Retro Grappling Game Grabs the Spotlight at Cena's Ultimate Monday Night Raw Show
The November 17 installment of Monday Night Raw aired on Netflix featured Cena's ultimate performance on the show as an competing wrestler. Moreover experienced the reappearance and showdown between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as they teamed up with their respective groups for the approaching 5-on-5 match at WarGames. Among the excitement were unexpected moments like AJ Lee supporting Maxxine Dupri secure the women's Intercontinental Championship, and Dolph Ziggler making a comeback. In such a packed Madison Square Garden event, the attention was grabbed by Lil Yachty, when he showed off his silver PSP for the camera, revealing he was playing SmackDown! vs Raw 2006.
Popular Moment: The Rapper and His Portable Console
Despite 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 portable system? Is it because people nostalgically recall the brilliance of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise? Or perhaps, because WWE fans have little enthusiasm for the more recent 2K games?
Examining SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006: A Iconic Game
For those who don't know, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 represented the series' first appearance on the PSP and was the final entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw line to remain PlayStation-exclusive. The game shifted the franchise toward greater realism and authenticity, moving away from the fast-paced feel of earlier titles. It added a new momentum meter that governed the flow of a match, replacing the previous "clean/dirty" and "SmackDown!" meters. Players could opt to wrestle “clean” as a face or “dirty” as a heel, with a stamina system that decreased as matches grew more intense; showier moves meant faster fatigue. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 ultimately became the most popular PlayStation 2 installment in the entire series.
Progression of the Franchise
The line began with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation and persisted as an regular release, except in 2021. It remained a PlayStation exclusive until WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, which introduced the franchise to other platforms. In 2013, the series was renamed as WWE 2K, commencing with WWE 2K14.
Features and Exclusive Elements
In the past, the SmackDown! vs. Raw games dominated and appeared as an evolution of titles from the N64 era, thanks to upgraded graphics. When the franchise moved to PlayStation 2, that feeling only intensified as titles with sharp visuals, new gaming modes, and RPG storylines were steadily introduced.
The PSP release of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 features modes not found on its PS2 counterpart, including three exclusive mini-games available from the start. The first, "WWE Game Show," challenges players with 500 wrestling questions covering 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 character is being an special needs wrestling savant) around the ring as quickly as possible.
Retro Appeal and Legacy
The previous SmackDown! vs. Raw games were very zany, even when they aimed for more realistic gameplay. The franchise moved toward full-on simulations with the 2K games, devoid of the innovative ideas of their predecessors. But the older titles also functioned as reminders of some of our beloved eras of wrestling.
Maybe fans are sentimental for a similar, more "fun-based" time in their wrestling games. It could be the joy of seeing a celebrity paying tribute to the brilliance of the PSP, like the rest of the internet does, is what made folks applaud Yachty. Alternatively SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 was genuinely outstanding, and reflects an just as great era of wrestling, one that was led by John Cena, who will retire from in-ring competition on the 13th of December, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.