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The November 17 edition of Monday Night Raw streamed on Netflix showcased Cena's ultimate appearance on the show as an active wrestler. It also witnessed the comeback and showdown between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they teamed up with their respective groups for the upcoming 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Among the action were surprises like AJ Lee assisting Maxxine Dupri win the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler returning. In such a jam-packed Madison Square Garden spectacle, the attention was stolen by Lil Yachty, when he displayed his silver PSP for the camera, demonstrating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Viral Moment: Lil Yachty and His PSP

Regardless of everything that went down on this historic Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Is it because of pop culture's lasting love for Sony's portable system? Could it be because people fondly remember the brilliance of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Alternatively, because WWE fans aren't interested in the more recent 2K games?

Delving Into SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Classic 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 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 gauge that governed the flow of a match, substituting for the previous "clean/dirty" and "SmackDown!" meters. Players could opt to wrestle “clean” as a face or “dirty” as a heel, with a stamina system that decreased as matches grew more intense; more elaborate moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 finally became the top-selling PlayStation 2 installment in the entire series.

Progression of the Series

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

Innovations and Unique Modes

Back in the day, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games reigned supreme and felt like an evolution of titles from the N64 era, because of improved graphics. When the franchise shifted to PlayStation 2, that impression only heightened as titles with sharp visuals, new gaming modes, and RPG storylines were consistently introduced.

The PSP edition of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 features features not found on its PS2 version, including three exclusive minigames 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, occasionally using audio clips or video snippets. The other two minigames are a poker game and "Eugene’s Airplane," where players steer Eugene (whose gimmick is being an special needs wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Retro Appeal and Impact

The previous SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very zany, even when they aimed for more realistic gameplay. The franchise moved toward full-on simulations with the 2K games, devoid of the innovative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also served as snapshots of some of our beloved eras of wrestling.

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