Retro Wrestling Video Game Steals the Spotlight at Cena's Last Monday Night Raw Show

The 17th of November episode of Monday Night Raw streamed on Netflix included Cena's final appearance on the program as an active wrestler. It also experienced the return and confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they teamed up with their individual groups for the upcoming 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 spectacle, 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: The Rapper and His Handheld Device

Despite everything that went down on this memorable Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Is it because of pop culture's undying love for Sony's portable system? Is it because people fondly remember the greatness of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Alternatively, because WWE fans aren't interested in the more recent 2K games?

Exploring SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Timeless Game

If you're unfamiliar, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 represented the franchise's introduction on the PSP and was the final entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain PlayStation-exclusive. The game shifted the franchise toward more realism and authenticity, departing from the arcade-style feel of earlier titles. It added a new momentum meter 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 endurance feature that decreased as matches grew more intense; more elaborate moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 ultimately became the best-selling PlayStation 2 installment in the entire series.

Progression of the Franchise

The franchise began with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and continued as an regular release, excluding in 2021. It remained a exclusive to PlayStation until WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, which expanded the franchise to other platforms. In 2013, the series was rebranded as WWE 2K, commencing with WWE 2K14.

Innovations and Special Modes

Back in the day, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games dominated and felt like an progression of titles from the N64 era, thanks to enhanced graphics. When the franchise moved to PlayStation 2, that impression only intensified as titles with sharp visuals, new gaming modes, and story-driven storylines were consistently introduced.

The PSP release of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 features features not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three exclusive minigames available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," tests 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 character is being an special needs wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Sentiment and Heritage

The previous SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very whacky, even when they sought more realistic gameplay. The franchise moved toward complete simulations with the 2K games, lacking the out-of-the-box ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also functioned as snapshots of some of our favorite eras of wrestling.

Maybe fans are nostalgic for a similar, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Perhaps the joy of seeing a celebrity honoring the brilliance of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks clamor for Yachty. Or perhaps SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was really that great, and represents an just as great era of wrestling, one that was dominated by John Cena, who will retire from in-ring competition on the 13th of December, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.