WWE used "piped crowd sounds" for Stephanie McMahon when she was the Smackdown! General Manager?

[Hunter]

Been reading lots of arena reports and reviews from around that time and a lot are saying that Stephanie McMahon was really receiving little to no crowd reactions at all, but it was mostly piped crowd pops that the WWE used to make her seem like a mega face.

Is this true?

I always watched Smackdown on Thursday nights and I never watched it live, so I can't say if this is true or not. Her character was pretty interesting and she was mega hot looking in her own unique amazon womanish way. But I do think a lot of her in ring segments and promos were a tad bit boring and dry.

I do remember a lot of people complaining back then about the McMahons dominating TV, but that was probably mostly smarks, the general population in the arena seemed to like her.

What are your thoughts? Did you guys watch it back then or get to watch any events live around 2002-2003?

[HBPunk]

Well it was never live and Smackdown use the piped crowd sounds today too. You can recognise them immediately. Its an irritating noise kinda like a big group of people squealing

[HBPunk]

Stef was a terrible face too so i dont doubt it

[Xero]

SmackDown! has had piped probably since it started, I'd think. But I really started to notice it 2002-2003.

I wonder if they piped in cheers for pre-taped shows in the 80s-mid 90s. I wouldn't put it past them, but I never noticed it.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

SmackDown! has had piped probably since it started, I'd think. But I really started to notice it 2002-2003.

I wonder if they piped in cheers for pre-taped shows in the 80s-mid 90s. I wouldn't put it past them, but I never noticed it.

Hmm yeah never thought about it, but it definitely seems like they did. I know crowds were hot back then but it always struck me as odd that Virgil and Sparky Plugg got the same pop as Bret Hart.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

PROLLY CUZ BRET WAS SO BORING

[HBPunk]

Virgil had more fans than Bret though

[Testicle]

Steph was so hot in '02-'03, probably got some decent reactions. I wouldn't doubt the E doing it though.

Also, Sparky Plugg was fucking over.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

nah think crowds were just super positive back then

[Xero]

TNA does this so terribly. I was watching the opening segment with Sting and Bischoff the other day and the crowd was clearly fucking dead. Yet, the cheers were about on par with double what the Impact Zone could ever hold.

[Tazz Dan]

This weeks Raw had the worst piped in cheers I've seen for a while, especially during the Cena/Vince segment

[seapig4]

Every major organisation has used the taped cheers I think. I seem to remember WCW doing it loads with the Goldberg chant's.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I remember attending a Smackdown taping around the time when Steph was feuding with Vince. They had some backstage interview with her that felt like it lasted about twenty minutes. The crowd in the arena was going BALLISTIC with boos and "BORING" chants. It actually looked like people were walking out of the show, and there was still like an hour left. It was hideous. I never got to watch the airing of it, so I don't know how it translated on TV, though.

[Hunter]

I remember attending a Smackdown taping around the time when Steph was feuding with Vince. They had some backstage interview with her that felt like it lasted about twenty minutes. The crowd in the arena was going BALLISTIC with boos and "BORING" chants. It actually looked like people were walking out of the show, and there was still like an hour left. It was hideous. I never got to watch the airing of it, so I don't know how it translated on TV, though.

I know exactly what you are talking about and it was just AS BAD on TV. They cut it down to about 10 minutes, but was still horrific.

Couldn't she of at least shown off her tits or something? Would that of even saved it?

Sorry if i'm being offensive, but staring at Steph's mug with her f**cked up hair cut and fake tears while she talks about stuff no one cares about for 10 consecutive minutes literally killed my soul and my penor.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Yes, that definitely sounds like the same segment. I doubt it was actually 20 minutes, but that's what it felt like.

[Juan]

Never really cared for face Steph, especially SD GM Steph.

[Cool King]

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JXEuFreVC5g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Cool King]

I first noticed them on SmackDown around two years ago when I started watching SmackDown regularly.

It was really annoying watching SmackDown after I noticed them, but now I don't really notice it as much. Though the cheers were annoying on Raw on Monday. Most probably because I'm not used to hearing them on Raw.

[Aguakate]

...WWE uses piped crowd sounds everytime John Cena's music hits, and I don't care who says otherwise.

[Anybody Thrilla]

The piped crowds don't really bother me too much. I can form my own opinion on the show without basing it on how the crowd is reacting. What's the big deal? Wrestling is fake.

[Cool King]

Actually, when I think about it, I feel like the piped in cheers made Raw come across as cheap and "tacky". I was thinking to myself as I was watching Raw that it felt different.

I didn't feel like I was watching Raw. :-\

[MoFo]

God I fuckin hate that piped heat, its been happening ever since Smackdown started cuz I remember some real bad jobber matches with huge pops back in the day....all with the same horrible screaming you hear today.

They use the same stock footage of the crowd some weeks too lol

[Xero]

lol yeah. I remember someone posted a thread a while back about him showing up at a show despite the footage being 2 years old or something.

[Xero]

http://www.tpww.net/forums/showthread.php?t=110910&highlight=footage

[Cool King]

Here's a decent example of the piped in cheers.

Slam Master J vs Charlie Haas. (SmackDown - 8/7/09)

Slam Master J's entrance on TV

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EvTLcPX1tFY#t=14s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Slam Master J's entrance live

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0vnW7Es-Xqc#t=28s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[captaincharismark]

I wouldn't doubt the WWE would do something so deplorable, especially to make a McMahon look good on TV. The only time I think Steph was legit getting cheered is when Jericho trashed her. Other than that, her biggest pops were all off camera...

[St. Jimmy]

http://0.media.sportspickle.cvcdn.com/92/81/d2e171f9ef716fb2e1502b8c6a6c77e2.jpg

[Juan]

Deplorable, he says.

[Aguakate]

LOL "deplorable" is a bit harsh...

[HBPunk]

...WWE uses piped crowd sounds everytime John Cena's music hits, and I don't care who says otherwise.

Dont be so fucking stupid

Actually, when I think about it, I feel like the piped in cheers made Raw come across as cheap and "tacky". I was thinking to myself as I was watching Raw that it felt different.

I didn't feel like I was watching Raw. :-\

I agree yeah, thats another reason why i cant watch smackdown, that same irritating squeal cheer is really horrific. Makes everything come off cheap

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

There's also more wrestling on the show than Raw. I guess you have to take the good with the bad.

[HBPunk]

thats not good really though. If i ever do record sd i fast forward thru most matches. how can i give a shit about them if they only build up randy orton and one or two others? not fucked watching it if i dunno who im watching

[Hunter]

Here's a good example, what do u think?

<iframe width="960" height="750" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4vOdcwbmw5I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Hunter]

<iframe width="960" height="750" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/azVPfwPYE18" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Kane Knight]

The piped crowds don't really bother me too much. I can form my own opinion on the show without basing it on how the crowd is reacting. What's the big deal? Wrestling is fake.

Just seems kinda...Pointless to even HAVE a live crowd.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

I don't have a problem with the idea of piped cheers. If they want to fake it to make the shows seem more exciting then go for it. Nothing wrong with that.

What bothers me is the crappy/lazy production of them. It should be at least somewhat difficult to tell the cheers are fake. But if they use the same sound each time, we're gonna notice. It wouldn't be that difficult to get the crowd to cheer before the show started when theyre all reved up and excited and record that to use later.

[Xero]

Well, I'm sure the few clips they have (probably less than ten) are balanced for insertion. But it's not like they don't have thousands of hours of footage to draw from. Even if you just consider the HD ones, that's still hundreds of hours to draw from.

They really should sit down and compile like 100-500 different cheers to draw from.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Just seems kinda...Pointless to even HAVE a live crowd.

Digital crowds are the wave of the future, and you'd be foolish to think otherwise.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

I can't remember when this was, but I could swear that one time I saw a video package featuring the Rock/Foley empty arena match and they piped in cheers when Foley won.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Maybe there was just a piped cheer in his theme music.

[HBPunk]

Maybe there was just a piped cheer in his theme music.

:y:

Dunno how he got any kind of face pops except for the fans who saw him and said "ohh theres that guy who hangs off The Rock's helmet and tries to kill himself when he's wrestling on PPV, his first book was pretty good too. . . i guess ill cheer him cos i feel sorry for him"

[Emperor Smeat]

It does get annoying when they keep recycling the exact same cheers within the same show so it starts to sound obvious that the crowd isn't interested in a certain match or show.

I think the bigger problem is when the WWE keeps forcing the piped cheers to wrestlers they want the crowd to accept while ignoring what the crowd actually wants. It ends up with them becoming a bit "lazy" instead of working harder to make a better show or interest in their chosen wrestler at the moment.

[Hunter]

and another


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[erickman]

Well, I'm sure the few clips they have (probably less than ten) are balanced for insertion. But it's not like they don't have thousands of hours of footage to draw from. Even if you just consider the HD ones, that's still hundreds of hours to draw from.

They really should sit down and compile like 100-500 different cheers to draw from.

what tyhey need is to play the goldberg chant for cena that would be funny as hell.

[HBPunk]

Well, weapon ten, you could have made a point either instead of just hiding. Look at foley's raw world title win. The entire arena popped insanely hard for austin and foley's pin just rode on top of that ovation. As if anyone really cared about Foley. I never looked forward to his matches except for the fact that i knew he'd try to kill himself at some point

[Supreme Olajuwon]

I cared about Foley.

[ron the dial]

i don't need to make my point. you make it every time you post.

[erickman]

and another


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in those clips if the crowd is chearing it is easy-e they are chearing. i bet vince wishes bishoff was his son in law instead of hunter.

[ron the dial]

also foley's one of my all time favorites.

[HBPunk]

You could have just said that in the first place. Thats fine. I didnt like him at all be it his look, wrestling style or gimmick.

[Hunter]

in those clips if the crowd is chearing it is easy-e they are chearing. i bet vince wishes bishoff was his son in law instead of hunter.

Ha, that is funny, considering Steph is the Mega-face and Eric is the Heel.

But your probably right. And I bet Eric snuck his sausauge into Steph's large meat factory at some time or another.

[Stickman]

I remember watching matches on smackdown where the crowd obviously wasn't even paying attention, most likely a women's match, and the piped in pop made it seem like the Rock came back to insert city here.