WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 Tips - Grapples, Stamina, GM Mode, and Platform Basics

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 is a 2006 licensed wrestling game developed by Yuke’s and published by THQ for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox 360. It sits before the later WWE 2K-era redesigns, so treat it as its own game: analog grapples, stamina, environmental hotspots, crowd fighting, Season, Challenge Mode, Create Modes, and General Manager Mode are the systems to learn first.

This tips guide is for normal play across the original releases. It is not a full move list, roster ranking, unlock guide, achievement guide, or GM schedule.

Essential Tips

1. Pick Your Platform Before You Build Muscle Memory

PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 share the same broad control idea, with analog movement options and right-stick grapples. PSP compresses the layout: movement uses the D-pad, stamina recovery moves to Select, and grapples combine face buttons, shoulder buttons, and D-pad directions.

That difference matters. If you bounce between PSP and a console pad, your quick grapple, strong grapple, reversal, and pin habits will not line up perfectly. Choose the platform you actually plan to play, then practice that layout until the basic actions feel automatic.

2. Learn Quick Grapples Before Strong Grapples

The right analog stick is the heart of this entry’s wrestling flow on console. Quick grapples are easier to reach in motion and give you a low-commitment way to start offense, test range, and interrupt a match before you gamble on a slower setup.

Strong grapples are more rewarding, but they require a proper grappled state and give your opponent more room to reverse. Start each session by drilling movement, strikes, quick grapples, Irish Whips, and pins before you chase longer chains.

3. Treat Strong Grapples as Positions, Not Just Moves

Strong grapples can lead into submission holds, clean or dirty holds, Category 1 holds, Category 2 holds, dragging, Irish Whips, and Ultimate Control Moves. Think of the initial grab as a wrestling position where you decide what problem you want to solve.

Near the ropes, a corner, a cage wall, a barricade, a table, or the announce area, that position becomes even more valuable. The best strong grapple is often the one that puts your opponent somewhere useful, not simply the one with the biggest-looking slam.

4. Watch Stamina Before You Run the Match at Full Speed

Running, strikes, grapples, and strenuous interactions drain stamina. Wrestlers with better stamina ratings can keep a pace longer, while weaker stamina makes repeated attacks and power spots riskier.

If your wrestler starts feeling sluggish, stop sprinting everywhere. Back off, regain stamina manually when you have space, and use simpler attacks until you can safely commit again. A tired wrestler loses control of the rhythm even when the momentum meter looks promising.

5. Build Momentum With Safe Offense

Strikes and grapples build momentum toward finishers and stored finishers. Do not treat that meter as permission to mash every big move. Safer offense keeps you active without burning through stamina or eating reversals.

Use quick grapples and controlled strikes to build the meter, then store or spend the finisher when the opponent is actually vulnerable. A finisher wasted into a bad position can cost more than a smaller attack that keeps pressure alive.

6. Drag Opponents With a Destination in Mind

Environmental hotspots trigger when you bring the opponent to the right object or arena area from a strong grapple. If you drag randomly, you may waste stamina and expose yourself. If you drag with a plan, the arena becomes part of your offense.

Look for ropes, turnbuckles, steps, barricades, announce tables, crowd-fighting entries, and specialty-match structures. Your goal is to make the opponent fight where the match type helps you.

7. Use Crowd Fighting as a Tactical Reset

The crowd area is not just a spectacle. It can give you access to extra objects, barricade transitions, and a different pace when the regular ring flow gets messy. In no-disqualification-style situations, taking the match outside can help you reset momentum.

Do not wander there just because it is available. Enter the crowd when you are ahead, when you have an opponent stunned, or when the match rules make weapons and arena movement worth the risk.

8. Respect Ladder and Table Match Rules

Ladder matches are not solved by simply climbing first. You need ladder setup, position, climbing time, analog reaching, and the belt sweet spot. Clear the opponent before you climb, and avoid placing the ladder where a small bump ruins the attempt.

Table matches ask for a more deliberate setup. You need the right table state, the right positioning, and a finishing-move opportunity before forcing the decisive table spot. Build momentum first, then create the table moment.

9. In Multi-Man Matches, Protect Your Targeting

Triple threat, fatal four-way, battle royal, Royal Rumble, chamber, and handicap matches become chaotic because more bodies can interrupt pins, submissions, eliminations, and ladder attempts. Use target changes deliberately and reposition before you commit to slow animations.

In elimination formats, separate one opponent from the group when possible. In pinfall formats, do not attempt a finish while another opponent is standing beside you with a free interrupt.

10. Use Weight and Match Type Together

The game accounts for wrestler size in places where lifting, grappling, and eliminations matter. Smaller wrestlers can still be dangerous, but you should not force power tactics against every opponent.

If you are using a lighter wrestler, lean on speed, reversals, Irish Whips, and placement. If you are using a heavier wrestler, use stronger positioning and match-type hazards, but watch stamina so the power style does not stall.

11. Treat General Manager Mode Like a Long Season

General Manager Mode is about more than stacking one card with famous names. You manage weekly cards, rosters, rivalries, trades, free agents, fan support, finances, and contract pressure.

Protect useful rivalries, keep an eye on unhappy wrestlers, avoid contract choices that trap your budget, and build popularity over months rather than one show. A balanced roster with room to maneuver is easier to run than a top-heavy roster that cannot afford injuries, trades, or renegotiations.

12. Keep Historical Online Features in Context

The original releases included online features, but those features belong to the original platform-service era. Do not plan a modern play session around original online matchmaking, rankings, title matches, or created-superstar trading unless your exact setup supports it.

For dependable play today, think local exhibition, Season, General Manager Mode, Challenge Mode, and Create Modes first. Treat online play as a historical feature unless you have already confirmed it on your hardware.

Platform and Mode Priorities

Version or Mode	Top Priority
PlayStation 2	Learn the console control layout, stamina recovery, analog grapples, and historical online context.
Xbox 360	Practice right-stick grapples, reversals, and match-type controls on the Xbox button layout.
PlayStation Portable	Relearn grapples and reversals around D-pad directions, Circle, Select, L1, and R1.
Exhibition	Use it for control drills, match-type practice, and learning stamina without season pressure.
Season Mode	Play for story progression and wrestler-specific match flow rather than GM-style planning.
General Manager Mode	Manage contracts, rivalries, roster roles, fan support, and finances over the long run.
Challenge Mode	Treat it as focused rule practice once basic controls are comfortable.
Create Modes	Build move sets and created wrestlers only after you understand how grapples and stamina behave.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Switching from PS2 or Xbox 360 to PSP without relearning controls - PSP uses a different control layout, especially for movement, stamina recovery, grapples, pins, and reversals.

2. Opening every exchange with a strong grapple - strong grapples can pay off, but quick grapples and strikes are safer ways to test timing.

3. Ignoring stamina while chasing big moves - running, strikes, grapples, and interactions drain stamina, and exhaustion makes the whole match harder to control.

4. Dragging opponents with no arena plan - hotspots reward deliberate positioning near objects, ropes, corners, barricades, and tables.

5. Entering the crowd while behind - crowd fighting is strongest when you have space, control, or match rules that make weapons useful.

6. Climbing ladders before clearing the ring - ladder attempts need time, placement, and analog control, so nearby opponents can ruin the attempt quickly.

7. Forcing table finishes before momentum is ready - table matches need setup and a finishing opportunity, not just a table in the ring.

8. Forgetting target control in multi-man matches - bad targeting wastes attacks and leaves pins, submissions, and eliminations exposed.

9. Building GM Mode only around short contracts or stars - contracts, rivalries, free agents, finances, and roster roles all matter over the season.

10. Importing later WWE 2K habits - this entry’s analog grapples, stamina, hotspots, and mode structure predate later systems.

Summary

Category	Top Tip
Controls	Commit to one platform layout before practicing serious matches.
Grapples	Use quick grapples to start offense and strong grapples to create positions.
Stamina	Slow down, recover manually, and avoid sprinting through every exchange.
Momentum	Build finishers with safer attacks before spending them.
Hotspots	Drag opponents toward useful arena objects instead of wandering.
Ladder Matches	Clear the opponent before climbing and working the belt.
Table Matches	Store momentum and set the table spot before forcing the finish.
Multi-Man Matches	Manage targeting and isolate opponents before slow actions.
GM Mode	Plan contracts, rivalries, popularity, and finances across the season.
Online	Treat original online features as historical unless your setup proves otherwise.