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The 17th of November episode of Monday Night Raw streamed on Netflix featured John Cena's final appearance on the program as an active wrestler. It also witnessed the reappearance and showdown between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they teamed up with their individual groups for the approaching 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Among the action were surprises like AJ Lee helping Maxxine Dupri claim the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler making a comeback. In such a packed Madison Square Garden show, the spotlight was grabbed by Lil Yachty, when he displayed his silver PSP for the camera, revealing he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Trending Incident: The Rapper and His Portable Console

In spite of everything that transpired on this memorable Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Might it be because of society's enduring love for Sony's handheld console? Might it be because people fondly remember the greatness of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans don't care for the newer 2K games?

Examining SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Classic Game

If you're unfamiliar, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 represented the franchise's introduction on the PSP and was the final entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain exclusive to PlayStation. The game shifted the franchise toward more realism and authenticity, departing from the arcade-style feel of earlier titles. It added a new momentum meter that controlled the flow of a match, substituting for the previous "clean/dirty" and "SmackDown!" meters. Players could choose to wrestle “clean” as a face or “dirty” as a heel, with a stamina system that decreased as matches grew more intense; showier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 ultimately became the top-selling PlayStation 2 release in the entire series.

Evolution of the Series

The franchise began with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and continued as an annual release, except in 2021. It remained a PlayStation exclusive until WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, which brought the franchise to additional platforms. In 2013, the series was renamed as WWE 2K, starting with WWE 2K14.

Innovations and Special Modes

Back in the day, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games were top-tier and seemed like an evolution of titles from the N64 era, due to enhanced graphics. When the franchise transitioned to PlayStation 2, that impression only intensified as titles with clear visuals, new gaming modes, and role-playing storylines were gradually introduced.

The PSP edition of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 includes features not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three exclusive minigames available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," challenges players with 500 wrestling questions encompassing everything from music and finishers to history and feuds, occasionally using audio clips or video snippets. The other two minigames are a poker game and "Eugene’s Airplane," where players guide Eugene (whose character is being an special needs wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Retro Appeal and Impact

The older SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very whacky, even when they aimed for more realistic gameplay. The franchise moved toward complete simulations with the 2K games, devoid of the creative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also functioned as snapshots of some of our favorite eras of wrestling.

Perhaps fans are longing for a alike, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Perhaps the delight of seeing a celebrity honoring the excellence of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks applaud Yachty. Alternatively SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was really that great, and represents an equally great era of wrestling, one that was ruled by John Cena, who will step away from in-ring competition on December 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.