Chad Gable’s new clapping routine may not be as random as fans first thought, because WWE reportedly has a Minnesota-sized plan behind it
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, Gable’s new clapping routine could actually be tied to his Minnesota roots and WWE’s hopes of getting his hometown crowd involved when SummerSlam rolls into Minneapolis. Apparently, the idea is inspired by the Minnesota Vikings’ famous “Skol Clap,” which has become one of the most recognizable fan traditions in the NFL.
“Regarding Chad Gable’s new presentation, we spoke with a source who indicated that his new overhead clapping routine is likely tied to a larger creative concept involving the city of Minnesota. The Minnesota Vikings and their fans are known worldwide for performing the same gesture commonly referred to as the skull clap, which has become a signature part of the stadium’s game day atmosphere. A source noted that with Gable being from the Minneapolis area and this year’s SummerSlam taking place in the same city, WWE’s attempt to establish a connection with the crowd through something like this does not come as a surprise.”
Joey Votes admitted that not everyone may have caught on right away, but believes WWE is trying to package Gable around something local fans already know by heart.
“So TC, I don’t know if a lot of people put the pieces together, maybe even some that work there, but it feels like this was an idea to encapture and include Gable’s hometown crowd with the skull clap that every Minnesota sports fan knows exactly what it is. Good idea, bad idea, too far out of the box. Your thoughts?”
TC seemed to think WWE is simply chasing the next big audience participation craze after seeing how massive Jey Uso’s “Yeet” movement became.
“Well, I think WWE is always looking for that next big fan interaction type thing. We know how much they love showcasing the yeets, right. Every time that Jay USO would come out, you’d get a lot of yeeting. You’d run it back, they’d use it in all their promos. It’s the last thing you see on the Open the video before they go into signature, before they start the show. So they’re always looking for that next iteration of it.”
TC also admitted he wasn’t exactly sold on Gable’s revamped presentation at first, especially with the new music, graphics, and clapping all arriving at once. But once he connected it to Minnesota sports culture, it started making more sense.
“And now you can say WWE has the clap because they want to see all of the fans here in Minnesota clapping their hands. Chad Gable smartly using the WWE has to clap. WWE has the clap now because this is what they want to turn into the next E here. And I think it was very weird when Chad Gable walked out on Monday. I was like, I don’t know about this clapping. He’s got a new backdrop, the song. The whole presentation took a little while for me to kind of get into, but you’re absolutely right there. Joey Votes Having that clap was very reminiscent of that skull clap that you see before Vikings games. It’s something that takes over the entire stadium. WWE’s thinking we can take that and use it for our own good, put it to a guy who we want to get over, somebody we already know is going to be super over in Minnesota as it is.”
After that, TC even predicted that if WWE sticks with the idea, everyone inside SummerSlam could be clapping along with Chad Gable by the time the show arrives, which is clearly something WWE is banking on.
“I’m sure Chad Gable probably is a Vikings fan. Said, hey, I could. That could be my thing. And here we are with it going into what we hope to be a big moment in Chad Gable’s career. We saw that promo happening in the ring with him and Otis Tazawa and Maxine Dupre. Yeah, we’ll see what comes of that. I thought it was very interesting the way it played out with Maxine being the one to step in to prevent Otis and and shaking the hand of Chad Gable. Good storytelling up ahead, getting us to wrestle or to SummerSlam. I think everybody in that building will be doing the clap along with Chad Gable on that either night one or night two.”
Joey stated that he likes the concept, but admitted it may take some time before fans connect all the dots: “I hope so. I like the idea, T.C. I think whoever thought about it, pretty smart, but hard for a lot of people maybe to connect the dots. So we’ll see if it works.”
For now, WWE appears willing to stick with Gable’s new music and presentation, even if fans haven’t exactly embraced it yet. But if thousands of Minnesota fans start doing the clap at SummerSlam, WWE might suddenly look pretty smart for betting on it.
Do you think WWE can turn Chad Gable’s clap into the next “Yeet,” or is this one destined to flop? Let us know in the comments below.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.