Stone Cold Steve Austin’s “What?” chant became one of the most recognizable crowd reactions in WWE history, but Eric Bischoff remembers it as something performers had to learn how to survive.
Bischoff looked back at the chant during a recent episode of 83 Weeks while discussing the fact that it has now been around for roughly 25 years. Conrad Thompson brought up what he called one of the most annoying things to come out of Austin’s run, although Bischoff initially didn’t realize he was talking about the infamous “What?” chants. Once Thompson gave him a few examples, Bischoff immediately remembered what it was like dealing with WWE crowds who would fire off “What?” during promos.
Bischoff explained that wrestlers had to learn how to push through the chants because fans would deliberately use them in an attempt to throw performers off their rhythm or make them break character.
“Oh yeah, I do. Of course. I had to overcome them when they first got to WWE as a character. Everybody loves ‘What?’ action to try to throw you off your promo and see if they can get you to break character. It was a fun time.”
Thompson called the chant one of the most annoying things ever, but Bischoff saw something bigger behind it. He believes the “What?” chants were one of the clearest examples of wrestling fans realizing just how much control they could have over the atmosphere of a show.
“It was. You know, that was, I think, probably not the first time, but it was a real clear example of the audience realizing that they’re a really big part of the show.”
Bischoff then explained how much a live crowd can change the way wrestling comes across to viewers watching at home. According to him, an energetic crowd can take an average show and make it feel far more important.
“They should be getting a check if they do the job properly, because a really great audience can make a mediocre show feel like a big deal at home when you’re watching on television.”
The same thing works in reverse. Bischoff made it clear that even a wrestling show that looks great on paper can fall flat if the audience isn’t giving the performers anything to work with.
“Conversely, a dead crowd can make what should be a great show feel flatter than piss on a plate. Crowd is so important.”
The “What?” chant may have started with Steve Austin, but it quickly became something WWE wrestlers had to account for every time they picked up a microphone. More than two decades later, fans still break it out when they want to hijack a promo, and Bischoff clearly remembers how challenging that could be for performers trying to keep control of a segment.
Do you think the “What?” chant is still fun after 25 years, or has it become one of the most annoying crowd chants in wrestling? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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