This also marks the ultimate time that Stone Cold Steve Austin and therefore the Rock would seem during a SmackDown! game as non-legends.
it's also the primary game within the SmackDown! series to possess John Cena, Batista and Rey Mysterio as playable characters.
this is often the sole game to feature Ultimo Dragon and Sean O'Haire as playable characters.
additionally to the playable (then) current Superstars, for the primary time during a SmackDown game, it also featured a spread of legends like Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, and therefore the Undertaker (with his 90's gimmick), and more.
Much like every WWE game before it, WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain features over 50 Superstars who were active members of the WWE roster at the time of the game's release.
This game marks the primary time the Elimination Chamber and therefore the Bra and Panties Match would be featured during a wrestling game.
Also included with this new grappling system were body damage displays, submission meters (for both the person applying the move and therefore the person breaking out of the move), also because the ability to interrupt the submission hold when touching the ropes, and individual character scales that consisted of statistics (such as strength, endurance and speed).
The game introduced a more complicated grappling system, while retaining the series' fast gameplay.