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The 17th of November installment of Monday Night Raw aired on Netflix included John Cena's last appearance on the show as an active wrestler. Additionally witnessed the reappearance and face-off between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they teamed up with their individual groups for the forthcoming 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Wedged in between the thrills were surprises like AJ Lee supporting Maxxine Dupri secure the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler making a comeback. In such a 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.

Trending Incident: Lil Yachty and His Portable Console

Regardless of everything that happened on this historic Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Could it be because of pop culture's enduring love for Sony's mobile device? Is it because people fondly remember the brilliance of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans have little enthusiasm for the newer 2K games?

Exploring SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Classic Release

Uninitiated fans, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 marked the franchise's debut on the PSP and was the ultimate entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain exclusive to PlayStation. The game moved the franchise toward more realism and authenticity, moving away from the arcade-style feel of earlier titles. It added a new momentum gauge that governed 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 diminished as matches grew more intense; flashier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 ultimately became the best-selling PlayStation 2 installment in the entire series.

Progression of the Line

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

Features and Exclusive Modes

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

The PSP release of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 adds modes not found on its PS2 equivalent, including three special side games available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," challenges players with 500 wrestling questions including 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 guide Eugene (whose character is being an developmentally disabled wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Retro Appeal and Heritage

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

It's possible fans are nostalgic for a comparable, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Perhaps the pleasure of seeing a celebrity honoring the brilliance of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks applaud Yachty. Otherwise SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was really that great, and reflects an equally 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.