Toronto Fans Boo US National Anthem at WWE Elimination Chamber; Pat McAfee Fires Back

In a moment that perfectly encapsulated the increasingly frosty relationship between Canadian and American sports fans, attendees at WWE Elimination Chamber in Toronto on Saturday night booed the U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." The chilling reception came as American singer Elizabeth Irving, a regular performer of national anthems at Vancouver sports events, took the stage to sing.

As if the boos weren’t enough to set the internet ablaze, commentator Pat McAfee dove headfirst into the drama during the Peacock broadcast, declaring, "It kind of sucks that it's in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem to start this entire thing." Someone clearly wasn’t holding back his feelings—or his microphone.

This incident is the latest chapter in a back-and-forth saga of anthem booing between Canadian and American fans. Just last week, during the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, fans on both sides of the border showed their disdain for each other's anthems. It all began on February 13 in Montreal, where Canadian fans booed the U.S. anthem following controversial remarks from former President Donald Trump. His comments about Canada potentially becoming the 51st U.S. state—because clearly, subtlety isn’t his strong suit—left Canadians fuming.

The tensions spilled onto the ice, with brawls breaking out between Canadian and U.S. players during the tournament’s February 15 clash. The U.S. won that game 3-1, but the vocal sparring continued when the Canadian anthem was booed by fans in Boston during a game against Finland. The hostility persisted through the tournament finale on February 20, where American fans, albeit with a lighter tone, booed the Canadian anthem once more. Canada got the last laugh, winning the game in overtime, 3-2.

But booing anthems isn’t just confined to hockey rinks and wrestling arenas. The rhetoric between the two nations has escalated across multiple sports. Canadian men’s soccer coach Jesse Marsch didn’t hold back during a recent CONCACAF Nations League media day, condemning Trump’s "51st state" remarks as "insulting" and "arrogant." Marsch even admitted he felt ashamed of how Canada, a long-time ally to the U.S., had been treated.

Even hockey legend Wayne Gretzky found himself in the geopolitical crossfire. After Trump joked about appointing Gretzky as Canada’s "governor" in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s rumored resignation, Gretzky made it clear he preferred his homeland to remain "a separate country." This stance didn’t sit well with some Canadian fans, who criticized Gretzky’s perceived ties to Trump. Fellow hockey icon Bobby Orr came to his defense, penning an op-ed in the Toronto Sun to remind everyone of Gretzky’s contributions to Canadian hockey. Gretzky’s wife, Janet, also weighed in on social media, expressing heartbreak over the backlash her husband faced.

As for Trump, who agreed to delay his planned tariffs on Canada until early March, the tensions at the border remain another layer of this cross-border drama. If nothing else, the whole affair has provided enough material to make even the most dramatic wrestling storylines seem tame by comparison.