Today's WWE crowds are contributing to ruining the show

[smagfx]

I was at the SmackDown!/ECW tapings back in november in england and I was sat next to a kid who couldn't have been much older than 15. When Regals music hit, half the crowd (including the kid next to me) booed. I was one of the frustrated few long time fans who chanted Regals name over and over showing him support for our countryman's efforts. I remember watching the very start of Regals WWF/E career and I respect the guy. Now Regal is a heel in any other context but twice a year he'll come to the UK and when he does he gets treated like a face simply because we can. Likewise, Batista had just turned heel yet Washington cheered.

I guess in my 2 cents I would say its all about the motivation for cheering/booing superstars. Hometown hero? You're gunna get cheered. I would agree with 'Gully' the crowd makes the match. How many people would have sat at home and screamed at the TV when HBK kicked out Taker's first tombstone at WM25 if there wasn't any crowd reaction?

The whole 'WHAT?!' chants were amazingly comical in interviews with Austin, he played with the crowd and it was a way for the crowd to interact with his character. But that's it. Same applies for The Rock, we as fans love to finish his catchphrases, heel or face. But whilst on the topic think about Angle's entrance in wwe, everytime the fans chanted 'You Suck' heel or face. It was just a way for the audience to participant and get more into it.

 

[wrestlingfan2]

I don't post on this site often, but after reading this thread I felt I should, Wrestlingfan2 that had to be one of the most holier-than-thou posts I have ever seen. Who are you to judge who is ok to cheer for and who isn't!? The crowd in Minnesota was great, Cena isn't over in every single arena, are you going to bitch and moan when Madison Square Garden chants the same thing? No. Personally, Orton is one of my favorites and I will cheer for him regardless if he is a heel or a face, I tend to like heels anyway, I know the point is to be the bad guy, but take Star Wars for example, the best characters in that series were the bad guys like Darth Vader and Boba Fett. Most often you find those are the most popular characters. WWE's most interesting figures are their heels, even when you bring up Miz getting cheered. He got cheered because he is just what he says, awesome. He plays his part so well that people like him even though he is a bad guy. Don't talk down to the wrestling community for that, and think that prevalent is too big of a word for most of us... More dynamic crowds like the one in Minneapolis make the show way more interesting, every match gets that much more exciting when the crowd is split. You can sit there like a sheep and only cheer the guys the WWE tells you too and pretend you are having a good time, but I and most the rest of the wrestling fans are going to cheer for our favorites and if they happen to be heels get over it.

Thanks for the comment but I am going to correct you in one aspect. The crowd in Minnesota was HORRIBLE!! They were dead for the most part and I have explained already why they sucked. My dead grandma is more lively than them. Yes, I'd rather see an MSG crowd because they wouldn't cheer for someone like the Miz or Orton. They'd call Miz "gay" and Orton an "a--h---" Once again, I never said that you shouldn't like the heel character. My point is that one can still like that character but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give them the heat they deserve. that's what they want. the heel wants you to boo them. I remember Randy Orton saying himself that you WANTS to be booed and that booing him is a sign that he has done his job. A face is supposed to a certain extent "kiss ass". Stone Cold did it, The Rock did it, and even Hogan.

 

[cole924]

I think wrestlingfan2 makes a very valid point here. The one thing that pisses me off beyond belief is that the idiots who think they are cheering Jericho/Punk/Miz/Orton to pay homage, are actually hurting their characters.

Yes, we know Jericho is one of the best guys in the ring and on the mic. Orton plays his character so well. Punk preaching to the crowd is hilarious. I would love to cheer the guys but when they were here in Pittsburgh, I booed the hell out of 'em. That's what they want out of the crowd. Give them the reaction they deserves. I can guarantee you Jericho doesn't want you to cheer his character. He wants you to boo and get pissed off. So if you are a fan at a live event and you think you are dong a good job cheering some of the heels, then you actually aren't giving the heels enough respect for doing their job.

It's an entertainment business and yes half of the blame should be put on Creative for doing a below average job of keeping us interested. I'm sure it's a harder job than most of us can even imagine. The other half should go directly to the fans for not understanding the point of entertainment. Heath Ledger was tremendous as "The Joker" in The Dark Knight, but you don't cheer him to take down Batman. I know that's a very childish comparison, but it's the only way of relating it to the entertainment industry.

Do these guys a favor. If you believe Jericho is doing a great job, boo him. I'm not telling you that you have to cheer for someone you don't like, just cheer correctly for those you respect.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

There are a couple of things wrong with the points that have been made about "cheering for who you like, and booing who you don't like, regardless if they're a face or heel."

Think of it like this: If you were sitting there watching Star Wars, you might love the character of Lord Sidious. But are you going to cheer for his character? He's a bad guy.

The heels WANT you to boo them. If Chris Jericho posted on this forum right now, and knew the people who are cheering him regardless of his heel status, he'd tell you to quit that shit, because he's supposed to be the bad guy, and you all know it. You don't cheer when someone calls you a parasite and a hypocrite night-after-night. You aren't supposed to know about the real life shit that happens back stage, and that it's fake. Suspension of disbelief, ladies and gentlemen, works now more than ever.

It also ruins the show for people who don't watch the product regularly, but want to get into it, and they have no idea who the bad guy is because there are people who go to televised events and start chanting "Y2J" every time DX comes out.

Ted DiBiase was right when he started speeding through the pauses in his sentences. It's a smart way to shut up all the mouth breathing idiots who show up at shows with the intention of screaming 'WHAT!?" every time someone tries to cut a promo.

Sure, free country, and all, and I know you anarchist kiddies just hate the idea of doing what a corporation tells you to do, but you're ruining the show. The WWE doesn't have face and heel characters as a way of controlling the audience, really. They do it because it makes for an interesting show, and you people ruin it.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I look at it like this. If the WWE had enough top-notch faces, people WOULD cheer for faces and boo heels, the way it is supposed to be done. So how about, for a change, Vinny Mac takes a look at his product and says "Holy shit, I don't have ANY main event faces, outside of Cena...who sucks ass." Honestly, people in the crowd are cheering for who they think the greatest wrestlers are. If the WWE would step up their game creatively have a few faces who were worth cheering for, it would happen. What faces do they have that ppl want to cheer for? What face in the company, besides Cena (who isn't getting the job done anyway), can the WWE rest their hopes on for getting cheers? Maybe Christian, but Vince keeps him on ECW, probably still as punishment for leaving to TNA. To boo the heels, you have to have the faces to compliment them, end of story.

 

[Suneeboy]

I hear it at almost every TNA PPV, and on most Impact! Shows. Those guys can wrestle. I’m sure the current crop of guys in the WWE can wrestle as good as the guys in TNA if not better, but will they ever get to showcase it outside of the canned scripted matches that the WWE runs?

Jim Ross said that The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 25 was an “old school” match, and was one that should be studied by all up and comers. It had a certain flow to it that was magical, and being at Wrestlemania just made it that much better. That was wrestling.

AJ vs. Angle on 1/4/10 was a great match. AJ vs. Sting at BFG was also a great match, both yielding “This is Wrestling!” chants.

Will the WWE ever put on matches of that caliber and/or would we ever hear a “This is Wrestling!” chant in the WWE? I think the workers they have are capable of pulling a “This is Wrestling” or “This is Awesome” chant from the crowd…but will they ever perform at that level to get that type of reaction? Is that reaction only reserved for smarks? Maybe it is, but based off what I’ve seen in the past year I am not so sure the WWE is challenging their guys enough to ever have a crowd chant that for them…..

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

Not any time soon.


WWE already IS wrestling according to the mainstream, and it has nothing to prove to anyone. TNA, however, as did ECW and WCW to an extent, has to prove that it is at the same level or in some way superior to WWE. One way to do that is to bash the rival product by trying to put over the one you prefer with chants like "This is wrestling."

The WWE fans play the role of royalty while TNA plays the role of the disgruntled peasant. The disgruntled peasant will do anything to get noticed and gain a following, while the royalty barely acknowledges that the disgruntled peasant exists.

 

[CorporateLewis]

The fans were HORRIBLE on raw. They chanted boring at everything, even during the first few seconds of the match or promo. I dont see why either because it was a good show IMO.

did you guys see the sign saying "BENOIT"?

 

[Dagger Dias]

On Raw, numerous segments were (in my opinion) ruined by the "smarky" crowd that was present at the show in Minnesota. Large groups of people were shouting obsenities, smark-chants, and ridiculous things that interrupted almost all of the live segments that took place during the show.

I think that they go too far when they are shouting obscenities. It's fine if you don't like a wrestler, but its their job to go out there and entertain you, so the fans should show some more respect than this crowd did and never go any further than "(name) sucks!" with their chants for someone they dislike.

As for the loud "Cena sucks" chant.... I liked Cena's reaction. He said something along the lines of "Don't worry about them, just ignore that." and I think that was WWE's (or maybe just Cena's himself) way of telling the Cena-haters that he IS the face of the federation whether they like it or not. Well done, Cena.

So, I ask all of you...

When does having fun at a wrestling show become too much? Is it possible for a live crowd to actually RUIN a wrestling show?

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!! I can think of one time when a crowd completely 100% ruined a show for me. ECW One Night Stand 2006 was ruined for me by the crowd because some of their anti-Cena chants were far too hateful and disrespectful. I can respect someone's opinion if they don't like Cena, but that crowd made me hate Cena-haters.

The crowd need to remain respectful to the wrestlers even if they don't like them because you PAID to go see the show THEY put on for you. Having fun with trying to start or join chants is one thing, but sometimes fans cross the line and it sometimes becomes rude enough to ruin parts of the show for other fans. It's terrible. People should think about what they say more often before they say it.

 

[Davi323]

The problem isn't WWE crowds. The problem is CERTAIN WWE crowds. Some towns are like that, most towns aren't. The main problem I have with the OP's post is the title, as it is very generalizing. Canadian crowds have behaved differently for years, a New York crowd is going to like different wrestlers than a Los Angeles crowd will. There are a lot of factors than go into what forms a crowds "psyche", and it is incredibly unfair to paint every crowd the same way.

 

[Miko]

The best way for a crowd to ruin a show is to be silent and barely react at all, this doesnt apply to japanese wrestling, what little of it I've watched has actually been enhanced by the respectful silence given to the wrestlers, because it is just that, respectful silence with a few pops for big moves, it's like snooker, or darts. If it happens in western wrestling it's a sign of boredom and it ruins it for the TV watcher as well.

People booing Cena is funny, it's good almost, either way you care about John Cena, that's why he's still at the top, cheering Randy Orton is stupid, the guy's character is a cunt, I like his character, which is why I boo the shit out of him, if you really like him then do the guy a favour and boo him. If you dont like a character, face or heel then do nothing, just dont react, I do it to Kofi Kingston (I think I've started a trend there).

People shouting offensive stuff at Cena is wrong, your not upsetting him, I doubt he gives a shit, but your probably making the 12 year old in the Cena shirt in the front row pretty upset.

So yeah, crowds can ruin the event, not for someone like me, I dont give a fuck about anyones worthless opinion, but for a lot of other people who just go there for a good time, to cheer on their favourite wrestler, then yeah people being ***** can spoil it for them.

 

[Skorpiunz]

I have to disagree with most of what you said. People can boo or cheer who ever the hell they want. If i like a characters heel gimmick over someones face, hell im cheering for the heel.

Stop defending cena's in ring ability. IT sucks. HE DOES ONLY KNOW FIVE MOVES. Personally i hate cena with a passion but the guy is great with words. Wrestling isnt about memorizing 5 moves its about doing about 6 or 7 moves.

I'm with you when you say you appreciate the wrestling and storyline part of it too.. In fact the only thing keeping me watching WWE is the story's. As CM PUNK would say.. I have Raw and Smackdown on a perpetual Fast forward.

[MOST]Wrestling fans ARE stupid!! which is why i dont tell anyone im a wrestling fan. Not becuase i'm ashamed of the product, but i dont want to be confused with an inbred hillbilly who chants "WHUT" 10 years out of its time and for reasons unknown.

 

[Suneeboy]

Sigh......The only way a crowd can ruin an event for me is if there is silence. In Japan it is like watching a play so silence is the norm, but everywhere else, I don’t care what is being said as long as the crowd is pumped.

Wrestling is NOT fine art. Wrestling is NOT considered a prestigious form of entertainment in comparison to stage plays, and other forms of performing arts. The art form is NOT considered prestigious, so why should the fans try to change that? Wrestling is smash mouth performing, and the crowds can do whatever they want. That is just the way it is, and the way it will always be.

Smarky crowds are fun. A group of guys come in, buy some drinks, they watch the damn show every week, and they paid good money to get in the event. Do you know much of a pain in the ass it is in most places to get a ticket to one of these shows? With that said, once you get in the building you are going to do whatever the fuck you please, because who knows when you will see another televised show. Next year? Two years? Maybe travel to another state? That’s a pain in the ass….so bug out when you are in the arena. You have to go to work or school the next day, so to have fun and let loose is ok. Who cares if it pisses of poster XYZ on the WZ boards or the little kid sitting in front of you. Let him go out in the real world and bust his ass and then see if he will do what he's told when he spends his hard earned money to enjoy himself. Let's put all of this in perspective for most folks. Yes there are assholes out there...but the crowd at Minnesota did not consist of assholes based on their chants.

If you are not entertained by Cena boo him. If you are entertained by Orton, cheer him…simple as that. What the WWE must stop doing is trying to give us people to cheer for, and trying to draw clear lines between heels and faces. Those days are played out and done. The meat and potatoes of wrestling fans are adults. Give wrestlers characters that we can connect with and let us decide who we will cheer or boo. That is the full extent of it. Smarky crowds want the performers to feed off of their energy. It is fun to do, and enhances the show. One Night Stand 2006 was a perfect example of how a smarky crowd enhances a show. That was beautiful. JBL came out and cut a promo and catered exactly to the smarks by cutting an awesome heel promo. Why isn’t this done now? Why blame the crowd? Blame the performers or creative for not pleasing the paying customers.

They should encourage wrestlers to step their game up, because like it or not, “smarks” are your real long term fans who not only GREW UP watching wrestling but, a majority of them are the ones that bring children, wives, friends into the business and drive casual fans. Casual fans do not bring in casual fans. Smarks bring in casual fans due to the fact that they are always talking about a fucking wrestling show to their friends. Don’t believe me? Look in the mirror and see who you’ve tried to get to watch wrestling.

You ever watch basketball? You ever see the home team get their ass whipped and then get booed by their home fans? You ever see Kobe Bryant or Lebron James go into another building and get a standing ovation? Why should it be any different for wrestling? Bottom line is, I am paying to be entertained. I want what I am paying for. If I like you I cheer. If I do not like you I boo. It is your job to make me mark out and play the role (cheer the face/boo the heel), I am not supposed to please them, they are supposed to please me. I don’t give a shit what your character is.

Smarky crowds do not ruin live events. They enhance them. We need to accept that this is just how wrestling is. Stop basing ruining or enhancing on a few inappropriate chants here or there. Hey, at least the crowd is awake. Have you ever seen a crowd without smarks at all that was hot? Very rarely if at all.

 

[JJohns]

I can't stand the "Boring" chants, I hate the "What" chants.....but the other one that really bothers me is the "You can't wrestle" chants, many times directed at John Cena.

I'm sorry, but when those chants go out, it just makes me regret being a "wrestling" fan.

The problem is that the audiences follow a mob mentality. Some chants like the "bullshit" chant that TNA got with the Terrordome match, I can understand that.

Then again, the one that I always laughed about was when the fans would chant "USA" at Muhammed Hassan, an Arab-AMERICAN character billed from Dearborn, Michigan.

 

[codatious99]

Sheamus didn't got a reaction from the crowd this monday night on RAW, it isn't his fault, the guy has talent, his in-ring is great, but people don't really care anymore.
What do you think?

I was at the show in Knoxville on monday. I would agree that during the match with Bourne the crowd wasn't that into it(orton was coming down to ring side) but he was getting the boo heavily the whole night. Vince got the most heat and was boo'd and got the "you suck" almost the whole time he talked. i re-watched the show on tv and the crowd noise wasn't all there. live shows, people do care and they do boo sheamus

Sheamus came out after the cameras went off and got alot of heat, talked some smack and then got beat down by Cena while sining "rocky top"