It’s not every week that the crowd responds overwhelmingly to everything that WWE puts in front of them. The arena audience play a huge part in every WWE narrative. Their reaction shows how good the management is going to be to the superstar or diva. It is their reaction that matters and when the wrestler is able to extract the desired reaction from them, he or she would have passed the cardinal rule of professional wrestling and sports entertainment and that is to have the audience’s attention.It’s easy for them to cheer but there is something beyond that which makes segments and matches special. The participative nature increases with the chants and the way they react to everything that is happening in the ring.Here are the top 5 crowd moments of the year.
#5 The Perfect CM Punk Chant
This the moment that WWE really had to fight through. CM Punk had left and the show was held in Chicago for the first time after his departure. The crowd was too angsty as their hometown hero was nowhere around and they gave Triple H and Stephanie a huge piece of their mind. The Authority’s voice was drowning in the sea of ‘CM Punk’ chants. This was a tremendous response for a heel, in a way. And yet the bosses sailed through it week after week. Daniel Bryan was saved from being drowned in those chants by the audience who love him no less. Yet, the chants were palpable.
Also, there were some very non-PG chants as well.
#4 The Rhode Island Symphony
There are many moments when the Yes Chants made one awe-struck at how popular Bryan has become with the hardcore and casual fans. But this response from the Rhode Island crowd was picture perfect. Bryan had a cage match against Bray Wyatt and he first started off slow with the Yes Chant and then picked up pace. He looked like the symphony master and had the audience at the palm of his hand or rather finger.
#3 The Chosen One
Brock lesnar defeated Undertaker.
That’s not such huge news.
He defeated him at Wrestlemania and there you have the most talked about point from a night which saw Rock, Hogan and Austin kick of the show, Daniel Bryan’s fairytale moment and Cesaro lifting a giant.
This was just not expected. The match wasn’t anywhere near average but the impact of it was nonetheless everlasting- A part of pop culture lore.
#2 The NXT Crowd - Then, Now, Forever
This is the kind of loyalty that ECW fans have had. NXT has been having a loyal fanbase ever since it started. At the Takeover: R Evolution that loyalty was a force to be reckoned with. It was electric and it continued throughout the night. It just kept getting better and better. The night began with a rabid response to Kevin Owens debut and ended with the apt response to Owens heel turn. Before that, chants of This Is Awesome, This Is Wrestling Holy$#!t , Oleand NXTwere heard throughout that arena which looked packed to the hilt.
The night provided possibly the best match of the year with Zayn VS Neville.
It singlehandedly made Survivor Series seem like old news. It truly revolutionized the developmental sphere and the crowd played a huge part in this phenomenon.
#1 Wyatt Vs Shield (Elimination Chamber)
This match was great. Not only did it have six superstars who weren’t famous faces, it showed WWE how much they’re ready to take the burden to rise up to the occasion and exceed expectations. The showdown between these two stables was expected ever since they co-existed in the main roster dynamic. And when it finally happened, it drew a ‘This Is Awesome’ chant from the robust UK crowd.
And then all the build up required for this clash at Elimination Chamber was a culmination of stare downs and one short brawl. It was very well- executed.
And then the regular ‘This is Awesome’ chant began even before the match got underway. Such was the intensity and excitement surrounding this match.
No other match before has had such a response from the crowd in this era and no other match after it has proven to be so. The crowd was divided but at the end of the match, everyone was a winner.
