Ranking WWE’s Most Electrifying Crowds of the Modern Era

Over the past week, several WWE superstars appeared in their home countries and got a hero’s welcome. Stephanie Vaquer won the title in Chile, and Penta appeared in Mexico City to face Roman Reigns for the title. Sami Zayn also became the first Muslim Grand Slam Champion in Saudi Arabia when he won the WWE title a few months ago. In honor of these electrifying crowds, here are several from the 21st century, starting with a tough one.

Post 9/11 SmackDown and Unforgiven

WWE held SmackDown two days after the tragic event, and fans appreciated the whole show as a way to unite after what happened. Lillian Garcia sang a wonderful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. Several days later at Unforgiven, Kurt Angle won his first WWE Championship in his home state of Pennsylvania in front of his family to promote patriotism and unity.

ECW: One Night Stand 2006

Rob Van Dam won the Money in the Bank and chose the Hammerstein Ballroom (ECW’s home) to face John Cena for the WWE title. Neither man was prepared for the crowd. Cena entered the ring to thunderous boos, and fans threw his T-shirt back at him three times. Chants of ‘F*** You Cena’ and ‘You Can’t Wrestle’ echoed. RVD won the match, and a crowd of this magnitude has not been seen since.

Money in the Bank Cash-In: Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler’s cash-in was the loudest among all 34. Alberto Del Rio was hurt, and then Ziggler’s music hit. He beat Rio to win the World Heavyweight Championship, but Nic Nemeth admitted it was just a short-term plan. Either way, that crowd reaction was undeniable.

WrestleMania 30: New Orleans

WrestleMania has delivered many special moments, but this show had every emotion. Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock kicked off the show. Cesaro won the inaugural Andre the Giant Battle Royal, and Daniel Bryan won in the main event. Lastly, Brock Lesnar conquered the Undertaker’s streak. Vince McMahon made the decision hours before the show started on WWE Network to have Brock go over.

Monday Night Raw: Post-WrestleMania 33

Roman Reigns was the second WWE superstar to beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania. The night after, Reigns kicked off the show. For seven straight minutes, fans booed the Big Dog mercilessly and chanted profane language. Roman Reigns finally said, ‘This is my yard now’, and left the ring. Mind you, he was supposed to be a face at the time.

Backlash 2023: Puerto Rico

This crowd is one of the loudest in WWE history. They gave three Puerto Rican stars a warm reception. Zelina Vega was emotional, carrying the country’s flag before her match. Carlito got the LOUDEST pop of the night and maybe even of the 21st century. The fans sang Bad Bunny’s song during his entrance, and he won a San Juan Street Fight against Damien Priest.

AEW ALL IN: London 2026

Call it recency bias, but this crowd was like no other. Will Ospreay had the greatest entrance in pro wrestling history. Not to mention the NEW LEVEL’s debut and Britt Baker’s return. This will be the best pro wrestling show of the year.

Royal Rumble Surprise Entrants:

This PLE is many fans' favorite because of the participation. Every fan stands up and counts down until the buzzer, and waits for the next entrant.

A few of the biggest crowd reactions were John Cena (2008), AJ Styles (2016), Trish Stratus (2018), and Edge (2020). Also, a shoutout to Tye Dillinger (aka Shawn Spears), who entered at #10 in the 2017 Royal Rumble. His gimmick was being the ‘perfect ten’, and fans got exactly what they wanted.

Westlepalooza will be in Perth, Australia, on December 12th. Rhea Ripley is on the sidelines, but an appearance would send the crowd into a frenzy. This PLE is rumored to host the John Cena Classic, where fans will witness the next generation of WWE superstars.