Former WWE writer Vince Russo has challenged how wrestling fans and commentators use the term “pop,” arguing that a loud reaction to a Superstar’s entrance should not be confused with the emotional payoff of a carefully constructed storyline.

During a recent episode of Coach and Bro with Jonathan Coachman, Russo discussed Roman Reigns’ appearance on WWE Raw and explained why he believes the wrestling industry has moved away from the original meaning of the term. According to Russo, there is a significant difference between an immediate audience reaction and a moment that has been deliberately built up through storytelling.

“When Roman Reigns comes out, bro, that’s not a pop. It’s a reaction. It’s a reaction. When somebody goes through the announce table, that ain’t a pop, bro. It’s a reaction. They’re not pops. Let me explain to you the origin of pop and how that word was used within the boys. Because the boys would say, ‘We build to the pop.’”

Russo explained that a genuine wrestling pop requires anticipation, with the performers gradually building tension before delivering a satisfying payoff. He pointed to the traditional hot tag in tag team wrestling as an example of how that process works, describing a babyface repeatedly being prevented from reaching their partner before finally making the tag.

“You build towards the pop. You build. You build. Think about a hot tag, bro. Think about back in the day, the babyface is in trouble. He’s getting his ass kicked. He goes to the corner. The heel pulls him back. Again, he’s getting his ass kicked. Goes to the corner. Heel pulls him back. Finally, after three attempts, the hot tag, the house pops.”

The former WWE creative team member argued that the audience’s reaction to the eventual hot tag carries greater significance because the wrestlers have spent time establishing the anticipation. In his view, that type of storytelling is fundamentally different from fans cheering when a popular performer walks onto the stage.

Russo returned to Reigns’ entrance as an example, emphasizing that even an extremely loud response does not necessarily qualify as a pop under his definition. He maintained that an entrance reaction is typically immediate and short-lived, whereas a true pop represents the climax of something the audience has been waiting to see.

“What you guys are talking about are instantaneous reactions. Reactions that are here for one second and gone the next. That is not the definition of a pop in wrestling. An entrance is not a pop. Okay, that is not a pop. That is a reaction. A pop, like a climax, is built to for the pop.”

Russo’s comments were not intended to dispute Reigns’ popularity or the volume of the audience’s response on Raw. Instead, his argument focused on the terminology used to describe crowd reactions and the importance he places on building dramatic moments through wrestling storytelling.

For Russo, the distinction comes down to whether the audience is simply reacting to something happening in front of them or experiencing the payoff to a moment that has been developed over time.