Every year since 2021 during the Road to WrestleMania Tonya has contributed some thoughts about WWE. (To sample some of her previous work, check here and here.) You can find her at @TheWitchMilitia on Twitter.
One of the most fulfilling parts of being a fan of professional wrestling is having the honor to watch your favorite wrestler develop their skills from the infancy of their career. With the way WWE has operated for a decade now, several of the most loyal fanbases-The ESTate, The Empire, etc- have been fortunate enough to see the process their favorite went through to become the star they are currently in the business. Now Bianca Belair and Roman Reigns are at the top of their game. However, as their fans will attest, the road to get there was anything but smooth.
A big part of developing as a wrestler is about dealing with crowd reactions, which brings me to the true purpose of this article. This past week, a clip from a house show circulated Wrestling Twitter (mama named it Twitter, I calling it Twitter) of fans booing and heckling relative newcomer Maxxine Dupri as she made her exit from a match during a house show. One male fan in particular was incredibly harsh, yelling “You suck” and other things aimed at Maxxine’s ability to wrestle.
Fans who saw the video began to rally around Maxxine, calling the fans on the video to account. The general opinion was it was not fair to boo or heckle Maxxine because of her inexperience. Her fellow coworkers, including Ivy Nile, Jade Cargill, Zeina Vega, and Rhea Ripley all spoke out in support of Maxxine, echoing that it is not fair to do this to someone fairly new and trying their best.
Quite frankly, I do honestly love that Maxxine is getting this much support. Misogyny can run rampant in the wrestling fandom. If certain sections of fans know they cannot freely say awful things about a lady wrestler, it could deter dialogue from becoming nasty and that is always a good thing. I do wonder, though, where all this support in the women’s locker room goes whenever someone gets dragged on Twitter for calling Bianca Belair a man. Or when someone compares Naomi to an animal. But, I digress.
The fact of the matter is this: Even seasoned wrestlers get heckled and told that they cannot wrestle. The crowd has an entire chant for it! Some of the same fans defending Maxxine have probably chanted it in a crowd! Trying to police booing and heckling can sometimes backfire with the same type of fan who would heckle Maxxine in the first place. Sure, they might not tweet anything about her for fear of being ratioed, but they will buy a ticket to go to a show so they can do it there.
Full disclosure, I am an old school ECW watcher. I know disrespectful crowds. While I will not deny how discouraging it must feel to give your all performing only for people in the crowd to boo and heckle you, it is very much a part of the job. There is a conversation to be had about how hypercritical we are of the wrestlers in general, but I feel like this was just blown out of proportion.
Maxxine was not booed out of the building. It was a select portion of the crowd. Others were still cheering for her. Amplifying the bad reaction never gives the desired effect. Never. It actually brings more critical eyes on Maxxine, who some feel is favored and in a position she has not earned because of how she looks.
WWE management, as per usual, is the villain here. Most of us agree that Maxxine needs more training and reps in the ring. But somebody high up the food chain decided, way too early, that Maxxine was ready to do full matches on WWE main roster television and house shows despite having less than a 20 matches total in her career. The company could have her working in NXT since the majority, even her friends she works with, seem to think she is not ready. Because what they’re not saying when they defend her is “Maxxine is good, she earned her spot, she knows this stuff, she can handle the crowd”.
In conclusion, I think fans and wrestlers should be cautious when attempting to police the reaction of fans in the building. However, I also believe that if you really do not like a wrestler, silence is better than any noise you can utter. Sit down when they’re out there, do not say anything. Wrestling is built on reactions, so if more people boo Maxxine, she won’t get cut, she will turn heel. And still have matches to improve. Everyone overreacted to a short clip of what I feel is a normal crowd reaction.
I look forward to seeing Maxxine improve and adapt to a situation not of her making. I do not think it is fair but, unfortunately, it is not unique for women in wrestling. I hope she remains safe while learning in the big leagues and shuts those hecklers up!
Stroke of Genius 