For a professional wrestling fan, there is nothing quite like experiencing the action live. While the North American fans have had the opportunity to see some of the greatest superstars in the history of the industry live in their hometowns, the WrestleMania season brings fans from all over the globe, as they absorb the electric atmosphere and in return, have a great time cheering for their favorite superstars.
While the professional wrestling fans have played a pivotal role in the evolution of the business, the fans too have evolved over time. From just enjoying the strongmen grappling in the late 70s to witnessing the rise of Hulkamania and adoring “superstars”, the wrestling fans have become more intelligent. This also led to the fans having their own opinions and reservations when it came to the superstars, and with the birth of the Attitude era, the fans too became an integral part of the show.
In this article, we take a look at 5 immortal chants that still echo in the WWE arenas all over the United States.
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1. Let’s go Cena/Cena sucks
Michael Cole keeps telling the fans that there has been no other superstar in the history of the company, who polarizes the fans quite like John Cena, and that is indeed true. From the loyal CeNation to the anti – Cena army, John Cena has witnessed the extremes, and has experienced a love – hate relationship with the WWE Universe for nearly a decade.
While this year’s WrestleMania fans have started the new “John Cena suuucks” song, the dueling “Let’s go Cena/Cena sucks” chant is almost heard every week in every arena. The strong reaction that Cena generates has made him one of the biggest superstars in the history of the industry, and a household name not only in America, but all over the world.
2. What?
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has done a lot for the wrestling business. Not only is Austin one of the greatest superstars to ever lace a pair of boots in the industry, but he spearheaded the greatest era in the history of professional wrestling – the Attitude era, and was one of the biggest reasons for WCW losing the Monday Night Wars to the WWE. Steve Austin was also responsible for the new generation of superstars following their dreams, who wanted to be like Austin, and dreamt of making it big in the business.
But perhaps, one of Austin’s biggest contributions has been using “What?” in his promos, which has since been used regularly by the WWE Universe to annoy the superstars. Steve Austin himself admitted that the “what?” chants are annoying, but one can also argue that the superstar himself has been immortalized, with the fans carrying on with the chant to remember their favorite anti – hero.
3. Woooo!
Ric Flair will go down in the history books as one of the greatest professional wrestlers in history. The 16 time world champion has wrestled all over the world, and has competed against legendary superstars from all continents. Ric Flair has also contributed to the growth of professional wrestling, and has been a pioneer in the sport. With all his accomplishments and accolades, it is not surprising that the fans adore and respect the ‘Nature Boy’.
But with his unpredictable nature in the ring came Flair’s catchphrases and patented struts. One of Flair’s moves in the ring was the knife edged chop, which was followed by loud “Wooo”. The fans have since wooo’d to every chop thrown, and no matter if the Nature Boy is in the arena or not, the wooos are still heard today in almost every city WWE goes to.
4. “YES!” chant
When Daniel Bryan wanted to connect with the audience, the WWE gave him the opportunity to do it in the most effective way possible. Either as a good guy or a bad guy, Daniel Bryan found the formula to success, and has since captivated the WWE Universe, while becoming the most beloved superstar and one of the most followed performers arguably since “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The underdog story of Bryan has inspired many fans, and in process made Daniel Bryan one of the biggest superstars in the world today.
One of the reasons why Bryan became so popular is because of his “Yes” chant going viral, with fans in the baseball stadiums in the United States to the football fans in the United Kingdom doing the “Yes” chant! The WWE even gave Daniel Bryan the opportunity to main event WrestleMania 30, and in the end, Bryan and the entire arena chanted “Yes” in unison to end the PPV, in one of the most surreal moments in WWE history. Needless to say, although Bryan is currently inactive due to injury, the Yes Movement is still in force, with every arena ringing with the “Yes” chant.
5. “E – C – Dub”
It has been nearly a decade and a half since Paul Heyman’s baby, and one of the most innovative organizations in the history of professional wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling folded. With ECW gaining a faithful fanbase, the organization garnered mainstream attention and a cult following in the United States.
With ECW popularizing the violent matches in the United States, the fans still chant “E – C – Dub” during matches which involve high risk offense or usage of illegal weapons, not only in the WWE, but in various promotions around the world!