10 Most Unlikely WWE Trends

4. Steve Austin Begins 'What' Craze

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WWE.com

Listen to Steve Austin talk about the catchphrase now, and it becomes quite clear that he has at least some regrets over creating it in 2001.

Who would have thought that a simple question designed to ask what somebody had said would become one of the longest-lasting trends in WWE? That's exactly what happened with Austin's 'What?'.

During his rival's promo segments, Austin would repeatedly interrupt with the word, taking every opportunity to shout it out aggressively. The constant interference disrupted the flow of many interviews, which was exactly the point.

xtIt didn't take too long for fans to cotton on and start loudly bellowing 'What' themselves.

Due to this, Austin modified his own promos to encourage fans to shout the phrase over and over again. To this day, 'What' chants can still be heard whenever fans are uninterested in what a wrestler is saying, and it must be incredibly off-putting.

That's Austin's main gripe with the word, it has left some performers flustered, knowing fans are only shouting it out because they don't care about what's being said.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.