SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is the first WWE video game to include the Inferno match, a match where the player has to set their opponent on fire. It is similar the real life match which takes place with the ring surrounded by fire coming from gas fed pipes. To win the player must increase the temperature of the ring by performing more devastating moves. As soon as the temperature reaches 500°F (or in the EU version 300°C), the player can then begin to set their opponent on fire. To set a person on fire, the player raises the temperature to the maximum and drags the person towards the ropes, provided that the opponent is badly injured.[7] However, this match is not available for the Nintendo DS or Wii.
Several matches absent in previous games also returned to the series. The backstage brawl, where players can battle in either the locker room or the backstage "Gorilla position" with a variety of weapons at their disposal, returned and replaced the parking lot brawl match featured in the last game.[8][9] The Gauntlet match also is a newly featured match selection in the Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 series where one superstar takes on three others one immediately after the other.[10] The General Manager mode and Create-A-Championship were removed from SmackDown vs Raw 2009.
Both the Wii and DS versions now include new match types, such as the Steel Cage and Ladder match, with the DS version also featuring tables and TLC matches.[4]
Fighting styles, a major feature from the previous version, were removed. Some abilities used there were kept and enhanced with each wrestler