Top 5: Annoying Crowd Reactions

I think we all can agree that one of the biggest obstacles to enjoying pro wrestling in 2018 is other wrestling fans. Social media is bad enough, as everybody with an account can express their terrible views on everything & shout down those of us that think rationally. Even worse? The fans that attend the televised events. It seems like most wrestling crowds insist on making themselves the stars of the show. Now that everybody’s so smart, they have to prove just how smart they are by making hilarious chants & telling us who they like & who they don’t like whenever possible.

The thing most discussed about Sunday’s Extreme Rules? The crowd crapping all over the Seth Rollins/Dolph Ziggler main event match by counting down to zero with the clock at the end of every minute. Rollins & Ziggler are guys that “smart” fans have been asking to main event as long as I can remember. They get the chance, and that’s the treatment they get from the Pittsburgh fans.

Here are the Top 5 Most Annoying Crowd Reactions.

5. What?

We don’t hear this one nearly as much as we used to, which is a good thing. Once upon a time, you couldn’t get through a promo without the crowd chiming in during the pauses. Stone Cold Steve Austin unleashed a beast that nearly swallowed the business whole.

Now it seems like it only happens during foreign-born performers’ promos, which is worse in a lot of ways. Alexa Bliss gets it sometimes too. At least they’re not doing it during the National Anthem, could you imagine how upset the President would get over that nowadays?

4. THIS IS AWESOME

I feel like most of the problems with today’s wrestling crowds can be traced back to whenever the “This is Awesome” chant originated. It was part of a change from fans supporting particular wrestlers to cheering for high spots & cool moves regardless of who was doing them. I know I’m being an old fuddy-duddy here, but I preferred it back in the days when fans at least acted like they were genuinely interested in their favorite wrestlers’ well-being instead of going on about how awesome the whole thing was. I mean, did you hear World Cup crowds chanting “This is Awesome” in their native languages? Of course not.

“You Deserve It” is another one that needs to die a painful death, though I thought it was appropriate twice recently: When Miz gave Dean Ambrose a participation award, and when Tommaso Ciampa got power bombed on the floor by Johnny Gargano. The first one was funny, and the second one was telling a heel they deserved a beating. Good stuff.

3. CM Punk!

He’s not coming back, dudes. Certainly not anytime soon. I was ok with people chanting the Straight Edge Savior’s name soon after he left, and at people like the Authority. It was akin to when WCW fans chanted “We Want Flair” at the 1991 Bash right after the Naitch left the company. It was ok then. Enough time has passed where there’s no real reason to do it.

Let it go!

Any random chant can fit into this category too. You know, the hilarious matches where fans start chanting for announcers & whoever else they can think of, whether it fits the occasion or not. It stopped being funny several years ago but that doesn’t stop some people.

2. Chanting for favorite wrestlers during other matches, then sitting on your hands during their actual match

The loudest “Rusev Day” chant of Sunday night didn’t happen during his match with AJ Styles. It was in the middle of the Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley match. See, the fans wore themselves out during that one, so by the time the Bulgarian Brute was out there wrestling everybody was trying not to fall asleep. Jim Ross credits drinking. I credit the length of the show. Either way it’s not a great look for a crowd.

1. Booing Roman Reigns

I know. You think you’re really cool when you boo WWE’s top star. You’re sticking it to the man! What these fans fail to realize is that by screaming themselves silly during Roman’s match, they’re rendering themselves silent for the rest of the show. If you really wanted to stick it to the man & show that Roman Reigns isn’t a main event level talent, you’d go to the concession stand during his match. Or you’d leave. Better yet, sit on your hands like you do the rest of the night.

But you don’t. You’re the loudest you are all night when Roman Reigns comes out. That’s because he’s the Big Dog. Don’t boo it. Embrace it. You know you’ll end up respecting him in a decade or so anyway.