Browsing: chants

John Cena just got real about the one thing fans never let him forget—the “You canâ€t wrestle†chants. Instead of brushing them off, he admits those three words followed him through his career and forced him to evolve inside the ring.

In a sit-down with Tom Rinaldi, Cena opened up about how that fan criticism stuck with him, especially during a time when he was dominating WWE with a simple formula.

“Yeah man, the audience. Their feedback—and the cool thing is, you donâ€t have to fish around to pull this out of me. The ‘You canâ€t wrestle†chants, because I would do the same five moves every night and win all the time.â€

Cena said he understood where the crowd was coming from. While other performers were putting on great matches, he was booked to win consistently, using his Five Moves of Doom.

“What I hear from the audience is, ‘Iâ€m seeing other performers doing these fantastic things, and then at the end of the night, I see you doing five moves and winning,†because Iâ€m in the throughline of a story, setting up a dynasty. So if it ainâ€t your guy, dynasties are tough.â€

The criticism didnâ€t go in one ear and out the other. Instead, Cena took action—by going back to wrestling school halfway through his career.

“I went back to wrestling school halfway through my career. Went to newer performers and I was like, ‘What do you think Iâ€ll be good at? Can you teach me some stuff?â€â€

Despite being on top of the company, Cena turned to the incoming generation for help. He credited wrestlers like Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and AJ Styles for being the ones who helped him break out of his routine and try new things.

“When I was at the top, I did this. ‘Teach me some stuff. What can I do better? How can I make you look great?†Thatâ€s always my lead. ‘And what can you teach me?â€â€

Rather than fire back at fans, John Cena stayed focused on improving—and kept it humble. He wanted to be better and become his authentic self.

“I know the audience will continue to lean in until they get you—but it didnâ€t get me. Like, I didnâ€t come back and be like, ‘What do they know? I can wrestle!†No—Iâ€ll try to be better, and not make it be a hard reset. Iâ€ll try to be better and be my authentic self.â€

John Cena didnâ€t deny the criticism. He lived it, heard it loud, and responded by grinding even harder. At a time when most top stars would just ride the wave, he hit reset mid-career to get better—for himself and for the fans. Thatâ€s not just hustle, loyalty, and respect—thatâ€s growth.

Did the “You canâ€t wrestle†chants ever reflect your opinion of John Cena? And does knowing he went back to training change how you see him now? Drop a comment and let us know—we want to hear your take.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.

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A major showdown is set for AAAâ€s upcoming November 28 event, as El Hijo del Vikingo will go one-on-one with El Grande Americano following a tense face-off at Heroes Inmortales.

Vikingo kicked off the night by soaking in a chorus of boos from the AAA faithful, many of whom chanted “Alberto†in reference to Alberto Del Rio. Though Del Rio is no longer involved with the promotion in a televised role, his absence was clearly felt by the crowd—and Vikingo didnâ€t take kindly to it.

In response, Vikingo fired back at fans, telling them to “Get over it,†before calling himself “the Canelo of AAA.†He then vowed to win back the AAA Mega Championship and restore his dominance at the top of the card.

The promo was cut short when El Grande Americano stormed the ring and mocked Vikingo in front of the crowd. Vikingo shot back, accusing Grande of not being truly Mexican—but the crowd didnâ€t agree, throwing their support behind the masked American star.

Tensions boiled over as the two brawled in the ring until security was forced to separate them. Before being pulled apart, both men agreed to settle things at AAAâ€s November 28th event.

With national pride, personal insults, and the Mega Title picture all swirling around this feud, their upcoming clash could shape the next chapter of AAAâ€s main event scene.

Are you Team Vikingo or Team El Grande Americano heading into November 28? Drop your take in the comments.

October 25, 2025 11:54 pm

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  Tim MacMahonOct 25, 2025, 01:53 AM ET

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  • Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
  • Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
  • Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM

DALLAS — Many Mavericks fans vented their frustration, in what has recently become familiar fashion in Dallas, chanting for the termination of general manager Nico Harrison as the final minute played out in Friday night’s 117-107 loss to the Washington Wizards.

“Fire Nico!” chants have frequently been heard in the American Airlines Center since the stunning trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 2, months after the homegrown superstar had led the Mavs to the 2024 NBA Finals.

Dallas’ improbable win in the draft lottery, which delivered No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg to the Mavs, somewhat reinvigorated the fan base over the summer. But the Mavs have stumbled out of the gate, getting routed by 33 at home by the San Antonio Spurs in Wednesday’s opener before losing by double digits to a Washington squad coming off an 18-64 season.

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There were scattered “Fire Nico!” chants during the season-opening loss, although “Go Spurs Go!” and “MVP!” chants for San Antonio superstar Victor Wembanyama were louder. There were thousands of empty seats in the arena by the time the chants broke out multiple times late in Friday’s loss.

“I think they have a right to vent, but there’s a patience [needed],” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s a different team, it’s a new team. We’re just getting to understand each other. We’re going to keep learning each other. So I would say be patient, but I understand the frustration. We all want to win. We all want to compete at a high level, but it’s a game of expression, and fans have a right to express themselves. But that doesn’t stop us from coming to work tomorrow and getting better and getting ready for Sunday [against the Toronto Raptors].”

Kidd signed a multiyear contract extension during the preseason, a negotiation that began after the Mavs denied the New York Knicks permission to pursue him for their head coaching vacancy in the offseason. Sources told ESPN that there have not been any discussions about a contract extension for Harrison, who has two years remaining on his deal.

The Mavs, who are starting Flagg at point guard despite him playing forward at Duke, rank last in the league in offensive efficiency after two games, averaging only 95.5 points per 100 possessions. Dallas has averaged 18.5 turnovers per game, including 20 in the loss to the Wizards.

“Everything’s correctable and internal,” said power forward Anthony Davis, the headliner in the package the Mavs received in the Doncic deal who had 27 points, 13 rebounds and 5 turnovers in Friday’s loss. “We are beating ourselves, and as long as we are doing that, we can correct it,” he said. “But we also have to learn from it and be ready for Sunday.”

Meanwhile, Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring at 46.0 points per game. He had 49 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in the Lakers’ 128-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

Flagg praised the Dallas crowd for its energy Friday night, especially during the fourth quarter, when the Mavs rallied to slice a deficit that had been as high as 17 points to four at one point.

“The fans showed up. They were amazing tonight,” said Flagg, who had 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and also finished with five rebounds, six assists and five turnovers. “I thought we were competing at a high level in that fourth quarter. A lot of things were right — getting stops, playing the way that we want to play, and that kind of sums it up. It was just periods tonight, and we got to be able to sustain that for the whole game. I think we took somewhat of a step in the right direction, but it has to be a lot better.”

Cooper Flagg had a monster dunk Friday night against the Wizards but also endured something he never experienced in his one season at Duke — a second straight loss, as Dallas fell to 0-2 on the season. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Flagg said he did not hear the chants calling for Harrison’s termination, adding that he was “locked in on the game” and listening to his coaches and teammates. Veteran shooting guard Klay Thompson said the blame should be shouldered by the players.

“You got to give ’em something to cheer for,” said Thompson, who had eight points on 2-of-7 shooting in only 17 minutes. “I got to give ’em something to cheer for. It’s the nature of the game, man. I’ve been there. I was a fan for 20 years before I got in the NBA. I would’ve definitely criticized players. I mean, we deserve a lot of criticism. We’re the ones out there making it happen.”

Thompson described his concern about Dallas’ slow start as “high” but expressed optimism that the Mavs would work their way out of the rut.

“There’s always this urgency,” Thompson said. “We’re all competitive. It’s embarrassing, especially for myself [after] talking championship preseason, all that. But I mean, it’s the only thing I play for at this point. So it’s not fun, but there’s only one way out. Stick together and get better and work even harder every day. I know I will, and I know the rest of the guys will. So it’s just a matter of being not patient, but just being relentless in our efforts.”

Asked about his concern level after the 0-2 start, Davis said, “Zero.” He stressed that the Mavs’ improvement needed to start on the defensive end, but Davis shot down a question about how the Mavs and Flagg would deal with adversity.

“This is adversity? What’s adversity?” Davis said. “We’ve got 80 games left. You can run off 10 straight [wins] and then what? This is how I look at it and I’m sure that’s how he looks at it, and that’s what we talked about. We know we have to be better on both ends of the floor, but the NBA season is a roller coaster, so we’re staying positive.”

The poor start is particularly foreign territory for the 18-year-old Flagg. In his only college season, Duke went 35-4 and never lost consecutive games.

“I know I’m kicking myself and I’m obviously not happy,” Flagg said. “I’m a little upset. I mean, it’s just I’m a competitor. I love to win and I want to win as many games as possible, so it’s not a great start. We got a lot of film to look at, a lot of stuff to look at and a lot to improve.”

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TORONTO — Blue Jays fans have gone from tracking flights to picking fights.

Chants of “We donâ€t need him†rained down on Shohei Ohtani in his ninth-inning at-bat in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night at Rogers Centre. What a moment from the Blue Jays†fan base, emboldened by an 11-4 win and just three victories away from a championship that would make every disappointment of the past 32 years disappear.

Ohtani eventually walked and was nearly picked off at first, but those chants raining down captured how far this organization has come. Less than two years ago, the Blue Jays†pursuit of Ohtani inspired hope like weâ€ve never seen in this market, then came crashing back down. Fans did all they were supposed to do — which is to care — but a million hearts broke all at once when Ohtani posted that Dodger blue on his Instagram.

John Schneider has handled the fallout well, both last year and this one. Heâ€s had some fun with it along the way, asking that Ohtani give back the Blue Jays hat he took from his visit to the teamâ€s complex that December. Heâ€s even jokingly asked for the dog jacket back that the Blue Jays gave to Decoy. After the Game 1 win, though, Schneider knew not to poke the bear.

“I just wanted to get the third out. I love energetic fan bases,†the manager said. “It happens in different ways and shapes and forms in every stadium. We saw it just the last series in Seattle. Kind of heard it, but it’s tough to talk about a player like that, to be honest with you. He’s special. I’m glad that the home run that he hit came when it came and we had a little cushion. But I love that our fans are passionate about our team.â€

George Springer didnâ€t want any part of it, either, wisely sidestepping the questions. People in baseball hold such an incredible respect for Ohtani, regardless of which team heâ€s on. Asked if itâ€s true that the Blue Jays donâ€t need Ohtani, Springer paused and searched for a safe answer, which he eventually found.

“I mean … thatâ€s Shohei Ohtani,†Springer said, smiling and refusing to take the bait. “Thatâ€s one of the best baseball players ever and heâ€s still got 15 more years to go. Heâ€s an unbelievable talent, but this is who we are as a team. This is us.â€

The Ohtani saga is a story weâ€ll always tell in this city, one which drew a bizarre cast of characters together into a tangled web of stories, some real and too many fictional. Fans had their hearts toyed with, though, and for fans who have stuck with this Blue Jays team while it chased its first postseason win since 2016 and first World Series appearance since ‘93, the exhaustion was understandable. Besides, the Dodgers had won enough and had enough things go their way.

Now, Ohtani is right back in front of them and this fan base is embracing it. This is like a breakup, when all of your friends rally around and tell you, “Youâ€re better off without them.â€

Do they even need to believe it? That part doesnâ€t matter.

“I didnâ€t hear any of that,†Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said, and weâ€ll just have to take his word on that. “I was focused on trying to get those three outs. Obviously, theyâ€re fans and theyâ€re always going to support us.â€

Ernie Clement cracked a smile and said that he got a laugh out of it, but just like everyone before him, Clement didnâ€t want to feed any fires. The Dodgers are already good enough. They donâ€t need bulletin board material and no player — World Series opponent or not — wants to disrespect the great Ohtani, even in the heat of competition.

“We have the guys who we have, and the guys we have have done a hell of a job,†Clement said. “I donâ€t think we need any more or any less of what we have right now.â€

Ohtani will surely get to the Blue Jays again in this Series. If itâ€s not at the plate, heâ€ll beat them on the mound. The Blue Jays took Round 1, though, and for a fan base thatâ€s sick of coming second, this was one big, loud step toward winning it all.

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WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H†Levesque didnâ€t get a free pass during his post-show appearance at the 2025 WWE Crown Jewel event. As he addressed the audience live, fans took over the segment with chants that were impossible to ignore—even if Triple H tried to.

During his on-camera remarks, the crowd broke out chanting for Edge and even sang his entrance theme, Metalingus, while Triple H continued talking. Despite the interruption, he never addressed the chants or even reacted.

That wasnâ€t the only message fans had for WWE. The chants escalated throughout the segment and included: “We want Edgeâ€, “MJF!â€, “Fck off Saudiâ€* and “We want Maniaâ€

The Edge chants come at an awkward time for WWE. Adam Copeland—better known as Edge—is still under AEW contract and has made it clear in past interviews that he wonâ€t be a free agent anytime soon.

Back in April 2025, Copeland revealed that his AEW deal runs until well into 2026, which shuts down any immediate hopes of a return to WWE programming. Fans clearly havenâ€t given up hope, though. The reaction during Crown Jewel sent a message loud and clear—even if Triple H wasnâ€t ready to answer it.

Do you think Edge will return to WWE before his AEW deal expires, or are fans wasting their energy? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

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A number of Dallas Cowboys fans chanted “MVP” as Dak Prescott ran off the field during Week 5’s 37-22 win over the New York Jets.

Prescott heard, but he’s not getting ahead of himself.

“I mean, my ears work, so I heard it, but I didn’t hear it. It’s Week 5. I don’t care,” he told reporters. “I don’t care if it was Week 17. I’ve told y’all what I want to win, the team goals. Right now, the success and the continued success is going to happen, [and] it’s just a beneficiary of all the guys in that locker room.”

While the Cowboys are only 2-2-1 this season, Prescott has undeniably gotten off to a strong start and continued it on Sunday, finishing 18-of-29 for 237 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He now has 1,356 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions through five games, and of late has had to do it without superstar receiver CeeDee Lamb.

“Look, I think we’re spoiled,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters. “I think he’s one of the best players in the league. He’s certainly one of the best teammates and leaders out there that I’ve ever been around. The guys believe in him. He’s playing with a ton of confidence right now.”

Prescott has always been an excellent September-through-November quarterback. The knock on him traditionally has been that he doesn’t maintain that level once the more important games roll around later in the season or during the playoffs.

For now, however, he has some fans thinking MVP.

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Colorado fans crossed the line in Saturday’s game against No. 25 BYU, and the school is now paying the price.

On Tuesday, the Big 12 announced a $50,000 fine and a public reprimand for Colorado due to the inappropriate chants from fans during the game.

“Hateful and discriminatory language has no home in the Big 12 Conference,” commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement. “While we appreciate Colorado apologizing for the chants that occurred in the stands during Saturday’s game, the Big 12 maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”

Colorado chancellor Justin Schwartz and athletic director Rick George issued a statement on Sunday condemning the behavior of the fans.

“The University of Colorado Boulder strongly condemns the use of expletives and religious slurs by individuals in the stands during the recent football game against BYU,” the statement said, per Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today. “Such behavior is deeply disappointing and does not reflect the values of respect, inclusion and integrity we expect of our campus community.”

The statement added that “those found to have engaged in conduct that is not consistent with our values are held accountable.”

Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders said he was unaware of the inappropriate chants as his team suffered a 24-21 loss to fall to 2-3 this season.

“I don’t know anything about no chants,” Sanders said after the game.

Colorado will try to bounce back from the loss to BYU when it travels to face TCU (3-1) in a road matchup on Saturday.

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Sep 28, 2025, 07:44 AM ET

A master of ceremonies has stepped down from her role at the Ryder Cup after joining the Bethpage Black crowd in directing expletive-laced chants toward Rory McIlroy.

In a statement released Sunday morning, the PGA of America announced that American comedian and actress Heather McMahan will not return to emcee at the first tee at Bethpage Black.

“Heather McMahan has extended an apology to Rory Mcllroy and Ryder Cup Europe and has stepped down from hosting the first tee of the Ryder Cup,” said the PGA of America, which runs the event.

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Video footage taken Saturday morning appeared to show McMahan riling up fans at the first tee by shouting, “F— you, Rory,” into the microphone.

European golfers, who have dominated the first two days of the competition, were heckled repeatedly by the rowdy Bethpage Black crowd Saturday — and McIlroy caught the brunt of the abuse.

During morning foursome play, McIlroy told spectators to “shut the f— up,” after being yelled at while lining up to hit a shot. The reigning Masters champion also had to back off his ball multiple times on the fourth green during afternoon four-ball play because of yelling fans.

“I don’t mind them having a go at us,” McIlroy said after his morning match. “Like, that’s to be expected. I mean, that’s what an away Ryder Cup is. Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing.”

Fans heckled McIlroy over his previous major losses at Pinehurst, shouted that his Masters win this year was “a fluke,” and also took shots at his personal life and his marriage.

“Look, when you play an away Ryder Cup, it’s really, really challenging,” McIlroy said. “It’s not for me to say. People can be their own judge on if they [took] it too far or not.”

By the ninth hole Saturday afternoon, nearly 20 New York State Police troopers lined the ropes as the players teed off. Some Bethpage State Park Police officers on bikes monitored the galleries.

New York State police spokesman Beau Duffy said two fans were ejected. The PGA of America said it added security to the McIlroy match and the other three. It also posted a message on the large videoboards on “Spectator Etiquette.”

McIlroy and the Europeans enter Sunday with a seven-point lead, the largest lead in the history of the Ryder Cup’s modern format.

ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The European team were expecting abuse from the people paying to attend this Ryder Cup, but not from the people the Ryder Cup are paying to entertain them while they are here. In a dismal start to what turned into one of the most rancorous day’s play in the history of the competition, the female master of ceremonies employed to inject some life into the crowd at the 1st tee was recorded using a megaphone to lead a chant of “Fuck you Rory!†before Saturday morning’s foursomes. The PGA of America, which is organising the tournament, was approached for comment but remained oddly silent until late on Saturday evening when they issued an apology and announced that the MC, Heather McMahan, would stand down from Sunday’s proceedings.

The incident set the tone for everything that happened after. The words became a recurring chant, and by the end of the day the atmosphere around his fourball with Shane Lowry against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young had become so foul that the PGA of America had brought in a squad of state police to try to restore order.

It has to be said McIlroy has not helped himself. During his Friday fourball, he flipped his finger at a heckler while he was walking off the 11th green after Lowry had made a putt to put the team 2 up. On Saturday, McIlroy responded to the chants on the 1st tee by blowing kisses at the crowd. But he finally snapped when he reached the 16th during his foursomes match with Tommy Fleetwood. Someone shouted out: “Freedom!†while McIlroy was getting ready to make his swing. He turned to face the crowd and snapped back: “Shut the fuck up!†before he stepped back up to the ball and hit it to three feet from the pin.

“I don’t mind them having a go at us, that’s to be expected, that’s what an away Ryder Cup is,†said McIlroy after the round, although you guess he was being diplomatic given that a lot of what was said was about his wife and private life. “Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing. You know, look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me. That’s totally fine. But just give us the respect to let us hit shots. Give us the same chance that the Americans have.†It did not make any difference.

Quick GuideRyder Cup singles pairings and timingsShow

12.02 EDT/17.02 BST Cameron Young v Justin Rose
12.13 EDT/17.13 BST Justin Thomas v Tommy Fleetwood
12.24 EDT/17.24 BST Bryson DeChambeau v Matt Fitzpatrick
12.35 EDT/17.35 BST Scottie Scheffler v Rory McIlroy
12.46 EDT/17.46 BST Patrick Cantlay v Ludvig Ã…berg
12.57 EDT/17.57 BST Xander Schauffele v Jon Rahm
13.08 EDT/18.08 BST JJ Spaun v Sepp Straka
13.19 EDT/18.19 BST Russell Henley v Shane Lowry
13.30 EDT/18.30 BST Ben Griffin v Rasmus Højgaard
13.41 EDT/18.41 BST Collin Morikawa v Tyrrell Hatton
13.52 EDT/18.52 BST Sam Burns v Robert MacIntyre
14.03 EDT/19.03 BST Harris English v Viktor Hovland

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During McIlroy’s afternoon fourball match he had to step away from a putt because the crowd were making so much noise. This time it was his partner Lowry who reacted, shouting: “Fuck you!†after making his own putt to win the hole from 20ft. By the time the match reached the 8th, Thomas had started asking the crowd to quieten down when Lowry and McIlroy were over the ball, and the PGA of America had finally started posting frequent spectator etiquette warnings up on the big screens around the grounds. They were booed every time they appeared.

“It’s really, really challenging,†McIlroy said when it was all over. He refused to be drawn on whether he thought the crowd had gone too far. “It’s not for me to say, people can be their own judge.†The look on Lowry’s face while he said it told you everything you needed to know about his verdict on it.

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Either way, the crowd were picking on the wrong man. McIlroy won his foursomes 3&2, and his fourball 2 up, by the time he had walked off 18 at the end of the day he had won as many points on his own as the entire US team had between them. In the absence of many eagles and birdies, US golf did not have anything much else left to throw at him but insults.

The Kansas City Chiefs played the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, but neither team offered a particularly primetime experience.

The Chiefs survived an offensive slog, winning 22-9 behind Patrick Mahomes’ 224 passing yards and a touchdown.

Those numbers may not jump off the page, but they were downright brilliant compared to Russell Wilson’s moonball-or-bust approach in the loss, as the veteran quarterback threw for just 160 yards, two interceptions and took two sacks.

The most exciting player on the night may have been New York’s rookie running back, Cam Skattebo, who had 10 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown and added six catches for 61 yards. He was basically the team’s entire offense, as the Chiefs largely took star receiver Malik Nabers (two catches for 13 yards on seven targets) out of the game.

So in the end, the Chiefs came away with the win, but it was a rather laborious watch. NFL fans were particularly unimpressed with Wilson, with Giants fans calling for rookie Jaxson Dart mid-game:

The Giants have featured Dart on a few plays here and there during the season but have stuck with Wilson as the starter thus far. That didn’t look like the worst decision in a thrilling overtime loss a week ago against a terrible Dallas Cowboys defense, but he looked pretty rough against the Chiefs.

Everybody knows that Wilson is essentially keeping the seat warm for Dart as the Giants choose to bring him along slowly. At some point, however, keeping Wilson on the field will be hard to justify if he strings together more poor performances.

New York fans, certainly, have seen enough.

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