A WWE premium live event in Toronto took an unexpected turn on Saturday night when the crowd at Rogers Centre loudly booed the American national anthem — drawing sharp criticism from commentator Pat McAfee.
The incident occurred ahead of the WWE Elimination Chamber event, when American singer Elizabeth Irving took the stage to perform ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’.
From the very start, the mostly Canadian fans jeered and booed, with the volume peaking during the line “and the rocket’s red glare”.
Check out the moment below:
McAfee Slams Canadian Crowd
WWE commentator and ESPN analyst Pat McAfee – who was at the announcer’s desk alongside Michael Cole and Wade Barrett for the event – did not hold back in his response when the main show kicked off on Peacock and Netflix.
“This is the most stacked Elimination Chamber that the WWE has ever had,” McAfee said.
He then turned his attention to the reaction from the Canadian audience.
“Kinda sucks that it’s in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem to start this entire thing,” he shouted, standing up from his seat in frustration.
(Of course, this is the WWE, so take McAfee’s response with a pinch of salt.)
Later in the night, WWE superstar Logan Paul – who is a “heel” (bad guy) – walked the aisle to the ring while waving the Star Spangled Banner. This elicited boos from the stadium and some middle fingers from those ringside.
Response From Social Media Users
In response, viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts on the crowd’s boos.
“And yet they paid to see a live event produced by an American company. Irony,” one person wrote on X.
Another added: “Gotta say, she did a great job. I’m not a fan of the majority of those that sing the anthem, but she did great and maintained herself through the boos. Well done.”
“What was WWE thinking,” another wrote, with one person asking: “Why sing the US anthem in Toronto?”
One person boldly tweeted in response: “51st state” – a reference to Trump’s recent comments about Canada.
Irving also took to social media to respond to the boos. Sharing an Instagram story of a Reddit post titled “They booed the hell out of Irving”, she responded: “They sure did”, followed by three laughing emojis.
Rising Tensions Between Canada and the U.S.
The boos in Toronto are just the latest in a growing trend of Canadian backlash at sporting events, particularly since President Donald Trump threatened harsh tariffs on Canadian goods — dismissing the country as “the 51st state”.
Just last month, at the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off exhibition tournament, Canadian fans booed The Star-Spangled Banner as the U.S. national team prepared to take on Team Canada.
The first instance of widespread anthem protests came on February 1, during an Ottawa Senators game, just days after Trump’s tariff threats made headlines.
As tensions continue to rise, it remains to be seen whether this anti-American sentiment at Canadian sporting events will persist or escalate further.