Chad Gable’s New Raw Entrance Clapping Routine Draws Inspiration From Minnesota Vikings’ SKOL Chant

Chad Gable is back on Monday Night Raw with a fresh look, and there’s an interesting backstory behind one of the more distinctive elements of his new entrance.

Gable recently concluded his stint in Lucha Libre AAA, where he worked as El Grande Americano, before returning to the Raw roster. He debuted a new theme and entrance as part of his comeback, and the rhythmic clapping sequence featured in that entrance isn’t just a random flourish — it was directly inspired by the SKOL routine made famous by NFL franchise the Minnesota Vikings.

The SKOL chant is one of the most recognizable fan rituals in professional football. Borrowed from Scandinavian tradition and popularized by the Iceland national soccer team during the 2016 European Championship, the Vikings adopted it and turned it into a stadium-wide synchronized clap-and-chant that has become a staple at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Given that Gable is a legitimate decorated amateur wrestler who represented the United States at the Olympic Games, there’s a certain fitting quality to pulling from a tradition rooted in athletic pageantry.

Gable’s time in AAA as El Grande Americano gave him a chance to reinvent his presentation south of the border, and it appears he’s returning to WWE’s flagship show with a sharper, more defined character identity. The Viking-inspired clapping routine adds a layer of specificity to the new entrance that suggests the creative direction has some thought put behind it.

Whether the revamped presentation translates into a meaningful on-screen push remains to be seen, but Gable is clearly stepping back onto Raw with a renewed sense of purpose.