutscene; the console must be rebooted to get out as a result).
What's happening? All the lights are off!
%2 was just the victim of a blood bath.There are two lines missing from the broken duplicate as well, which does appear in the used cutscene: "Damn it! How could he? Somebody stop this!" and "%2 is completely helpless".
Referee Reverses Decision#
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A wrestler (based on the animations, intended to be female) "flirting" with a "referee" and having the ending of a match reversed in their favor. This is a strange one, since there's no referees in the game save for Create-A-Wrestler, which may suggest they were planning on adding Earl Hebner or at least some sort of in-game referee at one point. (Hebner's head is one of CAW heads, so you can make one, however.)
Hey, %1 is trying to influence the ref's decision!
Oh my! %1 has made the ref reverse the decision. The new winner is %1.
%1 has failed to change the ref's mind. The decision stands.Leftover Video#
Watch on YouTubePresent in the DMY (dummy) file on the disc is, of all things, a tutorial video straight out of Evil Zone, a fighting game developed by Yuke's prior to their work on the SmackDown! series. Given the filename, it was likely included just to fill the leftover disk space. This video also appears in the sequel, as well on the two Simple 1500 games based on the SmackDown! engine.
The video itself specifically came from the TUTO_C.STR file from the English release of Evil Zone.
Unused Audio#
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Strangely, the "Fight!" announcement synonymous with fighting games goes totally unused in the game, likely changed in place of the bell to more accurately mimic wrestling promotions. This ended up used in WWF Royal Rumble for arcades and Dreamcast, which owes its own existence to this game's engine. This sound has an ID of 128 in the sound test (see below).
Some of the weirdest sounding boos in video game history. They were more than likely intended to correlate to heels or their actions in Season/Pre-Season mode, but were scrapped either due to no such scenario existing in either mode, or because the sound effect in question sounds almost nothing like an actual boo.
Miscellaneous Unused Text#
noneYour friendly neighbourhood placeholder flag.
"name"dosen't think much of your wrestring skills.A scrapped line which, along with a typo, features an unintentionally hilarious romanisation of wrestling as "wrestring".
What's going on! %4 is knocking out the People's Champ.Unknown where this may have been used, though it may have been another variation of the generic "superstar gets ambushed" cutscene with different, Rock-specific text.
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The routine that displayed the build date on the title screen in the prototype was consigned to the bitbucket, but an updated date string remains. The dates (assuming they are accurate) put the respective final versions four weeks after the leaked early build. There is just two minutes difference between US and European builds, while the Japanese build was compiled 3 months later.
You can select Solo.
You can make a group of two people.
You can make a group of three people.
You can make a group of four people.
You can make two groups of two people.
The season mode executable houses the descriptions of the unused group menu graphics below. Whatever feature they were intended for took place there.
Unused Graphics#
Match#
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Grouped with the match HUD graphics are images containing the words "GET", "LOSER", "NO MATCH", "PROTECT", "P" and "THE TITLE" in the match winner font. "LOSER" is possibly to show the losing wrestler, while "GET" or "PROTECT" and "THE TITLE" composed together may be related to title fight/defense matches.
Menus#
There is a Belt Record option on the main menu, but selecting it takes you to a screen titled "History of the Belt". So this menu title is left out.
Likewise 3-Way and 4-Way Dance are match options, but both come under the Survival menu title rather than their own.
Menu title and options for selecting/creating various size stables or teams.
Another graphic concerning wrestler groups. This feature, Create-A-Stable, would be introduced in the sequel; five hardcoded stables in The Rock & Sock Connection (The Rock and Mankind), Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, New Age Outlaws, and Acolytes are available and reflected in tag-team play, however.
A further menu title. Presumably to be placed above a list of superstars.
Selectable options for adding various number of things to something else. Most likely would have been used by the Royal Rumble entrant select.
Jeff Jarrett#
Jeff Jarrett's mugshot and name exist alongside the other selectable characters, confirming the rumor that he was one of the deleted selectable wrestlers. (As a further proof, he is mentioned by name in Simple 1500 Series Vol. 22: The Pro Wrestling's debug menu.) Jarrett had left WWF for WCW during development in October 1999, marking the third time Jarrett was cut from a game’s planned roster following leaving a promotion, having previously been removed from WWF In Your House and WCW Nitro for the same reason. Jarrett's parts still exist, if dummied out, in the prototype build, and was carried over for the sequel's Create-A-Superstar, as well as a predefined moveset (Unknown G). Of note that the Double J's mugshot design is based on the prototype mugshot style.
If forcibly selected in the selection menu, Jeff Jarrett's slot is located between Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley (and moving from him will result in the current selection appearing twice), and his special move (as well his in-game name, if his parts are also restored) will appear as series of crosses.
Contrary to rumors, there are no references to Goldust (whose parts also appeared in the sequel's Create-A-Superstar alongside Jarrett's, sparking the rumors) anywhere in the first SmackDown! game, whether in the retail or in the prototype build.
Other#
An entrance nameplate unlike any used in the game, and emblazoned with Kane's name. War Zone was, at the time, the name for the second half of Raw is War.
This font is used when selecting player controllers but the smiley face in all its blocky glory stays hidden.
Sound Test and Text Display Test#
Use the following code to display a sound and text test. This code must be enabled during "Now Loading" at startup.
Exciting Pro Wrestling |
WWF SmackDown! |
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- Circle: Play
- X: Stop
- Select: Exit and Switch to title screen.
(Source: Original TCRF research)
Regional Differences#
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WWF SmackDown! |
Exciting Pro Wrestling |
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The Japanese version was called Exciting Pro Wrestling and kept the logo used outside Japan as a small one, to ensure Japanese players knew they're playing an WWF-licensed game. This practice continued until WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 (called Exciting Pro Wrestling 7 in Japan), after which the Japanese publishing rights went from Yuke's (as the developer) to THQ. For this game, the background of the title screen was redrawn as well.
In addition, the THQ logo used in the introduction in the Japanese version uses the updated logo that would be used by THQ until 2011. Here, the appearance of Yuke's and THQ logo are swapped.
Oddities#
- The Undertaker's victory/Rumble entrance music, for some reason, does not match his TitanTron theme. While the theme used in his TitanTron is "Lord of Darkness" (name used in the long-awaited release in WWE Uncaged XIV album), his victory/Rumble entrance music uses the version used in WWF The Music, Volume 4 album.
- Ken Shamrock's TitanTron have some few early seconds of his theme music cut off.