"I've literally watched it end careers in the truck" - Former WWE name urges fans to stop the 'what' chant after Gunther incident
It's been years since the Stone Cold Steve Austin era passed, but the 'what' chant still continues to pop up now and then in the WWE. Freddie Prinze Jr. recently opened up on why the chant was annoying and said fans weren't helping the performers by starting them.
The live audience often uses the' what' chant in response to a heel's promos. Gunther recently faced a similar situation during a battle of words with The Miz on Monday Night RAW, during which the crowd tried to unsettle the Imperium Leader.
Freddie Prinze Jr. commented on the trend and said while he understood the importance of crowd participation, the 'what' chants were unnecessary.
Prinze Jr. worked in WWE's creative team for many years and recalled how fans unknowingly affected a talent's career:
"I'm not judging you; I'm just letting you know you're not helping these wrestlers get better. It's not like a challenge I have to deal with. No, I've literally watched it end careers in the truck just because of the 'what' chant." [14:06 - 14:19]
Freddie Prinze Jr. praised how The Ring General handled the 'what' chant, stating that the Intercontinental Champion quickly deduced the kind of crowd he was dealing with on RAW.
Gunther expertly paced his promo and had some excellent replies to a chant way past its expiry date.
"I get the involvement in the matches, but let wrestlers speak. That being said, he (Gunther) did a great job pacing himself out, realizing it was a 'what' crowd. I'll be patient. I'll let them get their nonsense in, and then I'll move on. Yeah, if you like wrestling, I really don't understand why you do that." [13:46 - 14:05]
Freddie Prinze Jr. does not understand why the WWE Universe uses the 'what' chant
While Stone Cold Steve Austin popularized the chant during the Attitude Era, the usage of it in modern-day wrestling just doesn't make sense, according to Freddie Prinze Jr.
The former WWE writer felt that the fans who initiate the 'what' chant at wrestling shows probably weren't fans of the sport in the first place. Prinze Jr. highlighted how performers in plays are never interrupted, but the same practice wasn't followed in wrestling.
"If you like wrestling, I don't know why you do that (the 'what' chant). Imagine interrupting someone in a movie or a play in the middle of a speech," Prinze Jr. continued. "You wouldn't do that, so you don't like the wrestlers, and that's why you're doing it, or you don't like wrestling, which is weird because you bought a ticket and showed up." [13:30 - 13:45]
Freddie Prinze Jr. also labeled a WWE RAW superstar the John McClane of pro wrestling, and you can read more about the fascinating comparison here.