Which WWE SmackDown Star "Hates" Piped-In Crowd Noise?
"There is no energy."
Universal Championship challenger Jey Uso "hates" WWE's current obsession with piped-in crowd noise, he revealed in a recent appearance on The Gorilla Position Podcast.
Since the current global health crisis forced sporting events all around the world to close their doors to live audiences, WWE has been forced to think on its feet when it comes to re-creating the energy of their typical WWE Universe. After seeing that an empty Performance Center didn't do the trick, the company opted to use their trainees as planted crowd members. This worked out for a spell, but WWE Chairman Vince McMahon soon decided Raw and SmackDown required a technological face-lift and moved both shows (and PPVs) into the Amway Center.
The "ThunderDome" now gives fans the chance to beam into the arena from the comfort of their own homes. However, Jey Uso still isn't happy about the substituted crowd noise which is being pumped into the arena in the absence of the real thing.
He confessed:
"I can definitely hear the piped-in noise (when I'm inside ThunderDome). I hate it, though. There is no energy. I have to draw that (energy) from either myself or my opponent.
After relating his ThunderDome experience to "dancing in an empty room", Uso also admitted:
"I really, really miss the people. That's what made wrestling special, just like football. A live audience."
Uso will challenge his cousin Roman Reigns at tonight's Hell in a Cell event inside of the (bright red) titular structure in an "I Quit" match for the Universal Championship.