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The 17th of November edition of Monday Night Raw streamed on Netflix featured Cena's last appearance on the show as an competing wrestler. Additionally experienced the comeback and confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they aligned with their respective groups for the upcoming 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Among the thrills were surprises like AJ Lee helping Maxxine Dupri claim the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler returning. In such a jam-packed Madison Square Garden event, the focus was grabbed by Lil Yachty, when he presented his silver PSP for the camera, revealing he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Trending Incident: Lil Yachty and His Portable Console

Regardless of everything that went down on this memorable Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that became a sensation. Could it be because of society's enduring love for Sony's mobile device? Might it be because people nostalgically recall the greatness 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 Iconic Title

Uninitiated fans, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 marked the franchise's debut on the PSP and was the ultimate entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain only on PlayStation. The game moved the franchise toward greater realism and authenticity, steering clear of the arcade-like feel of earlier titles. It added a new momentum gauge that controlled the flow of a match, taking the place of the previous "clean/dirty" and "SmackDown!" meters. Players could opt to wrestle “clean” as a face or “dirty” as a heel, with a stamina mechanic that drained as matches grew more intense; flashier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 eventually became the most popular PlayStation 2 installment in the entire series.

Progression of the Franchise

The franchise commenced with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and persisted as an yearly release, except 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, beginning with WWE 2K14.

Features and Exclusive Modes

Back in the day, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games reigned supreme and appeared as an advancement of titles from the N64 era, because of enhanced graphics. When the franchise transitioned to PlayStation 2, that impression only intensified as titles with sharp visuals, new gaming modes, and role-playing storylines were gradually introduced.

The PSP release of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 includes modes not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three special side games available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," challenges players with 500 wrestling questions encompassing 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 direct Eugene (whose gimmick is being an special needs wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Nostalgia and Heritage

The previous SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very eccentric, even when they targeted more realistic gameplay. The franchise moved toward total simulations with the 2K games, devoid of the out-of-the-box ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also acted as reminders of some of our cherished eras of wrestling.

Perhaps fans are nostalgic for a alike, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. It could be the joy of seeing a celebrity celebrating the brilliance of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks applaud Yachty. Or perhaps SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was really that great, and represents an similarly great era of wrestling, one that was ruled by John Cena, who will step away from in-ring competition on Dec. 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.