10 of the most hilarious fan chants and the stories behind them

Fan interaction is the backbone of professional wrestling. You can put two of the industry's most talented performers in the ring and have them create a visual masterpiece, but if the fans in attendance are just sitting on their hands in silence, the occasion will fall flat.

Fans ought to be encouraged to make their voices heard because at the end of the day, wrestling is about entertainment and people do pay a lot of good money to attend shows. In 2017, however, fan involvement has gotten so pronounced that they are even starting to influence the way the booking goes and how characters are developed.

Chants can certainly come out of nowhere and still leave a lasting impression on the business as a result. To celebrate this 21st-century phenomenon, here are 10 of the most hilarious fan chants in WWE history and the stories behind them:

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#1 Blue-tista!

I think we can all agree, the less said about the return of Batista in 2013/14 the better. The Animal was brought back to the company at the worst possible time, as fans were not really looking to celebrate big names from the past in late 2013. Instead, a large portion of the audience was actually pretty happy with how things were going in the WWE. CM Punk had turned babyface again, Daniel Bryan was fast becoming the most popular superstar on the roster, and The Shield were making a name for themselves as the most exciting faction we'd seen in years.

With all this in mind, Batista's return just felt a little unnecessary. The situation was then made much worse as fans quickly realised that Dave wasn't just being brought back to make up the numbers but was actually scheduled to win the Royal Rumble and go on to face WWE Champion Randy Orton in the main event of Wrestlemania 30 — a prospect very few were looking forward to.

Due to a number of different factors, plans were eventually adjusted to allow Daniel Bryan to enter the main event match and walk out of Wrestlemania as the champion. If the company hadn't gone this way, they would have been forced to put together one of the least anticipated main events in their entire history. Batista received so much heat for winning the Rumble that Vince had no choice but to save face and turn the Animal heel.

Post-Wrestlemania, Triple H and Randy Orton joined forces with Batista and reformed Evolution, minus Ric Flair. In a six man tag team match at WWE Payback, the Rumble winner bizarrely decided to wear blue wrestling trunks to the ring, along with blue shin pads and arm protectors. In what was supposed to be a high-intensity match with The Shield, fans instead decided to devote much of the first half of the bout to chanting 'Blue-tista!' It was enough to send the whole stadium, and quite a few people watching from home, into hysterics.

Dave would soon leave the company and has not competed in a WWE ring since.

#2 This ref sucks!

Occasionally, the WWE creative team and bookers will incorporate 'referee spots' in order to tell a good story in the ring. These usually take the form of a referee being knocked over by one of the wrestlers, allowing the heel to further his advantage by using illegal weapons or outside interference.

Another good ploy is to have the referee unconscious just as the babyface has the heel in a pinfall position, thus building the suspense and denying fans what they want to see in an attempt to increase the energy around the stadium. As we all know, the WWE does occasionally take a good idea and overstretch it to the point of absurdity. We've become so used to see referees stay down for extended periods after a bump that we question what these men are actually made out of.

During a match between Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville at NXT Takeover R: Evolution, the Underdog from the Underground was challenging the champion and looked set to finally achieve his dreams of representing NXT as its leader. The story building up to the match was that Zayn kept coming close to victory, only for factors beyond his control to get in the way. Neville had previously denied Zayn by dragging out a referee from the ring at their Fatal Four Way meeting a few weeks before.

When it came to Takeover, the writers would again incorporate the referee, keeping Sami from defeating his opponent by having the referee take a bump on two separate occasions. Due to the level of drama amongst the fans and their desire to see their hero finally achieve his dreams, everyone started to get a little annoyed and weren't afraid to show it. Around the arena, people were chanting 'this ref sucks!' along with some other choice words only reserved for the Full Sail Arena.

Zayn would go on to win the match, however, but not before fans reminded the WWE that too much of a clever idea can start to irritate in a bad way.

#3 We want refunds!

Around the time Dave Batista was going through one of the least advised comebacks of all time, fans were making their voices heard regarding their desire to see Daniel Bryan in the main event challenging for the title. In true WWE fashion, however, the company gave fans exactly what they didn't want.

Around the time of Extreme Rules, it was announced that the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight title were to be merged and John Cena and Randy Orton were going to be the men to do it. This match wasn't all that bad, but for some reason, a rematch was booked for the Royal Rumble 2014.

In a PPV that saw crowd favourite, Daniel Bryan lose the opening bout, and Batista standing tall as the Rumble winner, Cena and Orton never really stood a chance of being accepted by the already aggravated crowd. This match was a melting pot of different chants, ranging from 'Daniel Bryan' to the old favourite 'Booooring!'

One chant that really must have hit home, however, was 'We want refunds!'. The company can explain most negative chants away as pantomime reactions, but the sound of thousands of people openly declare that they'd rather go home with their money back than sit through the WWE Championship match cannot be dismissed so easily.

No wonder that in less than two months, the company's plans were changed and Wrestlemania finally had the main event the fans wanted.

#4 Shawn was better!

For a series of years between 2009-2014, everyone would be looking forward to Wrestlemania season and who the Undertaker would be facing on the show of shows. Legends of the business were lining up to try and end one of the greatest winning streaks in pro-wrestling history.

At Wrestlemanias 25 and 26, The Deadman put on two consecutive classics with Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. Thier match at 25, in particular, is widely considered one of the best matches of all time and their follow up at 26 saw HBK retire from the business altogether. By the time Mania 27 came around, everyone was asking who would be next.

In a memorable promo segment in which Taker made a return from an absence, Triple H would immediately come out and challenge him without saying a word. The stage was set, and the two put on a match that saved the show from being the worst of all time. Not to be outdone by his former DX member, Triple H would also get his second match in a row with Taker at 28.

While fans were not too resistant to seeing it happen again, the overall enthusiasm for the bout wasn't quite what it had been the year before. The story was built around the fact that Taker, despite beating the Game at 27, wanted to face him again to prove it wasn't a lucky victory. Triple H initially refused, until Undertaker suggested that Shawn had always been a better wrestler than his long-time best friend. In Kayfabe terms, this was enough for Triple H to accept the match, and the two were off the races.

However, during a couple of promo segments leading up to the match, the crowd had clearly not forgotten Taker's comments and decided they were going to remind Triple H of them as well. Despite the Game being a face at the time, the crowd still started chanting 'Shawn was better' at him, which must have amused a lot of people who always thought that was the case.

Triple H has had a tendency to portray himself as wrestling's most important character of all time, but we all know how big his ego and grow, and there are definitely people who would place guys like Shawn, and Taker for that matter, above him.

#5 Heeeey, we want some Bayley!

It's hard to believe now, but there was a time in which the WWE could do no wrong when it came to booking former NXT Women's Champion Bayley. Originally part of the Four Horsewomen down on Wednesday Nights, Bayley was left behind after Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks were called up to the main roster. Bayley would then spend the rest of her time propping up the division until Asuka was ready to steal her crown.

Whether it's her 'girl next door' appeal or simply the fact that she wrestles like she actually cares about the business, fans around the world have gravitated to Bayley in their droves. Despite being principally marketed at young girls, people of all ages found something to like about her and the reactions she received across the world spoke for themselves.

It would be on one particular European Tour that some of the more inventive pro-Bayley chants would be created. The British crowd has always been known for its vocal approach to sports entertainment and have come up with several different chants that we still hear today including 'Oh, Enzo Amore' and 'John Cena Sucks' (to the tune of his entrance music).

When it came to Bayley, two such chants were performed on her behalf. One of them 'Heeeey, we want some Bayley' is often still employed today in US and Canadian crowds. It was also used against Charlotte during an episode of RAW filmed from Glasgow, Scotland. It was sung with such force and volume that The Queen was completely put off and had to wait for the energy to subside before continuing her promo.

Hopefully, the WWE will figure out where things are going wrong with everyone's favourite hugger, but until then, at least we still have our memories.

#6 Please don't die!

Is it worth your life? — Is it really worth your life?

It might seem strange to people outside of the pro-wrestling bubble, but us fans like to see grown men risk their health for the purpose of entertainment. With high-flying wrestling at an all time high right now, superstars like Kalisto, Sami Zayn and AJ Styles are always looking for ways to up their game and deliver big impact spots during matches.

But on some level, we understand that mere entertainment shouldn't come at the expense of someone's long-term well-being. As much as we loved the sight of Mankind falling from the Hell in a Cell onto the Spanish announce table, there was still a human element of concern in between all the frenzy.

In the arguably more level-headed times of 2017, we are made more aware of the true dangers of consistent blows to the human body from jumping onto tables and onto opponents. Nothing shows this strange dynamic quite like the 'please don't die!' chant. It has been used several times throughout the past few years, normally when guys like Sami Zayn or Seth Rollins are poised to leap off an unimaginable height onto the poor victims below.

And I'm sure this is something we were all shouting with complete seriousness when Shane McMahon was ready to replicate Mankind's spot from 1998 and jump of the Hell in a Cell at Wrestlemania 32.

#7 Fruity Pebbles!

In addition to the years of blockbuster main events and Hollywood appearances, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has been the forerunner when it comes to memorable chants. Back in 1997, we were all shouting catch phrases at his expense, some of them quite nasty. But the time 1998 came around, he was the one directing them.

We are all used to his most famous chants including 'the millions, AND MILLIONS!' as well as 'Finally, The Rock has come back...'. You could probably even make your own top 10 list of chants the Rock has inspired over the years, there has certainly been a few.

One of his more recent gems came at the expense of WWE legend John Cena. The two men were embroiled in a year long feud in the build up to their main event match up at Wrestlemania 28. The Rock only made sporadic appearances throughout the year, but when he did grace us with his presence, he would always bring comedy gold with him. In fact, in his very first promo back after being announced as the host of Mania 27 he turned his attention almost immediately to Cena, calling him all the names under the sun.

The one that stuck was Rock's comparison of Cena to the popular US breakfast cereal Fruity Pebbles. This was in reference to the fact that his t-shirt often changes colours when some new Cenation merchandise is brought out. The sound of 'Fruity Pebbles' echoing around arenas across the world made this feud even more personal than it already was. To be fair, Cena has embraced it like a champ, even becoming an advertising gimmick for the cereal company itself.

#8 Sexual Chocolate!

Mark Henry has managed to create quite an impressive career for himself over the years and now stands as one of WWE's most successful 'big men' of all time. In his early years with the company, however, he was seen very much as a comedy character, embroiled in questionable, Attitude Era storylines.

The height of the bizarre era for Henry came in 2000 when the World's Strongest Man began a love affair with legendary women's wrestler Mae Young. Given the age difference between the two, this relationship was clearly for comedy and shock value alone. And by the time Young gave birth to a hand, fans had pretty much had enough of the whole thing.

Mae Young was not the only member of the female roster Henry started affairs with. To help his Casanova type image along, he adopted the nickname 'Sexual Chocolate' and used it as a catalyst for frankly humiliating narratives unfitting of a former Olympian.

As the years went by and Henry worked on his wrestling abilities and character, he started finding himself in more favourable situations, even holding the World Heavyweight Championship in 2012. However, wrestling fans tend to have good long-term memories, especially when it comes to the Attitude Era.

Henry has played a very effective heel in recent years, but the seriousness of his promos has always been undercut by thousands of people chanting 'Sexual Chocolate' at him in unison. Henry is a pro and can normally deal with the additional pressure, but occasionally he has to stop and acknowledge it before trying to continue.

#9 Wendy's!

Almost everything about the Nexus storyline in 2010 was a huge disaster for the WWE. The feud between them and Cena started off well enough, with the NXT Season 1 Rookies working together to take out the WWE main roster one by one. It had all the promise in the world and fans assumed that even Vince McMahon could not mess it up.

Unfortunately, the Chairman proved us all wrong yet again and had the rug pulled out from Barrett and co's feet at Summerslam 2010. Not only did they lose their signature match against 'Team WWE', but their leader actually had to tap out to the STF making him look like the future mid-carder he would later become.

However, the night after the debacle of Summerslam 2010, John Cena came out and cut a pretty entertaining promo on all seven members of the team. If you were able to park your initial frustration at what had happened the night before you might even have cracked a smile or two.

One of the best put-downs of them all came at the expense of Heath Slater. After suggesting that Skip Sheffield had little between his ears and that Darren Young was a love child from spawned from Cena's own mother, Slater was compared to the 'chick from Wendy's'. In fairness to John, this was actually a pretty spot on comparison, especially considering the hairstyle Heath was sporting at the time.

The crowd loved almost every second of this segment and even started chanting 'Wendy's' after Cena's comments. He himself summed up the hilarious nature of the situation by saying ''this must be Monday Night RAW because we've just started a Wendy's chant''.

Luckily for Heath, he actually emerged from the group pretty well and is now the only member of the original Nexus team still considered a top player for the company (let that sink in!).

#10 That's what she said!

In mid-2014, after so many months of willing him on to become the new face of WWE, fans were left heartbroken at the announcement that Daniel Bryan was facing retirement due to various health issues. After a couple of years of back and forth between doctors offices, the leader of the YES movement finally had to hang up his boots in February 2016.

His retirement speech was widely credited as being one of the most open and honest promos delivered by a WWE wrestler in quite some time. Retirement speeches normally break the mould of pre-planned scripted talking segments anyway, but the fact that this was being delivered in Bryan's home state of Washington, and the sheer amount of love and respect we all have for him and his career, this one cut us all deeply.

The speech wasn't all upsetting, however. Bryan still managed to maintain his fun, laid back demeanour and even shocked a few people with some of the things he said. Most notably, Bryan gave us all an intimate insight into his home life with fellow superstar Brie Bella.

When Bryan mentioned that he and Brie were going to be trying for a baby soon after his retirement, the fans started chanting YES! in appreciation of what they'd just heard. Bryan then decided to turn things a little risque and responded with 'that's what Brie says all the time!'' The fans were sent into hysterics upon hearing this and responded in turn with 'that's what she said' chants.

It was a lovely moment of fan interaction between Bryan and the Seattle crowd. And looking back, it is made all the more special due to the fact that the happy couple now have a healthy baby daughter. Of course, fans would love to see Bryan compete again in the future, but this retirement speech was almost too good to ruin.

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Edited by anirudh.b