Face or Heel?
WWE Smackdown vs. RAW allows players to assume the role of their favorite wrestler by recreating "face" (good guy) or "heel" (bad guy) maneuvers. Good guys boast the clean tactics meter while the bad guys have the dirty tactics meter. Your actions during a match can raise or lower the clean and dirty tactics meter.
A good guy’s clean tactics meter emphasizes fair fighting (no breaking the match rules!) as well as entertaining the audience with high-flying aerial maneuvers or incredible heroics, like kicking out of a two count or resisting a submission despite heavy limb damage. Once a good guy’s clean meter is full, execute the "Super Clean" ability with a taunt. For a brief period, you’re now invincible and receive extra damage for your finisher. Thus it’s an advantage to try and hold back a finisher if you are close to completing your clean meter. This combo can end a match quickly.
A bad guy’s dirty tactics meter emphasizes rule breaking and angering the audience, such as attacking teammates, breaking out of your own pin at a two count, or striking an opponent during their taunt. Once a bad guy’s dirty meter is full, execute the "Super Dirty" ability with a taunt. You receive a special grapple move (perform a front grapple). It’s a crushing low blow that boasts the power of a finisher.
Note that you have a limited time to execute these special clean or dirty tactic moves once you obtain a full meter. Don’t waste them!
The following lists reveal which actions boost and reduce clean and dirty tactics meters.
Boost Clean Tactics:
Dive attacks are one of the best ways to boost clean tactics. A good guy should emphasize signature grapples (circle plus left to initiate) and turnbuckle aerial moves to increase the clean meter steadily. Faster superstars (such as Rob Van Dam or Rey Mysterio) can hop onto the turnbuckle quickly, which makes them potent clean meter good guys. Don’t neglect your taunts, especially quick taunts! You won’t receive the adrenaline or clean meter boost until the taunt runs to completion. Find a taunt that you can time in between grappled moves.
- Perform signature grapple moves.
- Perform any diving attacks (including cage and Hell in a Cell).
- Perform dive attacks from inside the ring to outside the ring.
- Counter a weapon attack.
- Taunt your opponent.
- Win a chop battle (successful at all three chops).
- Get a rope break during a submission move.
- Kick out of a pin after a two count.
- Perform moves on the announcer table and destroy the table.
- Perform a submission counter while you’re in submission type B.
- Refuse to tap out of a submission even though your limb damage is red.
Reduce Clean Tactics:
- Perform dirty moves (low blow, eye poke, etc).
- Weapon attacks.
- Remove turnbuckle cover.
- Perform Irish whip to the exposed turnbuckle.
- Perform any grapple moves onto the exposed turnbuckle.
- Break your own pin after a two count.
- Ignore the referee’s rope break and hold the submission.
- Complain to the referee about a two count.
- Attack the referee.
- Attack your partner or manager.
Boost Dirty Tactics:
A bad guy may have a tougher time increasing the dirty tactic meter, especially in a disqualification on match (which would hinder the ability to utilize weapons safely). Note your bad guy wrestler’s "dirty moves", such as low blows and eye pokes so you can perform them. Exit the ring and taunt when possible and hold submissions despite rope breaks. You can also complain about two counts by using the L1 button but watch out for your opponent sneaking up behind you.
- Perform dirty moves (low blow, eye poke, etc).
- Weapon attacks.
- Remove turnbuckle cover.
- Perform Irish whip to the exposed turnbuckle.
- Perform any grapple moves onto the exposed turnbuckle.
- Break your own pin after a two count.
- Taunt from outside of the ring when your opponent is inside the ring.
- Attack a wrestler while they are taunting.
- Ignore the referee’s rope break and hold the submission.
- Complain to the referee about a two count.
- Attack the referee.
- Attack your partner or manager.
- Push (drop) an opponent off the top of a Hell in a Cell.
- Attack the illegal opponent at the opposing tag team’s corner.
- Call for interference.
- Perform moves on the announcer table and destroy the table.
Reduce Dirty Tactics:
- Perform any diving attacks (including steel cage and Hell in a Cell).
- Perform tope type or plancha type moves.
