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The Nov. 17 installment of Monday Night Raw broadcast on Netflix featured Cena's final appearance on the show as an active wrestler. It also saw the return and confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they aligned with their respective groups for the forthcoming 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 crowded Madison Square Garden spectacle, the focus was grabbed by Lil Yachty, when he displayed his silver PSP for the camera, demonstrating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Trending Moment: Lil Yachty and His Portable Console

Regardless of 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 undying love for Sony's handheld console? Could it be because people fondly remember the brilliance of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans have little enthusiasm for the latest 2K games?

Exploring SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Timeless Game

Uninitiated fans, 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 only on PlayStation. The game transitioned the franchise toward increased realism and authenticity, moving away from the arcade-like feel of earlier titles. It introduced a new momentum meter that dictated the flow of a match, substituting for the previous "clean/dirty" and "SmackDown!" meters. Players could decide to wrestle “clean” as a face or “dirty” as a heel, with a stamina mechanic that diminished 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.

Development of the Line

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

Innovations and Special Content

Back in the day, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games reigned supreme and appeared as an progression of titles from the N64 era, due to improved graphics. When the franchise transitioned to PlayStation 2, that feeling only heightened as titles with sharp visuals, new gaming modes, and RPG storylines were steadily introduced.

The PSP edition of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 includes elements not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three exclusive mini-games 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, occasionally 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 Impact

The older SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very zany, even when they sought more realistic gameplay. The franchise moved toward total simulations with the 2K games, missing the out-of-the-box ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also served as time capsules of some of our cherished eras of wrestling.

Perhaps fans are sentimental for a comparable, 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 reflects an similarly great era of wrestling, one that was ruled by John Cena, who will bow out from in-ring competition on Dec. 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.