For decades, professional wrestling fans have used signs to get their message across on TV. Oftentimes the signs are directed at specific wrestlers at the show, but other times the signs are about something completely different. Lately pro wrestling fans have been using signs at the show to do something unexpected - argue about JRPGs like Persona and Final Fantasy games.
On the latest episode of AEW Dynamite, a special "Road Rager" edition of the show, a fan held up a sign that boldly claimed "Persona 5 sucks." This prompted Twitter user RRIVERA992011 to seek out other examples of JRPG signs at pro wrestling shows, finding a series of instances where fans were arguing about the quality of Final Fantasy 8. One sign claimed that Final Fantasy 8 "sucks," whereas another called the game "filth." However, one sign came to Final Fantasy 8's defense, insisting that the game is underrated, whereas another still claimed Final Fantasy X-2 is better than FF8. Another sign, spotted at a Ring of Honor show, changed the subject to Final Fantasy 6, naming it the GOAT of its franchise.
While this Persona 5 sign seems to be getting a lot of attention, the sign arguments have mostly revolved around the Final Fantasy franchise. After doing some more digging, RRIVERA992011 found more examples of pro wrestling fans using signs to argue about Final Fantasy.
They managed to find a sign that referenced the Final Fantasy 8 arguments, saying, "While they argue Final Fantasy 8 we STAN Final Fantasy Tactics." For the uninitiated, Final Fantasy Tactics is a turn-based strategy spin-off of the Final Fantasy franchise, set in the Ivalice universe, which also encompasses games like Final Fantasy 12 and the classic PS1 game Vagrant Story.
While most of the signs have been about JRPGs, one sign actually appears to be a reference to Super Smash Bros. More specifically, it's referencing a Super Smash Bros. tournament where an organizer known as Plank failed to pay the contestants until years after the fact.
In the meantime, this latest episode of AEW Dynamite is making headlines for more reasons than just the Persona 5 sign. It's also notable for an incident where a Jim Cornette fan rushed the ring, only to get taken down by ring announcer Justin Roberts and punched in the face by Chris Jericho. Moreover, it saw the debut of Malakai Black, known for his work as Aleister Black in WWE and Tommy End on the independent scene. WWE released Aleister Black right after he started a storyline with Big E, and so his release came as quite the shock for fans.