During the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE made significant adjustments to its programming, including the introduction of artificial crowd noise to compensate for the absence of live fans. Bryan Danielson, now a top star in AEW and a former WWE talent, has pulled back the curtain on one of Vince McMahon’s most peculiar and controversial creative decisions: deliberately controlling and manipulating the volume and presence of canned crowd noise to suit personal preferences and alter the perceived popularity of WWE superstars.
The ThunderDome Era and WWE’s Crowd Noise Experiment
When the pandemic forced WWE to shut down live events with fans, the company initially ran shows out of its Performance Center in near silence, leading to an unusual and muted viewing experience. To recreate the atmosphere of a live crowd, WWE launched the ThunderDome in August 2020 — a technologically advanced setup with LED screens featuring virtual fans and piped-in crowd noise. This was intended to provide energy and realism despite the empty arena seats.
However, Bryan Danielson revealed in a recent interview with Fightful and DownUnderTheRing that Vince McMahon took crowd noise manipulation a step further, directing production teams to increase or decrease the canned audio depending on which wrestler was favored at the moment. Danielson said that McMahon would instruct sound operators to “turn the crowd noise way up” for certain wrestlers while simultaneously complaining the noise was “too loud” for others. Danielson admitted this approach “didn’t quite make sense” to him but was an explicit directive from the top[2][4][5].
The Logic Behind Crowd Noise Volume Control
WWE’s use of canned crowd noise was not just an attempt to simulate fan reactions but also a strategic, if strange, tool for shaping audience perception of characters. According to Danielson, McMahon used the volume control of crowd noise as a kind of push or pull mechanism for a wrestler’s popularity. This tactic, bizarre as it sounds, reflects how much WWE tried to micromanage fan engagement and ratings during that unusual period.
Danielson recalled pitching an idea to have Damian Priest debut in a high-profile program against Roman Reigns during the ThunderDome era. Understanding McMahon’s approach, Danielson explicitly suggested that production “turn up” the crowd noise for Priest to better establish him as a star, highlighting how integral this manipulation was to the company’s creative process at the time[2][5].
Long-Term Impact on WWE Programming and Fan Perception
Many fans and insiders have criticized WWE’s reliance on crowd noise manipulation. Since fans started returning to arenas mid-2021, WWE continued to use a base layer of artificial crowd sounds, which some viewed as intrusive or disingenuous. Reports suggest that after Monday Night Raw moved to Netflix earlier in 2025, WWE has significantly reduced its use of canned crowd noise, perhaps acknowledging fan dissatisfaction with the practice and the demand for more authentic atmosphere[2].
A WWE insider familiar with the production during the pandemic told Ringside News, “Vince always wanted to control every element of the show, and that extended to crowd reactions. It wasn’t about what the fans actually felt; it was about creating the image Vince wanted to show on TV.” This insight confirms how the manipulation was a top-down decision rather than a production oddity[4].
Wrestlers’ Reactions and the Creative Team’s Challenges
For talent like Danielson, who both wrestled and briefly contributed to WWE’s creative team during the pandemic, this piece of backstage reality was jarring. The disconnect between the artificial crowd reactions and genuine fan sentiment created challenges in storytelling. Danielson himself found it strange to diminish one performer’s crowd noise deliberately, especially when every wrestler thrives on audience feedback.
Sources close to the creative department revealed that while some stars benefitted from the approach, others were frustrated by what felt like arbitrary and inconsistent promotion strategies driven more by McMahon’s preferences than fan response[4][5].
AEW’s Contrasting Approach During the Pandemic
By contrast, AEW adopted different measures during the same period. Instead of canned noise manipulation, AEW wrestlers and staff often acted as live stand-in audiences, actively cheering, booing, and chanting to make shows feel genuine despite the lack of large crowds[6]. This approach was welcomed by both talent and fans for maintaining emotional authenticity.
Current Context: Vince McMahon’s Departure and Legacy
It is notable that Vince McMahon, who was the driving force behind these crowd noise manipulations, resigned from his WWE roles in mid-2023 following serious legal allegations unrelated to the pandemic era production choices[2]. While McMahon’s legacy is complex and controversial, Danielson’s revelations add another dimension to understanding creative control in WWE during one of its most challenging periods.
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Bryan Danielson’s insights into Vince McMahon’s unorthodox use of crowd noise provide a rare glimpse behind the curtain of WWE’s pandemic-era production. The deliberate manipulation of audience audio to favor certain wrestlers symbolizes WWE’s broader struggle to maintain fan interest while controlling its product amid extraordinary circumstances. This behind-the-scenes story enriches our understanding of WWE’s creative dynamics and the lengths to which the company went to shape fan perceptions during the silence of the COVID-19 era.