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Anyone else think live crowds are worse than the "IWC" nowadays?

8K views 94 replies 63 participants last post by  BethRollins 
#1 ·
I know that internet fans get a lot of flack these days for collectively being obnoxious, dramatic, self righteous, hypocritical, and irrational (and those are fair points) but at least the majority of us seem to know what we want. Crowds these days are the absolute worst! It seems like almost every crowd now is comprised of trolls, people who aren't familiar with the product at all, or people who went online and stalked wrestling forums for 45 minutes and just lifted various common opinions, and then went to the show and reacted according to what they read online.

Between the bad crowds and usually subpar commentating, I've gotten used to watching WWE on mute besides the promos.
 
#5 ·
Crowds are just obnoxious and the main problem is that the most vocal of the live crowds are the IWC because they think they know better than the people who run companies or who actually enjoy the show.

It's just people who think that they are smart about pro wrestling. The ones who use buzz terms like workrate which probably means very little to anyone outside of Meltzer and the IWC.
 
#12 ·
But what I don't get is, why supposedly "smart marks" do such dumb things at shows. Like why tf chant "CM Punk" when he's not here? Why cheer every heel when cheering them is telling the most they are not doing their jobs correctly? Why chant "you can't wrestle" at someone who is a consistent good match worker? It doesn't make any sense at all. How are Internet fans so passionate about being heard, then go to the live shows and make themselves look like idiots?

I hate NXT crowds. I feel like they are either putting themselves over or performing fellatio on the NXT talents with the ridiculous amount of praise they give them. Zayne and Nakamura had a decent match by Nakamura standards and that crowd acted like it was the greatest thing they'd ever seen. The Fight Forever chant is one of the gayest, stupidest chants I have ever heard in my life.
NXT crowds remind me of those people who break up with a significant other, and then when their ex appears unbothered, they go find someone else to try and run in their faces and make them jealous.

They're like, [shouting in Vince's direction] "AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Wow Triple H! We're having SO MUCH FUN! Everyone! See how much FUN we're having?! Hear that Vince? Fun...fun...FUN!!!!!!"

I'm just like, stop trying so hard.:mj
 
#9 ·
I hate NXT crowds. I feel like they are either putting themselves over or performing fellatio on the NXT talents with the ridiculous amount of praise they give them. Zayne and Nakamura had a decent match by Nakamura standards and that crowd acted like it was the greatest thing they'd ever seen. The Fight Forever chant is one of the gayest, stupidest chants I have ever heard in my life.
 
#76 · (Edited)
I hate NXT crowds. I feel like they are either putting themselves over or performing fellatio on the NXT talents with the ridiculous amount of praise they give them. Zayne and Nakamura had a decent match by Nakamura standards and that crowd acted like it was the greatest thing they'd ever seen. The Fight Forever chant is one of the gayest, stupidest chants I have ever heard in my life.
lol I havent heard that one or I missed it. :lmao:lmao:lmao
 
#17 ·
I don't shit much on NXT crowds because sometimes I'll dig them when something genuine comes out (I loved "Fight forever" during Nak/Zayn, but those motherfuckers gotta stop doing that shit with every half-decent match, annoys me to no end; the "FINISH HIM" during the last match Itami had was pretty fuckin' cool, and they should adapt that into future matches, but that's the one time I bet they won't with my luck :lol).

My latest pet peeve is them singing Nakamura's theme song after the entrance is over, and way into the match already. It's obnoxious as fuck and it makes them look like retards, cut that shit out.

"This is awesome" for every piece of shit *** match has become ridiculous, too, but that's gone on to the main roster already. Terrible.
 
#19 ·
Here's the thing 90% of the people on WF would be in the crowd of a show desperately trying to get themselves over, so when you say crowds are obnoxious these days most people will disagree and probably throw out the old strawman "better than them sitting on their hands".

A) no it's not; I've seen multiple matches halted by crowd behavior distracting the wrestlers, I've never seen a quiet crowd distract a wrestler. B) there exists a middle ground between obnoxious chanting and complete silence. Remember wrestling prior to 2012 when crowds cheered/booed during entrances and then reacted appropriately as the story in the ring dictated and only chanted for really big spots?
 
#21 · (Edited by Moderator)
Ah the good old days when people were more invested in the show than trying be funny or cool.

I remember when I was young and crowds were people who didn't think they were smart just fans who liked the show. Then the attitude era came and nothing really changed the crowds just got bigger.

We're stuck in an era where the fans are such egomaniacs that they think they are the show.

It's easy to bash these obnoxious crowds when you're at home, but every time I go to Raw over here in the UK we all want to make the place as lively as possible. Though I think a lot of that comes from the football culture.
Lively doesn't make it a good crowd if they aren't invested in the show.

I'm not from the UK or anything but I know here in Canada and in the Northeastern US where I go to shows that crowds are extremely obnoxious and I find it especially grating when I'm there among them.

100% the best crowd I've ever been a part of was WrestleMania 18 in Toronto hot crowd who loved the show sure we were a huge catalyst to Hogan getting an unnecessary title run but the nostalgia and reaction was genuine in that building that night. They even stayed hot after having to endure a Saliva live performance. They laughed for the comedic Hardcore Title stuff they dug Undertaker vs Flair they really enjoyed Trish and her Canadian Flag booty shorts the match kinda sucked but those shorts were glorious. The point being that when I was at Roadblock in March it was annoying because it was the typical crowd that we see at every show.

I even take exception to some of the crowds that were in support of Daniel Bryan when he wasn't being pushed to the top for the way they would just shit on entire shows even the guys who they liked. Poor Rey Mysterio at Rumble 2014.
 
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#22 · (Edited)
It's not live crowds vs. IWC. It's the IWC in live crowds.
What you are seeing is this forum (and other IWC forums, social networks, etc...) in the flesh. People often forget that there are plenty who just read these forums (and of course the dirtsheets) and never post or care to post. So, along with other avenues outside this forum (like Twitter and Facebook) where wrestling is discussed, the fans at the shows ARE in fact the IWC. How else do you think they know all the damn 'surprise' debuts? Not just 1 or 2 know, but half the arena knows now. That's annoying as hell. They kept the lid on a few of them very well, but most of the surprises are spoiled by the asshole crowds because they are coming straight from the internet with their fandom.

So basically the IWC presence is just stronger at the shows now more than ever. That's part of the reason they are catering to us in terms of the stars they bring in and up because there's more demand to do so.

What I don't like is just mindless chanting or singing or any other crap that hijacks the show entirely while two guys or girls are out there working their ass off to entertain us. It's okay to chant but in NXT it's such a cultlike atmosphere that not chanting along almost makes one stand out more than just following along IMO. It's a hipster/cult type environment that way I think. Some of that spills over to the main shows too but I think a lot of it is just more "in the know" fans going to the shows. NXT is basically a smarks dream promotion (minus any real hardcore wrestling aspect).
 
#23 · (Edited)
I can't stand crowds like the NXT crowd. Singing themes, "fight forever" and "this is awesome" chants before matches even start, fuck off guys. Get a hold of yourself, you sound like drunk football fans. If you wanna sing stupid shit, go to a West Ham game and sing "Forever Blowing Bubbles", I'm trying to watch the show.

I would honestly love to replace all wrestling crowds with Japanese wrestling crowds. Cheer an entrance, silence, pop for an exchange, silence, pop for a big spot, silence, cheer the winner. That's how it should be done. I don't have a problem with specific chants for people like the "Ospreay Ospreay Ospreay" chant or chanting this is awesome during a legitimately awesome match but a lot of modern fans are just ridiculously over the top and I can't stand it. Get over yourselves, you aren't the show.
 
#25 ·
The one crowd that embodies obnoxious wrestling crowd to me was the crowd at NXT Takeover: London last year.

Jesus. Fucking. Christ. That was, by far, the worst wrestling crowd I have ever heard in my entire life. The singing, the unnecessary chants, the complete lack of attention to the in-ring product. It was dreadful. Every five minute, some mush-mouthed garbage had to be spewed out in complete dissonance to what was actually taking place. I remember when Big Cass was trapped in a leg lock and trying to get to his corner, those morons were too busy singing some stupid shit instead of paying mind to the story being told. I'm not one to rail on crowds having a good time and I do think that frequent crowed complainers are more sensitive than a clit to the scattered "This is awesome!" or "CM Punk!" chants in 2016 but cases like that London crowd take the take in obnoxiousness and I'm glad that they're a rarity.
 
#29 ·
Worst wrestling crowd? :Rollins

A UK crowd would NEVER chant "That belt sucks" during a title match for a new belt making the two top talents in the ring fighting over it look like complete jack asses.
 
#37 ·
Wow what are people bittered here. I like a live cheerfull happy "European" crowd which makes the experience way better. I find myself laughing behind my TV several times when crowd comes with a nice song or funny remark on one of the wrestlers.

I agree only with you on some occassions like;
"What?" (during promo's)
"This is Awesome"
"Holy Shit" (but also marks use this too quickly)
"CM Punk" (or any other wrestler not related to the match or feud)
 
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