It’s time for a small rant, with the targets in question being, the fans.
Now here me out, I don’t mean all fans, I mean that selection of fans that feel they need to be the centre of attention at every show.
There are some great WWE fans out there, and fans of pro wrestling in general, and quite frankly wrestling fans are some of the most passionate fans of any type of entertainment in the world.
My problem, are those that try to distract from the performers. Yes, WWE fans pay their money to go to a show, so they have every right to chant, as long as it runs with the theme of the show.
It pisses me off so much when during a match these so called ‘fans’ start chanting for other superstars, or showing a complete lack of respect for what’s going on in the ring. These wrestlers go out there every single night to put on a show for YOU and all of US, and I think it’s disgraceful that there are some people that think it’s okay to disregard them.
If you’re watching Alberto Del Rio in the ring, don’t chant for CM Punk, if you’re watching a match between Becky Lynch and Natalya, don’t chant ‘we want Sasha’ when Sasha Banks has no relevance to their feud. It undermines the performers doing their jobs, and you are essentially deeming them not good enough for your viewing and that you’d rather see someone else.
I love Sasha Banks, but under no circumstances do I deem it acceptable to chant her name during other people’s matches, unless of course she was involved in a programme with them.
March 30, 2015 – San Jose, CA, USA – Fans chant, ”Yes, Yes, Yes,” during Daniel Bryan’s match at the WrestleMania event at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, March 29, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif
See I have no problem with things such as “You sold out!” at Seth Rollins, or chanting along with Sami Zayn’s entrance music, or fan chants that taunt the person in the ring. That is fan interaction which enhances the show and draws heat/reaction to the superstars. This is not the problem. Fans trying to steal the attention from what’s going on in the ring is the issue.
I’m sure you’ve all seen the human feces that is ‘Brock Lesnar Guy’. Let me tell you first hand, this guy is a complete and utter tool. He thinks that because he sits camera side at WWE shows he’s part of the show, when in honesty most people are sick of seeing his generic looking face wearing that stupid unwashed t-shirt.
There was a promo recently where unfortunately, his face was in the shot of two superstars cutting a promo, and he just HAD to try and take the attention away by pulling the most stupid faces in the background.
Another unfortunate fact is that this guy has recently been attending NXT shows pulling the same sort of stunts, and NXT fans are known for being great and all about the wrestling and what’s going on in the ring.
Do you honestly think people like Tye Dillinger would be half as over if we have idiots like this ‘Brock Lesnar Guy’ specimen chanting for Finn Balor during his matches? Absolutely not. The reason NXT fans are so great is because everything put in that ring they get behind, even if it’s two superstars they don’t know very well, they’ll choose a favourite and chant for them, or they’ll decide who they don’t like, and boo them. This helps the overall show, and makes the programme all about the performers.
Let me take you back to 2014, in particular, Batista.
Yes, he was badly booked, and to bring him back as a face when he’s one of the best heels in the business was a terrible idea from the off, but what was even worse is the way the fans treated him. I’m not even talking about the Royal Rumble 2014 where he was booed simply because the fans wanted Daniel Bryan instead.
The “What?” chant has run its course now, in fact, it ran its course about 10 years ago. Many superstars have said it’s the most irritating chant ever, simply because of it’s lack of respect to what’s going on in the ring.
I remember Batista trying to cut a promo on Triple H, and instead of listening to what was quite an important part of the storyline and future programming between the two, the fans chanted “What?” after every sentence, adamant that they weren’t going to listen to a word.
Batista actually put on some fantastic matches with Dolph Ziggler, but they’ve pretty much slipped under the radar which is a travesty, and this is because fans were more interested in the colour of Batista’s attire (it was blue, in case you forgot), than what was actually a thoroughly entertaining match.
It’s almost like some fans don’t care about what’s going on in the ring, they have their own minds made up of what they want to see, and if they’re not seeing it then they’ll continue to try and ‘hijack’ the show.
I find the majority of these so called ‘fans’ are behaving almost like spoiled brats, if they don’t get their own way, they rebel.
Of course I don’t need to go into how ridiculous the treatment of Roman Reigns is, but in reality, fans trying to spite WWE for ‘forcing Roman upon them’ has actually backfired, as it creates such a huge reaction for Reigns, it keeps him relevant.
I really dread the day that the fans turn on Enzo Amore & Big Cass and we have to suffer
“My name is Enzo Amore..”
“WHAT?!”
“And I am a certified G and a bonafide stud, and you can’t teach that”
“WHAT?!”
That wouldn’t help bring heel heat to them, that’d kill them off. It’d pretty much send a message to WWE management that they aren’t interested in them at all. Not to say those guys couldn’t be great heels, you’ve seen their work on the main roster, it’s fantastic, but the fans could bury them.
Typically, the RAW after Wrestlemania crowds are very lively and are prime candidates for ‘hijacking’ the show, but you can’t help but enjoy it. It’s on the back of Wrestlemania, everyone is still on a high, and it creates a great buzz and atmosphere.
It’s almost come to be expected, but when it comes to disrespecting talent, that is not ok.
I was at the RAW in San Jose where the “You Look Stupid” chants at Sheamus were born, and that helped his character, it drew heat to him. On the flip side to that “Please retire” chants at Big Show are disgusting, and no superstar should ever have to receive that sort of ill-mannered and rude chant. These guys leave their families for long periods of time to entertain us, and they shouldn’t have to put up with such discourteous behaviour.
If fans are going to chant, great, excellent, it’s fantastic when a superstar enters to a large chorus of boo’s or cheers, much better than having no reaction at all.
The problem is with chanting against the superstars, and basically trying to be the centre of attention.
There are a lot of wrestling fans out there, just because you have no interest in watching some of the matches, doesn’t mean you can take away the experience from those around you. Don’t be selfish, be a fan.
I recommend you listen to a recent interview with Batista here (click), in which he gives his brutally honest opinions on the fans of today and how they try to be the show rather than watch it.
Do you agree? Are fans trying to take away the spotlight from the superstars?
Leave a comment below
or
Tweet me @kieranthekiz
Recent Comments