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The November 17 edition of Monday Night Raw streamed on Netflix featured Cena's ultimate appearance on the show as an active wrestler. It also witnessed the reappearance and showdown between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they aligned with their respective groups for the approaching 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Amidst the excitement were surprises like AJ Lee assisting Maxxine Dupri win the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler reappearing. In such a crowded Madison Square Garden event, the focus was stolen by Lil Yachty, when he showed off his silver PSP for the camera, indicating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Trending Moment: The Rapper and His Portable Console

In spite of everything that went down on this landmark Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that became a sensation. Is it because of the public's lasting love for Sony's handheld console? Could it be because people fondly remember the excellence of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Alternatively, because WWE fans aren't interested in the newer 2K games?

Exploring SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Timeless Title

Uninitiated fans, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 represented 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 shifted the franchise toward increased realism and authenticity, departing from the arcade-like feel of earlier titles. It added a new momentum gauge that controlled the flow of a match, substituting for 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 decreased as matches grew more intense; more elaborate moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 ultimately became the top-selling PlayStation 2 release in the entire series.

Development of the Line

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

Features and Special Elements

Back in the day, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games were top-tier and appeared as an evolution of titles from the N64 era, thanks to improved graphics. When the franchise transitioned to PlayStation 2, that sensation only intensified as titles with crisp visuals, new gaming modes, and RPG storylines were consistently introduced.

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

Sentiment and Heritage

The older SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very zany, even when they targeted more realistic gameplay. The franchise moved toward complete simulations with the 2K games, missing the innovative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also acted as time capsules of some of our favorite 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 brilliance of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks clamor for Yachty. Alternatively SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was truly exceptional, and represents an similarly great era of wrestling, one that was dominated by John Cena, who will bow out from in-ring competition on December 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.