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The November 17 episode of Monday Night Raw broadcast on Netflix featured John Cena's ultimate appearance on the show as an competing wrestler. It also saw the comeback and face-off between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they joined their respective groups for the forthcoming 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Among the excitement were unexpected moments like AJ Lee assisting Maxxine Dupri secure the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler reappearing. In such a jam-packed Madison Square Garden spectacle, the focus was taken by Lil Yachty, when he displayed his silver PSP for the camera, indicating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Viral Incident: The Rapper and His PSP

Despite everything that went down on this historic Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Is it because of society's enduring love for Sony's handheld console? Might it be because people fondly remember the brilliance of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Alternatively, because WWE fans don't care for the more recent 2K games?

Delving Into SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Timeless Release

For those who don't know, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 signified the franchise's introduction on the PSP and was the ultimate entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain exclusive to PlayStation. The game transitioned the franchise toward more realism and authenticity, steering clear of the fast-paced feel of earlier titles. It introduced a new momentum bar that controlled the flow of a match, taking the place of 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 finally became the top-selling PlayStation 2 installment in the entire series.

Development of the Line

The line commenced with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and carried on as an annual release, aside from 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 Unique Content

Back in the day, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games dominated and seemed like an advancement of titles from the N64 era, because of improved graphics. When the franchise moved to PlayStation 2, that impression only strengthened as titles with crisp visuals, new gaming modes, and role-playing storylines were consistently introduced.

The PSP release of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 includes modes not found on its PS2 equivalent, including three special 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, at times using audio clips or video snippets. The other two minigames are a poker game and "Eugene’s Airplane," where players direct Eugene (whose character is being an special needs wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Retro Appeal and Heritage

The older SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very eccentric, even when they sought more realistic gameplay. The franchise transitioned toward complete 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 cherished eras of wrestling.

Maybe fans are sentimental for a comparable, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. It could be the joy of seeing a celebrity paying tribute to the greatness 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 represents an similarly great era of wrestling, one that was ruled by John Cena, who will bow out from in-ring competition on the 13th of December, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.