“Shoes Off! If You Hate Gibson! Shoes Off! If You Hate Gibson” – All Wrestling Fans.
Zack Gibson has recently been released from the WWE, ending a 5 year run with the company that saw mixed success for the Englishman.
The Liverpool-native was a top heel in NXT UK, as part of his tag team with James Drake.
The Grizzled Young Veterans were one of the most hated tag teams in the division, with Gibson’s pre-match promos in particular drawing the ire of the fans.
“I am Zack Gibson, Liverpool’s number one! Soooooon to be recognized as WWE’s number one! Soooooon to be recognized as UK’s number one! Sooooooon to be recognized as the world’s number one!”
Zack Gibson’s irritating pre-match promo
From his days on the independent scene, fans began to chant about Zack Gibson, although rarely positive.
Due to his thick Liverpool accent, and his various tributes to his football club, Liverpool FC (his finisher is called the Shankly Gates, for example), fans have taken those things as a stick to beat him with.
Chants of “You Scouse Bastard” ring around the arena, with Gibson taking it in as any good heel would.
However, the most popular and funniest chant aimed at Zack Gibson involves some committed audience participation.
Shoes Off If You Hate Gibson!
The chant “Shoes Off If You Hate Gibson” has followed Zack Gibson all accross the United Kingdom.
The Scouser draws so much anger out of the fans, they have found new and creative ways to express their distaste for him.
One way is through one of the best chants in wrestling. During particular parts of his matches, fans will, in unison, rise to their feet and remove their shoes, lifting them high above their heads.
This is accompanied by the crowd chanting “shoes off if you hate Gibson”, in one of the best chants in wrestling. You can see an example of this from NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff down below;
The chant originally comes from football (soccer) in the United Kingdom, and has been done for close to two decades.
An investigation by Ffwtbol has discovered the earliest example of the chant is from the 2006 World Cup, where England fans removed their shoes and chanted “Shoes off, if you love England”.
Other examples have been found from all over the Football League and the Premier League, from Cardiff, Wrexham, Bangor and Wolves being prime examples of the chant.
While the origin of the negative version of the chant is unknown, there is a good chance that the well known “Shoes off if you hate Man U” could be the first, given their hatred from opposition fans across the rest of England.
Zack Gibson has recently been released from the WWE, so we may be able to hear those chants echo through the UK arena, if he does return to the British independent scene.
What is your favourite wrestling chant? Tell us in the comments section, or click below to read about the WWE wrestlers who wrestled on the classic “World of Sport” TV series in the UK.