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The 17th of November edition of Monday Night Raw broadcast on Netflix included Cena's last performance on the program as an competing wrestler. Moreover witnessed the reappearance and showdown between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they joined their individual groups for the forthcoming 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Amidst the action were shockers like AJ Lee supporting Maxxine Dupri claim the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler reappearing. In such a packed Madison Square Garden spectacle, the spotlight was taken by Lil Yachty, when he displayed his silver PSP for the camera, revealing he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Trending Moment: The Rapper and His Portable Console

Regardless of everything that happened on this historic Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that became a sensation. Is it because of society's undying love for Sony's portable system? Is it because people nostalgically recall the excellence of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans have little enthusiasm for the newer 2K games?

Delving Into SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Classic Title

Uninitiated fans, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 represented the franchise's debut on the PSP and was the last entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain only on PlayStation. The game transitioned the franchise toward increased realism and authenticity, departing from the arcade-style feel of earlier titles. It brought in a new momentum gauge that dictated the flow of a match, taking the place of the previous "clean/dirty" and "SmackDown!" meters. Players could opt to wrestle “clean” as a face or “dirty” as a heel, with a endurance feature that drained as matches grew more intense; flashier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 finally became the best-selling PlayStation 2 release in the entire series.

Development of the Series

The franchise started with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and persisted as an regular release, aside from in 2021. It remained a exclusive to PlayStation until WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, which introduced the franchise to additional platforms. In 2013, the series was renamed as WWE 2K, commencing with WWE 2K14.

Innovations and Special Elements

In the past, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games dominated and felt like an advancement of titles from the N64 era, because of upgraded graphics. When the franchise transitioned to PlayStation 2, that impression only heightened as titles with sharp visuals, new gaming modes, and role-playing storylines were consistently introduced.

The PSP release of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 features modes not found on its PS2 version, including three special mini-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, sometimes 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 intellectually challenged wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Sentiment and Heritage

The previous SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very eccentric, even when they sought more realistic gameplay. The franchise transitioned toward full-on simulations with the 2K games, lacking the creative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also served as reminders of some of our cherished eras of wrestling.

It's possible fans are longing for a alike, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Maybe the delight of seeing a celebrity paying tribute to the brilliance of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks cheer for Yachty. Otherwise SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was genuinely outstanding, and mirrors an equally great era of wrestling, one that was led by John Cena, who will step away from in-ring competition on Dec. 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.