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The Nov. 17 installment of Monday Night Raw streamed on Netflix included Cena's last performance on the show as an competing wrestler. Additionally witnessed the reappearance and confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they aligned with their individual groups for the upcoming 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Among the excitement were surprises like AJ Lee supporting Maxxine Dupri secure the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler returning. In such a packed Madison Square Garden event, the focus was taken by Lil Yachty, when he presented his silver PSP for the camera, revealing he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Viral Event: Lil Yachty and His Portable Console

Regardless of everything that went down on this historic Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that trended online. Could it be because of society's lasting love for Sony's handheld console? Is it because people fondly remember the excellence of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans don't care for the more recent 2K games?

Delving Into SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Iconic Release

For those who don't know, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 marked the series' debut on the PSP and was the last entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain only on PlayStation. The game moved the franchise toward more realism and authenticity, steering clear of the arcade-style feel of earlier titles. It introduced a new momentum bar that dictated 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 endurance feature that decreased as matches grew more intense; flashier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 ultimately became the most popular PlayStation 2 installment in the entire series.

Evolution of the Series

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

Innovations and Exclusive Content

Back in the day, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games dominated and felt like an progression of titles from the N64 era, due to upgraded graphics. When the franchise transitioned to PlayStation 2, that sensation only intensified as titles with crisp visuals, new gaming modes, and story-driven storylines were gradually introduced.

The PSP release of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 features features not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three exclusive side games available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," quizzes players with 500 wrestling questions including 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 direct Eugene (whose persona 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 whacky, even when they targeted more realistic gameplay. The franchise transitioned toward total simulations with the 2K games, devoid of the creative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also functioned as reminders of some of our favorite eras of wrestling.

Maybe fans are longing for a similar, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Maybe 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. Alternatively SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was really that great, and represents an similarly great era of wrestling, one that was dominated by John Cena, who will retire from in-ring competition on Dec. 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.