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The Nov. 17 installment of Monday Night Raw aired on Netflix featured Cena's final performance on the show as an active wrestler. Moreover experienced the reappearance and face-off between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they joined their individual groups for the approaching 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Wedged in between the action were shockers like AJ Lee helping Maxxine Dupri secure the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler returning. In such a packed Madison Square Garden event, the attention was taken by Lil Yachty, when he showed off his silver PSP for the camera, demonstrating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Popular Incident: The Rapper and His Handheld Device

Despite everything that happened on this landmark Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that trended online. Could it be because of the public's enduring love for Sony's mobile device? Is it because people cherish the memory of the brilliance of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or is it, because WWE fans don't care for the latest 2K games?

Exploring SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Iconic Game

If you're unfamiliar, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 signified the franchise's first appearance on the PSP and was the ultimate entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain only on PlayStation. The game shifted the franchise toward greater realism and authenticity, departing from the arcade-style feel of earlier titles. It brought in a new momentum bar that controlled the flow of a match, taking the place of the previous "clean/dirty" and "SmackDown!" meters. Players could decide to wrestle “clean” as a face or “dirty” as a heel, with a endurance feature that decreased as matches grew more intense; more elaborate moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 finally became the best-selling PlayStation 2 installment in the entire series.

Progression of the Line

The line started with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and carried on as an regular release, except in 2021. It remained a only on PlayStation until WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, which brought the franchise to additional platforms. In 2013, the series was rebranded as WWE 2K, starting with WWE 2K14.

Innovations and Special Content

Previously, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games were top-tier and felt like an evolution of titles from the N64 era, due to improved graphics. When the franchise moved to PlayStation 2, that feeling only heightened as titles with crisp visuals, new gaming modes, and story-driven storylines were gradually introduced.

The PSP edition of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 adds modes not found on its PS2 equivalent, including three unique side games available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," tests players with 500 wrestling questions encompassing everything from music and finishers to history and feuds, at times using audio clips or video snippets. The other two minigames are a poker game and "Eugene’s Airplane," where players direct Eugene (whose gimmick is being an developmentally disabled wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Sentiment and Impact

The older SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very eccentric, even when they sought more realistic gameplay. The franchise transitioned toward complete simulations with the 2K games, lacking the innovative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also functioned as snapshots of some of our favorite eras of wrestling.

It's possible fans are nostalgic for a alike, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Maybe the pleasure of seeing a celebrity paying tribute to the greatness of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks cheer for Yachty. Alternatively SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was truly exceptional, and represents an similarly great era of wrestling, one that was dominated by John Cena, who will bow out from in-ring competition on Dec. 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.