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The 17th of November installment of Monday Night Raw streamed on Netflix featured John Cena's ultimate performance on the program as an competing wrestler. Moreover saw the reappearance and face-off between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they aligned with their respective groups for the forthcoming 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Amidst the thrills were shockers like AJ Lee assisting Maxxine Dupri claim the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler making a comeback. In such a crowded Madison Square Garden event, the attention was taken by Lil Yachty, when he displayed his silver PSP for the camera, demonstrating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Viral Incident: Lil Yachty and His Handheld Device

In spite of everything that went down on this historic Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Is it because of the public's lasting love for Sony's mobile device? Could it be because people fondly remember the greatness of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans don't care for the newer 2K games?

Examining SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Iconic Game

Uninitiated fans, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 represented the series' debut 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 gauge that controlled 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 stamina system that decreased as matches grew more intense; showier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 eventually became the best-selling PlayStation 2 entry in the entire series.

Evolution of the Franchise

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

Innovations and Exclusive Elements

Previously, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games dominated and seemed like an evolution of titles from the N64 era, due to enhanced graphics. When the franchise shifted to PlayStation 2, that feeling only intensified as titles with sharp visuals, new gaming modes, and story-driven storylines were consistently introduced.

The PSP edition of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 includes features not found on its PS2 version, including three special minigames available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," tests 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 developmentally disabled wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Retro Appeal and Impact

The earlier SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very eccentric, even when they aimed for more realistic gameplay. The franchise shifted toward complete simulations with the 2K games, lacking the out-of-the-box ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also acted as time capsules of some of our favorite eras of wrestling.

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