As an Englishmen, I’m used to rowdy crowds. Whether it’s football, darts, hell, even during Snooker sometimes, UK fans have a history of being loud and blunt. Just recently, Mick Foley talked down about
the NXT fans at Full Sail “taking over” the show with their chants. The thing is, the UK fans have been “taking over” shows for decades. It’s not a new thing, it’s commonplace.
When you get a bunch of adult men in an arena watching an entertainment/sports product, expect them to drink (before or during), and generally enjoy themselves during the show. Sports like Darts encourage singing, chanting, and rarely is the crowd asked to be conservative. It’s a party atmosphere, one which only adds to watching two guys throwing some projectiles at a board. The fact is, the UK fans are rarely quiet, and if they are, it’s safe to say the show is failing.
I don’t believe any American audience has chanted “f**k you Corbin” before Takeover: London (I could be wrong), and I loved it. UK fans don’t sugarcoat their feelings; If they paid for a ticket expect them to respond how they see fit. It’s just the way British fans are. Nevertheless, the fans do show respect by being quiet when the time calls for it. But during a show like NXT, an exciting and entertaining brand we’re only just managing to see live, expect a party atmosphere.
A recent example of a surprisingly rowdy crowd was the Mexican F1 fans. This year the Mexican Grand Prix was brought back after decades off the calendar, and there was a stadium section where thousands of Mexicans partied throughout the Grand Prix, and during the podium celebrations. Every time their hero Sergio Perez drove past, they cheered loud. F1 was amazed by the excitement generated, because at other races fans usually sit back and watch in a more submissive manner; they want more crowds like Mexico.
Remember the Attitude Era when fans would be as loud and brash as they liked? What happened to the days when an audience as excited as those at NXT Takeover was an every week occurrence? WWE should take note, and encourage more crowds like the one we saw and heard. We’re so used to sitting in silence while matches and stories play out in front of us, but it doesn’t need to be that way. It should be embraced, and encouraged, because genuine excitement is something the wrestling industry needs.
As I noted in a previous article, SAWFT and Bayley are big favourties of mine. To hear UK fans give them such a warm reception by singing songs like “Hey Bayley (If you’ll be my girl)”, “Big Cass” (in place of Hey Jude in the song of the name), and “Go Enzo” (with the White Stripes Seven Nation Army tune) was a lot of fun. It’s English culture to sing during sporting events, especially when they’re happy.
While some of you may have been annoyed by it, (I understand, you’re trying to focus on the match) I hope this little piece makes you aware that none of the fans wanted to take anything away from the show; it’s just normal for us to enjoy ourselves.
The show was excellent by the way, from top-to-bottom. All of those fans were sent home happy, even if SAWFT didn’t win the tag titles. They understand that singing songs to SAWFT wasn’t going to guarantee their victory; again they were just enjoying themselves. Should more crowds be like that? Let us know your thoughts, and thanks for reading, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas.
