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The 17th of November episode of Monday Night Raw aired on Netflix featured John Cena's ultimate performance on the show as an active wrestler. Moreover experienced the return and face-off between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they joined their individual groups for the upcoming 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Amidst the thrills were unexpected moments like AJ Lee assisting Maxxine Dupri claim the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler returning. In such a packed Madison Square Garden show, the focus was grabbed by Lil Yachty, when he displayed his silver PSP for the camera, indicating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Trending Moment: The Rapper and His Portable Console

Despite everything that went down on this landmark Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Might it be because of society's undying love for Sony's portable system? Could it be because people nostalgically recall the brilliance of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or is it, because WWE fans don't care for the latest 2K games?

Delving Into SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Classic Title

For those who don't know, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 signified the series' first appearance on the PSP and was the final entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain only on PlayStation. The game shifted the franchise toward more realism and authenticity, moving away from the arcade-style feel of earlier titles. It added a new momentum bar 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 decreased as matches grew more intense; showier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 eventually became the most popular PlayStation 2 release in the entire series.

Progression of the Series

The line began with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and carried on as an yearly release, excluding in 2021. It remained a exclusive to PlayStation until WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, which brought the franchise to additional platforms. In 2013, the series was renamed as WWE 2K, starting with WWE 2K14.

Gameplay and Unique Modes

Previously, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games reigned supreme and felt like an evolution of titles from the N64 era, due to upgraded graphics. When the franchise moved to PlayStation 2, that feeling only strengthened as titles with clear visuals, new gaming modes, and RPG storylines were consistently introduced.

The PSP edition of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 includes features not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three special mini-games available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," quizzes 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 persona is being an special needs wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Nostalgia and Heritage

The earlier SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very zany, even when they aimed for more realistic gameplay. The franchise shifted toward complete simulations with the 2K games, lacking the creative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also functioned as snapshots of some of our favorite eras of wrestling.

It's possible fans are sentimental for a similar, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Maybe the delight of seeing a celebrity paying tribute to the greatness of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks cheer for Yachty. Or perhaps SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was really that great, and mirrors an equally 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.