The game is based on World Wrestling Entertainment, and many of the wrestlers who were on the WWE roster at the time of release were included as player characters.

The game's single-player mode involves the player guiding a created wrestler through the ranks as a rookie and into main event stardom on either of WWE's brands Raw or SmackDown!.

One of the game's unique features is the "Momentum Shift" move — a desperation attack that gives a character an instant advantage during the match.

[3] The game's Story Mode allows players to take a created wrestler from WWE developmental to main event status by achieving various goals during matches.

The superstar goes on and works his way up the "rungs of the ladder" in a series of matches, ultimately resulting in the acquisition of the show's World Championship.

As the story progresses, Triple H or The Undertaker starts kicking people off the team as they fail him or (as in the case of the created superstar) become a threat to his championship.