The NXT Atmosphere: Do Fans Help or Harm the Product?

PWP Nation’s Eron Ramadanov explores the debate of the NXT fans at Full Sail and if they help or hurt the product.

A news story that’s been making the rounds lately is that former WWE Champion and Hall of Famer, Mick Foley has given some interesting opinions on the NXT fans at Full Sail University that make up the audience at every NXT live television taping. In a series of tweets, Foley has denounced the brand and has condemned the fans that attend the shows on a monthly/weekly basis for basically making the show about them.

Some see the NXT fans as a fantastic part of the experience at Full Sail, but Foley is not one of them. Personally, I hold Mick Foley’s opinions about professional wrestling in high regard, not to mention that he is one of my favorite performers/wrestlers of all time.

Here’s what Foley said:

“Those @WWENXT fans at @FullSail who THINK the show is about THEM, disrespect the wrestlers – and make the show far less fun to watch. I’ve stopped watching #NXT because of it.” — @RealMickFoley

Now for me to disagree with Foley on anything is a pretty big deal, let alone any wrestling mind out there that I respect and admire. Obviously, Mick Foley must feel incredibly bothered by the NXT fans at Full Sail to go to the extent of not watching the product anymore, but I don’t think it’s that easy. I don’t believe painting the NXT fans at Full Sail with a broad stroke and saying that they are harming the product of NXT is unfair and not watching the product because of it is odd to me.

In the recent past, Foley has actually been someone that has praised the NXT brand and everyone involved. He’s been someone that has championed the focus of women’s wrestling and has enjoyed the “old-school” feel to the show, but also being able to keep it new and fresh. It’s not like Mick Foley has been someone to bash NXT or what they’re doing, but more so what the fans are doing that are in attendance.

It’s hard to say what exactly set this off in Foley or what made him bothered enough to tweet about it, but it appears he wasn’t too happy with the disparaging remarks aimed at Eva Marie by the NXT faithful and accused the NXT fans of making the show about themselves, instead of focusing on the talent in the ring.

So, is he right? Are the fans in attendance at Full Sail ruining NXT and making the show about themselves?

Well, I can’t really say either way, honestly.

On some level, I agree with Mick Foley that at times the Full Sail fans can take the attention away from the in-ring action and cast it upon themselves, but at the same time, I believe they are what makes NXT so special, along with the incredible booking and amazing talent. As someone who watches NXT on a weekly basis religiously since it’s inception, I find myself struggling with this issue a lot.  At times, the fans make the moment that much better. They enhance what’s happening in the ring by reacting and being engaged the entire show. There are so many times and examples where the NXT arena-goers are elevating an amazing moment. Other times, to what Foley was saying, they tend to either overreact to certain moments or completely hijack a match or moment indulging in themselves.

Either way, it’s a scenario that can’t be changed. Fans will always react how they want. That’s what beautiful about NXT and professional wrestling.

This “problem” has been growing, not only in NXT, but all over independent wrestling. I’m finding that fans all over, wherever they are, want to be involved however they can. In the late 90’s, it was about bringing a sign to the show and screaming as loud as possible for your favorite wrestler. Now, it’s creating a chant and getting everyone to join in, no matter how ridiculous. As for me, I’m one of those boring attendees that just sits on their hands and watches intently; I’d be perfect for a New Japan show or something. I rarely get involved in chants, if ever. I just sit there, enjoy the show and clap when I see fit.

In the states and especially in the UK, the idea of getting involved has snowballed into hijacking the show. Now, we can talk about WHY people see the need to do this, but that would take too long. Is it a millennial thing? Maybe. Is it a social media thing where in today’s age everyone’s opinion “matters?” Maybe. Could it be that we’ve become so smartened up to what’s really happening that we have to find a way to keep ourselves entertained? Sure. Either way, it does have a negative effect on the product, not only in NXT, but all over. One of the biggest problems could be that some of the NXT fans believe that what they think is going to happen is going to be bad, so they don’t give it a chance from the very beginning. But not only NXT fans are guilty of this; fans all over do this, even me.

BUT… the over-involvement of fans can be a good thing too.

A perfect example of that is the influx of a lack of interest in the product, professional wrestling and sports entertainment. We can blame it on who or whatever we want, but it’s proven that the interest in professional wrestling is at an all time low, at least among the mass population.

So, in saying that, to have these small pockets of die-hard, invested fans is a blessing. I understand that Foley and other critics of NXT fans aren’t saying that they want them to just sit there and not make a sound, or just blindly follow any “babyface” on the roster, but to have these people that care so much about this product is a good thing. Also, people can run into the argument of freedom of speech. You know, the motto that goes, “well, if I pay a ticket to the show, I should be able to chant or say whatever I want.”

The statement does hold some merit.

Being someone that attends wrestling shows on a regular basis, I do believe that when I buy a ticket, I should be able to react how I’d like (within reason of course). But I think what Foley and others are saying is that the product would be better if fans would “smarten” up and keep the focus in the ring. Being someone that finds the, “ayyyyyyyyyy, we want some bayyyyyyyleyyyyyyyy!” chants amusing and funny, they don’t really make sense when she is in the ring and wrestling and takes away from what’s going on.

Considering all the talk about this issue and the many different point-of-views and opinions, I opened this discussion to the PWP Nation Wrestling Group on Facebook.com, where I got some interesting answers:

“What do you think of the NXT crowd at Full Sail? Do they harm or help the product?”

“I think it’s a bit of both. Sometimes the fans help the product, especially when it’s outside of Full Sail. But at times the Full Sail crowd just goes into business for themselves. But then again, that’s been the way crowds have been for a while. So, it’s funny how it’s such an issue now, but like I said, it helps and hinders the product at times.” — Stephen Ajamie, PWP Nation Staff Writer

“They help. They’re a 100% separate fan base than what the WWE has. I’m not a big fan of “boo birds” so to speak, but I’d rather everyone on my roster get boo’d out of the building than have 10,000 fans sitting on their hands.” — Cody Guinn, PWP Nation Wrestling Group.

“I hate to give a cop out answer, but it really is case-by-case. Goes with any crowd: sometimes they will react in a way that bolsters whatever is being presented and has a ripple effect of making the audience watching it at home and the product itself appear great. However, I do think there is a fine line between a crowd being lively and a crowd being obnoxious and ends up detracting/distracting from the product.” — Zak Fellows, PWP Nation Staff Writer.

“I really have no issue with it; makes for an experience and it makes my fiancee and I want to go to Full Sail and see a show. So. that’s probably a sign.” — Tim Bell, PWP Nation Staff Writer.

In the end, it’s all subjective. Some find the NXT fans entertaining and one of the best parts of the show each week. Others think they have become a con of the product. There’s no debating that the excitement and energy of the fans at Full Sail is infectious and can help the product, but it can also harm it.

All we can do as fans is be thoughtful and mindful the next time we go to a wrestling event and ask ourselves if we’re helping or harming the in-ring work. Next time you engage or start a chant, ask if it warrants the effort; does it help or enhance the match? Does it make sense? Are we hurting what’s happening in the ring? Being mindful is all we can do. The urge will probably always be there for some fans, and of course there will be moments where the NXT fans at Full Sail or anywhere else will go into business for themselves, but to stop watching the product because of it isn’t fair to the talent and staff that works so hard on NXT each week.

What makes Full Sail great is the ruckus, energetic fans that are invested in almost every character. They clearly have fun and enjoy themselves. But how far does that go? Should we limit that? Either way, there is no black or white answer here; it’s all a gray area.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Let me know what you think below in the comments or on social media.

Follow me on Twitter @Eron_PWP and follow the website @PWPNation.