Fandom 250: The case for WWE fans

When it comes to fandoms, you will find few on the planet better at supporting their product than WWE fans.

On April 3, 2016, at WWE WrestleMania 32 inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stood in the middle of the ring following one of his elaborate entrances, and he proudly proclaimed to the entire world that a record attendance of 101,763 had just been set for the biggest professional wrestling show of the year. Those well over 100,000 in attendance erupted just as loudly at the announcement as they would for a championship change they had been clamoring to see.

Over 100,000 people in attendance for a pro wrestling event. That’s rather absurd. It’s also one of the many reasons you could consider WWE fans — or the Universe, as chairman Vince McMahon likes to call them — the best in the world, to steal a line from former WWE superstar CM Punk.

The world of WWE and professional wrestling is a scripted form of entertainment brought to the masses, but the passion and loyalty fans of the product show are anything but fabricated. WWE fans rank highly on FanSided’s Fandom 250 list this year because of their sincere love and devotion to the company, through good times and bad.

You may be asking yourself why WWE fans should be considered the best of them all out there in the world of sports and entertainment. We all know that pro wrestling and WWE have always caught a lot of backlash for its “fake” — don’t ever use that term to WWE fans, by the way — persona, so it’s hard for some to envision propping up their fans on such a pedestal as calling them the best fandom in the world.

But, the truth of the matter is, there is a lot to put under a microscope when examining just how great the WWE fanbase is.

What stands out immediately in terms of WWE fans is the global reach. Back in the 1980s when he took it over from his father, Vince Sr., McMahon had the vision to take his product global and he was wildly successful in that venture. Nowadays, WWE tours the world, touching down in a plethora of countries, and the fans come out in droves, mobbing some of their favorite superstars. Then, they have incredible turnouts at the live events they put on as international audiences just cannot wait to experience the action live that they see on television each and every week.

It also can’t be understated, too, how WWE fans can actually be vocal enough to force change within the company. Back in 2014, all the fans wanted was for the darling Daniel Bryan to get a fair shake. The original plan for WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans was to see Randy Orton battle Batista for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, while Bryan was set for a match somewhere in the middle of the card against Sheamus. Having had enough, fans boisterously voiced their displeasure of not having Bryan involved in the main event on the biggest stage, and they were so convincing in their efforts, that McMahon did change his plans. When the show went off the air in the Superdome, Bryan was raising the titles above his head with the confetti falling, having defeated both Batista and Orton, as well as Triple H earlier in the evening to “earn” the shot.

For comparison, if NFL fans of a particular team call for a quarterback change, do you think the decision makers within the organization particularly care, much less will give in to their demands? The answer is probably not. However, WWE fans sometimes have the power to initiate change they believe will keep them happy, and you could also attribute the rise of NXT — its developmental promotion-turned-third brand — to the company appeasing fans by stocking up on the talent they love from outside the company.

Then, you have to talk about how supportive fans are away from the live product. Also back in 2014, WWE pulled off a bold move by beginning its own streaming service, the WWE Network. At the present day, it is nearing 2 million subscribers, another sign of the loyalty from the fanbase to spend $10 per month to satisfy their love of WWE in both the present and the past. Merchandise sales are through the roof consistently, and fans are supportive of great causes close to the company such as Connor’s Cure and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, who WWE has a close relationship with.

WWE fans are indeed a special breed, but that’s not a slight in any form or fashion. Fans from all over the world at some point in their lives fall in love with the spectacle that is professional wrestling, and as they grow older, the passion for it all grows along with them. They will do whatever it takes to support the WWE product, again, through good times and bad. This fiercely loyal bunch may quibble with their passion from time to time, but when push comes to shove against critics, they will fight for it and the joy it brings them to the very end.

Standing up for the company, watching nearly two PPV shows per month throughout the year in addition to the weekly television shows and supporting them relentlessly outside of the ring action by participating in charity ventures or meeting their favorite superstars at Comic-Con events, the passion WWE fans have is immense. Their enthusiasm for what WWE has to offer them is unmatched throughout virtually all walks of life.

When it comes to a fandom, everything that characterizes WWE fans –their loyalty, their passion, their drive, etc. — puts them among the best fanbases in the world — if not the best.