Vintage Wrestling Game Grabs the Limelight at John Cena's Ultimate Monday Night Raw Appearance

The Nov. 17 installment of Monday Night Raw streamed on Netflix featured Cena's final appearance on the show as an competing wrestler. It also experienced the comeback and confrontation between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they joined their respective groups for the approaching 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Among the excitement were unexpected moments like AJ Lee supporting Maxxine Dupri win the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler making a comeback. In such a jam-packed Madison Square Garden event, the spotlight was taken by Lil Yachty, when he showed off his silver PSP for the camera, revealing he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.

Trending Incident: The Rapper and His PSP

In spite of everything that transpired on this memorable Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that trended online. Is it because of pop culture's undying love for Sony's handheld console? Could it be because people nostalgically recall the excellence of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans aren't interested in the more recent 2K games?

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

For those who don't know, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 represented the series' introduction on the PSP and was the final entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain PlayStation-exclusive. The game moved the franchise toward more realism and authenticity, steering clear of the arcade-style feel of earlier titles. It introduced a new momentum meter that controlled the flow of a match, substituting for 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 decreased as matches grew more intense; more elaborate moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 eventually became the best-selling PlayStation 2 entry in the entire series.

Evolution of the Line

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

Features and Special Modes

Previously, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games were top-tier and appeared as an evolution of titles from the N64 era, thanks to enhanced graphics. When the franchise moved to PlayStation 2, that sensation only heightened as titles with sharp visuals, new gaming modes, and story-driven storylines were consistently introduced.

The PSP version of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 includes features not found on its PS2 equivalent, including three special minigames 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 steer Eugene (whose character is being an developmentally disabled wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.

Retro Appeal and Impact

The earlier SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very whacky, even when they sought more realistic gameplay. The franchise moved toward total simulations with the 2K games, devoid of the innovative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also served as reminders of some of our cherished eras of wrestling.

Perhaps fans are longing for a alike, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Maybe the delight of seeing a celebrity honoring the greatness of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks applaud Yachty. Or perhaps SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was genuinely outstanding, and reflects an just as 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.