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The Nov. 17 episode of Monday Night Raw broadcast on Netflix included Cena's ultimate appearance on the program as an competing wrestler. Moreover experienced the comeback and confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they teamed up with their respective groups for the approaching 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Among the excitement were shockers like AJ Lee assisting Maxxine Dupri win the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler returning. In such a packed Madison Square Garden event, the spotlight was grabbed by Lil Yachty, when he displayed his silver PSP for the camera, indicating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Trending Moment: Lil Yachty and His Handheld Device

Despite everything that happened on this memorable Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Could it be because of the public's lasting love for Sony's portable system? Could it be because people cherish the memory of the excellence of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Alternatively, because WWE fans don't care for the latest 2K games?

Examining SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Classic Game

Uninitiated fans, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 marked the series' introduction on the PSP and was the ultimate entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain only on PlayStation. The game shifted the franchise toward increased realism and authenticity, departing from the arcade-like feel of earlier titles. It introduced a new momentum meter that controlled the flow of a match, replacing 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; flashier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 ultimately became the best-selling PlayStation 2 release in the entire series.

Evolution of the Line

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

Features and Unique Content

In the past, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games reigned supreme and appeared as an evolution of titles from the N64 era, thanks to upgraded graphics. When the franchise transitioned to PlayStation 2, that impression only strengthened as titles with clear visuals, new gaming modes, and story-driven storylines were consistently introduced.

The PSP edition of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 features modes not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three unique mini-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 steer Eugene (whose character is being an developmentally disabled wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Nostalgia and Legacy

The older SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very zany, even when they targeted more realistic gameplay. The franchise shifted toward total simulations with the 2K games, lacking the innovative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also acted as time capsules of some of our favorite eras of wrestling.

Perhaps fans are longing for a comparable, 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 applaud Yachty. Otherwise SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was genuinely outstanding, and mirrors an similarly great era of wrestling, one that was ruled by John Cena, who will step away from in-ring competition on the 13th of December, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.