Pro wrestling and sports

[Cross Face Chicken Wing]

Two questions here:

 

1. I was watching a college football game on Saturday and one of the signs used by the coaching staff to signal in a play was a huge picture of Andre the Giant from a WWF magazine circa 1987 or 1988. What other examples can you come up with where pro wrestling is used in some fashion by athletes, teams or venues?

 

A few that come to mind for me:

 

• Aaron Rodgers putting on the belt after rushing for key first downs and touchdowns. After winning the Super Bowl, Rodgers had a replica WWE title over his shoulder on the podium. There have been other athletes to wear a replica belt since, but Rodgers was the first that I remember.
• Ric Flair's "Whoooo!" being played over stadium and arena PA systems during games.
• This really doesn't count, but did anyone watch the Ryder Cup this weekend? The whole event had a very NWA Wargames 1987 vibe. The crowd was out of its mind hot. I was waiting for Dusty or Road Warrior Animal to make a run-in.

 

2. Does anybody have any idea how much Flair makes annually from his "Whoooo!" being used at sports venues?

[sek69]

Well the obvious ones would be guys in real combat sports drawing heavily from pro wrestling to draw interest/heat/money. Mohammed Ali patterned a lot of his shtick from Gorgeous George and Fred Blassie and Connor is basically 80s Ric Flair with f-bombs.

 

I still remember the Olympics in 1988 doing video packages with the theme of USA vs USSR that might as well have been cribbed from Bill Watts' notebook.

[SteveJRogers]

Baseball players have used WWE title belts, or variations of a theme, as sort of a "game ball" presentation after each game.

 

Yoneis Cespedes, now with the Mets, celebrated his 2013 All-Star Game HR Derby Championship with the then WWE Heavyweight Championship belt.

[supremebve]

Does anyone remember this one...

[Log]

The Daniel Bryan YES! thing really took off when Michigan State basketball fans started doing it at games.

 

Also, in the late 90's, the Pittsburg Steelers offensive line wore nWo shirts under their jerseys for a while.

[funkdoc]

i believe it was PeteF3 who brought up Jason Giambi using the NWO Wolfpac theme every time he went to bat, for practically his entire major-league career. that theme outlived WCW as a promotion!

[NintendoLogic]

Rasheed Wallace ordered replica belts for himself and his teammates after the Pistons won the title.

 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the HBK Line.

[Migs]

The New York Islanders fans do the YES chant after goals, I believe even now.

[Tabe]

In the early 90s, after Bob Probert beat Tie Domi in a hockey fight at the Garden, Red Wings Captain Steve Yzerman did the belt gesture at his waist.

[TonyPulis'Cap]

Somewhat randomly, and bizarrely, Newcastle United used to come out for the second half to Kurt Angle's WWE theme. I guess the ability to shout "you suck" at some of the players they've had in recent times actually somewhat appropriate.

[SteveJRogers]

In the early 90s, after Bob Probert beat Tie Domi in a hockey fight at the Garden, Red Wings Captain Steve Yzerman did the belt gesture at his waist.

Is that really a wrestling taunt though? Most fighting sports, non-predetermined or otherwise, do use belts as trophies.

[Gutenberger]

Right before our local football team enters the stadium, The Game by Motörhead plays over the speakers.

 

Mark out moment for me every time!

[GSR]

'The Game' by Motorhead is used as entrance music in both Snooker (for Martin Gould) and Darts (for 'The Game' Steve Douglas).

[Laz]

Practically everything Rob Gronkowski does is influenced by his love of wrestling. There was a video from 2-4 years back of him partying at a club during the off season and randomly DDT'ing a friend.

[Tabe]

 

In the early 90s, after Bob Probert beat Tie Domi in a hockey fight at the Garden, Red Wings Captain Steve Yzerman did the belt gesture at his waist.

Is that really a wrestling taunt though? Most fighting sports, non-predetermined or otherwise, do use belts as trophies.

 

Questionable, especially given the context. Still, seems like more a wrestling gesture than boxing.

[MikeF]

I've noticed every time an Alabama football defensive player gets an interception he'll run to the sideline and throw a championship belt over his shoulder.

 

There's a lot of wrestling fans on the Baltimore Orioles. Adam Jones passes around a championship belt to his teammates and Tommy Hunter referenced Ric Flair during their Wild Card clinching locker room celebration.