Annoying Crowd Chants at Live Shows
By Robert King
I don't really understand what you're getting at here. Do you mean like people chanting "Cena sucks" during a segment that has absolutely nothing to do with him? That I can agree on.
If you mean people chanting to show their support for a wrestler, match, or promotion, then I disagree. Except of course for people chanting "WHAT", or "This Is Awesome" when some guy does an armdrag. I like clever or fun chants, or chanting the names of wrestlers.
And this 18-year-old and the guys in his section wanted to show their enjoyment of the show by chanting and cheering. More on that later.
And that annoys me, I'll say. If they're chanting just to get on TV then I don't approve. If they're chanting as a way to get into the show and enjoy themselves, then it's great.
Let me tell you a story about Monday, D-Mi. Bryan Danielson was wrestling in a dark match and was extremely entertaining, so the guys in our section decided to show our respect for him by chanting "Danielson" and "Dragon". He looked over at us, and smiled. You could tell he appreciated that we knew of his background and respected him.
How is chanting a wrestler's name, or saying that a veteran still has it, or screaming and yelling disrespectful to the wrestlers? In a "Die Rocky Die" situation I can agree with you, but from your post you're trying to sound like chanting is bad. Chanting is not bad; it is audience participation that helps you get into a show. Half the reason I enjoyed ECW: One Night Stand 05 so much was the audience. A hot crowd can make an average show good, and a good show great. If chanting is how they want to enjoy themselves, try joining in. If you disagree with a chant, start a counter-chant.
Did you watch RAW? Did you hear how Bret got a "Welcome Back" chant? I'll give you three guesses on who started that one.
How about "You Screwed Bret" when Shawn Michaels came out? We did that as an acknowledgement to the history between the two and to make the moment even better.
When the guys near me were chanting "RKO" I fired back with "Sucks". It was all in good fun, and a way to have the best time one could possibly have.
Chanting is a great way to get into it, and something I approve of provided they aren't chants like "What", "You Fucked Up", or "She has herpes". If they are chants used to add to the show and enjoy yourselves while showing respect to the wrestlers, then I approve.
