🔗 Share this article

The 17th of November episode of Monday Night Raw aired on Netflix showcased Cena's ultimate performance on the program as an competing wrestler. Additionally experienced the reappearance and face-off between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they joined their individual groups for the forthcoming 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Among the excitement were surprises like AJ Lee supporting Maxxine Dupri win the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler reappearing. In such a packed Madison Square Garden spectacle, the focus was stolen by Lil Yachty, when he displayed his silver PSP for the camera, indicating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Trending Incident: Lil Yachty and His PSP

Regardless of everything that happened on this landmark Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Could it be because of pop culture's lasting love for Sony's handheld console? Might it be because people cherish the memory of the excellence of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans don't care for the more recent 2K games?

Exploring SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Classic Title

For those who don't know, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 signified the franchise's introduction on the PSP and was the last entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain exclusive to PlayStation. The game transitioned the franchise toward greater realism and authenticity, moving away from the fast-paced feel of earlier titles. It added a new momentum bar that governed 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 diminished as matches grew more intense; flashier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 finally became the most popular PlayStation 2 release in the entire series.

Development of the Franchise

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

Innovations and Exclusive Elements

In the past, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games were top-tier and felt like an advancement of titles from the N64 era, thanks to improved graphics. When the franchise transitioned to PlayStation 2, that feeling only strengthened as titles with crisp visuals, new gaming modes, and role-playing storylines were consistently introduced.

The PSP version of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 includes modes not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three unique 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, at times 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 developmentally disabled wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Sentiment and Heritage

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, missing the creative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also acted as snapshots of some of our cherished eras of wrestling.

Maybe fans are nostalgic for a alike, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Perhaps the delight of seeing a celebrity paying tribute to the excellence of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks clamor for Yachty. Or perhaps SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was genuinely outstanding, and mirrors an similarly great era of wrestling, one that was dominated by John Cena, who will retire from in-ring competition on the 13th of December, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.