Dave Meltzer comparing and contrasting the NXT, ECW, and PWG crowds

[cero2k]

It's a cult (referring to the PWG Reseda crowd), very similar to the days of weekly pro wrestling in local arenas, where the same fans sat in the same seats and it was the wrestling version of "Cheers," a place where, at least among the regulars, where everybody knew your name. It's an apropos comparison. The audience, mostly male, had beers by the pitcher and were wild, but never in an unruly way. Even though people were packed in like sardines, security problems were non-existent. The atmosphere was loud and rowdy, but not the slightest bit dangerous. Some would compare the audience to the glory days of the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, but they are entirely different. Perhaps if that ECW audience had evolved for two more decades, this is what they would have turned into, but probably not. But even though memories and legends are different, those who were there remember that the ECW wrestlers hated working the ECW Arena because of how the crowd could turn on a dime and while they were responsive when they liked it, they were often very critical and hard to please. While there were the occasional funny chants, the primary difference is the ECW Arena audience acted like they were a major part of the show, similar to the current 150 or so fans at the NXT shows in Orlando that always sit in front of the camera, although without the critical nature and aggressiveness of a Philadelphia crowd. The PWG audience acts like they are there to enjoy and enhance the show, but very much are not the stars of the show itself, nor do they want to be. One wrestler who is a regular at PWG noted that it's almost impossible to have a bad match there. It's clearly an audience that is there to have fun and make the matches, whatever the type they are, come across as good as possible. The audience was older, and smarter in a pro wrestling sense, than an NXT crowd. These people were the real insiders and pretty much kill the stereotype that the fans who know everything become jaded and hard, because this audience was clearly a level above any I've seen, had no illusions about what they were seeing, but reacted in a way that enhanced everything on the show.

I wanted to bring this article up because last night, for the first time in my life, the NXT crowd made me mute the show, i had only done it before because of Cole and King, but i had to do it because of that damn "WWEEEEEEEEEE want some bayley" song

[Big Red Machine]

I, too, hated last night's NXT crowd... but I see them as currently being in the process of going down the same path which the PWG crowd did which I disliked. They chant things just to chant things or to be funny. Who gives a sh*t about Roddy's boots?
The PWG crowd in 2011-2012 was great. They booed the heels and cheered the faces and were into the angles. They were the ones who made Steen's face turn better by chanting "HELP STEEN HELP!" when Rich Knox and El Generico were getting beaten down by the Young Bucks, the same way that the NXT crowd used to be great by pushing the angles on the show. Now, like at PWG (and a lot of other indies), they just chant sh*t. The "NEW! DAY ROCKS/SUCKS!" chant rhythm is becoming the new "WHAT?!" to me. If New Day isn't involved, you shouldn't be chanting it or using the rhythm unless the thing you're chanting is legitimately funny and clever (and everyone should err on the side of caution because, believe me, nine times out of ten, it won't be).
What the NXT crowd did last night for Bayley was the same as the using the New Day rhythm for someone else. Same goes for chanting "ALEXA'S RATCHET!" That's a chant that should be reserved for Sasha Banks. If you want to diss Alexa, think of something new.

The ECW Arena crowd (and by extension, a lot of indy crowds in the northeast since then) is, to me, a different animal. I agree that they acted like they were part of the show, but they also generally did so within the confines of the show. They didn't chant random, funny sh*t. They chanted stuff that, while often crude and occasionally unfair, was directed at the wrestlers in the ring at that moment.

[cero2k]

Who gives a sh*t about Roddy's boots?

that's his nickname in PWG, shitty little boots and shitty little champ, there was a t-shirt out before they started chanting that. it's exactly like calling "best in the world' at Danielson, it was what people called him in ROH.

All three fanbases do their chants in the appropriate time when the wrestler/match is in the ring (which exception of the 'We' are awesome' chant in nxt), differences that Meltzer is making is that ECW were awfully judgmental to fuck ups, whereas PWG can see a fuck up and just ignore it, they're not gonna give a hard time to a wrestler for an error, they cheer for all and just have a good time. NXT is the only one that sometimes completely take it personal when things don't go their way. they don't want to see Eva Marie or Roman Reigns, they boo the hell out of them and almost boycott the segment, or when Takeover went to Brooklyn and they were butthurt and wouldn't shut up about it.

I somewhat agree on some of the chants that they use for someone else, i don't mind the tune, but using something like "Alexa's ratchet" is pretty dumb. But many chants are just applicable to many wrestlers, you're not likely gonna get more wrestlers using the 'you're gonna get your fucking head kicked in' or the 'chris hero ain't nothing to fuck with' with other wrestlers, but 'Joe is gonna kill you', 'Bayley's gonna hug you', or 'Asuka's gonna kick you" are all ok in my book, because they all seem personalized enough for the wrestler. The only situations where i like people straight up stealing chants is when wrestlers are fighting each other, like when Bailey and Tommy End fought and people took End's chant and used it for Bailey.

[Big Red Machine]

To me, it seems that the PWG fans just chant stuff that they like to chant, and they attach it to the wrestlers on their own and then it becomes that guy's thing... which is similar to what the (good) NXT crowd or the CHIKARA crowd does, except that in PWG, it's usually goofy stuff. I used to love the way that the PWG crowd actually tried to keep a bit of kayfabe, but those days are long gone.

As for "sh*tty little boots" they were definitely chanting it before he was champion because I first heard it at Black Cole Sun. If the impetus for chanting it was a t-shirt, I have to ask why Roddy would randomly put out a t-shirt burying his own gear.


RE the NXT crowd taking things personally- the ECW crowds would do this, too, especially between New York and Philly, and it kind of continued in the early days of ROH (although I think the "NYC!" chants were limited to only when one of the Bed-Stuy guys was in the ring, which kind of makes it okay.

The difference between chanting "Alexa's ratchet!" and turning "Joe's gonna kill you!" into "Bayley's gonna hug you!" is that "Bayley's gonna hug you!" is actually clever, and you're changing the chant. What I don't like is just randomly taking a chant that has previously been used exclusively for one person and just randomly applying to someone else.

[cero2k]

As for "sh*tty little boots" they were definitely chanting it before he was champion because I first heard it at Black Cole Sun. If the impetus for chanting it was a t-shirt, I have to ask why Roddy would randomly put out a t-shirt burying his own gear.

Roddy was getting the 'shitty little boots' i think since BOLA 2014, and it was because during his birthday (july), all the pwg roster made 'shitty little boots' tshirts as a rib. most fans of PWG were following the candice and joey show and saw this and the chants started, it was until after that he made the tshirt available. Shitty little champ was just the mod after he won the title

[Big Red Machine]

As for "sh*tty little boots" they were definitely chanting it before he was champion because I first heard it at Black Cole Sun. If the impetus for chanting it was a t-shirt, I have to ask why Roddy would randomly put out a t-shirt burying his own gear.

Roddy was getting the 'shitty little boots' i think since BOLA 2014, and it was because during his birthday (july), all the pwg roster made 'shitty little boots' tshirts as a rib. most fans of PWG were following the candice and joey show and saw this and the chants started, it was until after that he made the tshirt available. Shitty little champ was just the mod after he won the title

Either way, it seems really silly to me. We used to just boo the guy or chant his name in a mocking fashion of chant "f*ck you Roddy!" The idea of doing a chant based off of a rib on a non-kayfabe video diary just comes off as stupid trying to be "insider" to me. It's just as much of a way of saying "look at us! We know so much!" as any other smarky chant is.

[cero2k]

Either way, it seems really silly to me. We used to just boo the guy or chant his name in a mocking fashion of chant "f*ck you Roddy!" The idea of doing a chant based off of a rib on a non-kayfabe video diary just comes off as stupid trying to be "insider" to me. It's just as much of a way of saying "look at us! We know so much!" as any other smarky chant is.

it's hard to explain, but PWG is kinda like a club, they're all the same people for years, they all know each other and are in on the jokes, when i went to Threemendous IV, there were passing around flyers about Roddy's birthday, there are many things that happen in PWG that you don't get in the DVDs, it's a huge party in there. I guess this makes me realize that it's probably the same in Full Sail, with the exception that they actually shit on stuff they don't like

[Big Red Machine]

Either way, it seems really silly to me. We used to just boo the guy or chant his name in a mocking fashion of chant "f*ck you Roddy!" The idea of doing a chant based off of a rib on a non-kayfabe video diary just comes off as stupid trying to be "insider" to me. It's just as much of a way of saying "look at us! We know so much!" as any other smarky chant is.

it's hard to explain, but PWG is kinda like a club, they're all the same people for years, they all know each other and are in on the jokes, when i went to Threemendous IV, there were passing around flyers about Roddy's birthday, there are many things that happen in PWG that you don't get in the DVDs, it's a huge party in there. I guess this makes me realize that it's probably the same in Full Sail, with the exception that they actually shit on stuff they don't like

Full sail doesn't sh*t on stuff they don't like? Have you seen anything with Eva Marie lately?

[cero2k]

Either way, it seems really silly to me. We used to just boo the guy or chant his name in a mocking fashion of chant "f*ck you Roddy!" The idea of doing a chant based off of a rib on a non-kayfabe video diary just comes off as stupid trying to be "insider" to me. It's just as much of a way of saying "look at us! We know so much!" as any other smarky chant is.

it's hard to explain, but PWG is kinda like a club, they're all the same people for years, they all know each other and are in on the jokes, when i went to Threemendous IV, there were passing around flyers about Roddy's birthday, there are many things that happen in PWG that you don't get in the DVDs, it's a huge party in there. I guess this makes me realize that it's probably the same in Full Sail, with the exception that they actually shit on stuff they don't like

Full sail doesn't sh*t on stuff they don't like? Have you seen anything with Eva Marie lately?

that's what i said, 'they' i meant full sail

[Big Red Machine]

it's hard to explain, but PWG is kinda like a club, they're all the same people for years, they all know each other and are in on the jokes, when i went to Threemendous IV, there were passing around flyers about Roddy's birthday, there are many things that happen in PWG that you don't get in the DVDs, it's a huge party in there. I guess this makes me realize that it's probably the same in Full Sail, with the exception that they actually shit on stuff they don't like

Full sail doesn't sh*t on stuff they don't like? Have you seen anything with Eva Marie lately?

that's what i said, 'they' i meant full sail

Isn't it good for a crowd to sh*t on things they don't like? Aren't we supposed to tell the office what we're into and what we're not via our reaction?

[cero2k]

[quote="Big Red Machine"
Isn't it good for a crowd to sh*t on things they don't like? Aren't we supposed to tell the office what we're into and what we're not via our reaction?[/quote]
no, that'd be heel heat, best is to not react

[Big Red Machine]

[quote="Big Red Machine"
Isn't it good for a crowd to sh*t on things they don't like? Aren't we supposed to tell the office what we're into and what we're not via our reaction?

no, that'd be heel heat, best is to not react[/quote]
If it works, it works. "Don't come back" and "this match sucks" and dead heat chants are even worse than no reaction, IMO.