You cannot play WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It online out of the box. But using a PC, the free PCSX2 emulator, and a program like Parsec, you can absolutely bodyslam your friends from across the country. It takes 20 minutes to set up, but once you hear that "Dangerous" by Busta Rhymes theme kick in during the intro, you’ll realize it was worth every second.
For wrestling fans of a certain age, few sounds are as iconic as the thud of a steel chair or the roar of a sold-out arena mixed with the heavy guitar riffs of a late-90s nu-metal soundtrack. Released in November 2001 for the PlayStation 2, WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It was a watershed moment for wrestling video games. It was the first entry in the legendary Smackdown series to appear exclusively on the PS2, boasting enhanced graphics, full voice acting for the first time, and a massive roster featuring legends like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker.
However, for casual play with a friend who lives relatively close (low ping), the experience is surprisingly fantastic. The sheer nostalgia of pulling off a People’s Elbow or a Stone Cold Stunner against a real human opponent without sharing a couch is intoxicating. You might wonder, "Why not just play the newer WWE 2K games which have native online?"
But more than two decades later, a burning question remains for retro enthusiasts: