The 17th of November installment of Monday Night Raw aired on Netflix included John Cena's ultimate performance on the program as an competing wrestler. It also saw the comeback and face-off between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they aligned with their respective groups for the approaching 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Wedged in between the excitement were unexpected moments like AJ Lee supporting Maxxine Dupri claim the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler making a comeback. In such a packed Madison Square Garden spectacle, the focus was stolen by Lil Yachty, when he showed off his silver PSP for the camera, indicating he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.
Regardless of everything that transpired on this landmark Raw, it was Lil Yachty and his PSP that went viral. Is it because of pop culture's lasting love for Sony's handheld console? Could it be because people nostalgically recall the brilliance of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans don't care for the more recent 2K games?
For those who don't know, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 marked the franchise's introduction on the PSP and was the last entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain exclusive to PlayStation. The game moved 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, replacing the previous "clean/dirty" and "SmackDown!" meters. Players could choose to wrestle “clean” as a face or “dirty” as a heel, with a stamina mechanic that drained as matches grew more intense; showier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 ultimately became the best-selling PlayStation 2 installment in the entire series.
The series started with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and persisted as an annual release, aside from in 2021. It remained a only on PlayStation until WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, which expanded the franchise to additional platforms. In 2013, the series was rebranded as WWE 2K, commencing with WWE 2K14.
Back in the day, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games dominated and seemed like an advancement of titles from the N64 era, due to enhanced graphics. When the franchise transitioned to PlayStation 2, that impression only strengthened as titles with crisp visuals, new gaming modes, and role-playing storylines were consistently introduced.
The PSP release of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 includes elements not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three special minigames available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," quizzes 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 guide Eugene (whose gimmick is being an special needs wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.
The previous SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very eccentric, even when they aimed for more realistic gameplay. The franchise shifted toward total simulations with the 2K games, devoid of the creative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also acted as snapshots of some of our beloved eras of wrestling.
Perhaps fans are sentimental for a alike, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. Perhaps the pleasure of seeing a celebrity celebrating the brilliance of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks cheer for Yachty. Or perhaps SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was genuinely outstanding, and reflects an equally great era of wrestling, one that was dominated by John Cena, who will bow out from in-ring competition on Dec. 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
