• 11 hours ago
Get ready to rock out as we count down the most electrifying and iconic entrance themes in WWE history! From Stone Cold to The Rock, we're diving into the musical moments that defined generations of wrestling superstars and got fans jumping out of their seats!
Transcript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic and enduring
00:12musical themes that introduced WB superstars.
00:24Number 20, Booyaka 619, Rey Mysterio.
00:28The entrance music for professional wrestlers is often a fluid thing, shifting and progressing
00:33along with the character.
00:44Heroes and villains often shift their themes to fit shifting allegiances, but Rey Mysterio
00:49has largely remained one of the most well-liked and respected wrestlers from WWE.
00:55Booyaka 619 is Mysterio's third theme overall for the company and continues the trend of
01:00referencing The Luchador's famous finishing manoeuvre.
01:09The tune is aggressive but with a funky groove that made it a perfect fit for artists like
01:14P.O.D to lay their own personal stamp on Jim Johnson's composition.
01:25Number 19, Line in the Sand, Evolution.
01:28The combination of heavy metal legends Motörhead and Triple H for the latter's theme, The
01:33Game, went so well that it just sort of made sense for Motörhead to continue the partnership
01:39with the team Evolution.
01:47Line in the Sand was another mid-paced cruncher from Ian Lemmy Kilmister and the Boys, a hard-edged
01:54tune with tons of swagger.
01:56It was the type of tune that felt tailor-made for Evolution's slow swagger to the ring.
02:04Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Triple H and Batista, the members of Evolution, knew they were a
02:10force to be reckoned with, and Line in the Sand told every single one of their opponents
02:15that they were in for a bad night.
02:25The music of Seth Rollins is a free-flowing type of beast, refusing to be pigeonholed
02:31or nailed down.
02:32It's like the character himself, a continually evolving entity from his days with The Shield
02:38to his current persona as Seth Freakin' Rollins.
02:50We have to admit, however, that we're partial to the current version of his theme, Visionary,
02:55also currently known as The Visionary.
03:04It's the perfect type of theme song for the crowd to get involved in, even long after
03:08the song ended and the bell has been rung.
03:1417.
03:20Cult of Personality – CM Punk
03:33This wasn't the first time CM Punk utilised an established rock song as his entrance music.
03:38The Voice of the Voiceless had previously had,
03:41This fire burns from Killswitch and Gage for his theme.
03:44But it's Cult of Personality by Living Color that fans likely associate most with Punk.
04:01It's that little pause within the opening riff that allows for tension to build for
04:05fans – a moment of electricity – before CM Punk makes his way to the squared circle.
04:11Cult of Personality eventually became so closely connected with Punk that it even followed
04:16him to competing promotions.
04:19If that's not longevity, then we don't know what is.
04:2516.
04:28Head of the Table – Roman Reigns
04:30There's a regality to Roman Reigns' Head of the Table theme, a tune that feels fit
04:35for a king.
04:40Or is that chief?
04:41This former Shield member was the WWE Undisputed Universal Champion for an astonishing 1,316
04:48days and his entrance became more elaborate during this reign.
04:53The moody composition and arrangements for Head of the Table made these entrances feel
04:57like events unto themselves as the Tribal Chief led his bloodline into war.
05:13The melodies are strong here, Clarion calls for a leader that dominated the WWE landscape
05:19without peer for nearly four years.
05:2615.
05:30Burned – Kane
05:31Is a question, do you prefer pro wrestling themes with or without lyrics?
05:36Jim Johnston's original theme for Kane, titled Burned, set the stage for those spooky
05:41melodies that would become part and parcel of the character.
05:50Finger Eleven would then adapt Johnston's melodies for their own updated version titled
05:55Slow Chemical.
05:57But wait, there's more!
06:01Kane's theme, Out of the Fire, also boasts those same melodies, only this time with some
06:06bluesy, soulful guitar work and gothic keyboard effects.
06:16We honestly have a difficult time picking a favourite, but Burned started it all and
06:21is admittedly difficult to top.
06:2314.
06:24Graveyard Symphony – The Undertaker
06:27Sure, the American Badass iteration of The Undertaker may have had his own hit entrance
06:32theme via his adoption of Limp Bizkit's Rollin' air raid vehicle.
06:37However, fans of this WWE legend will likely always consider Graveyard Symphony to be a
06:42defining song for the character.
06:54Jim Johnston adapted the March Fever section of Frederic Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2
07:00for the tune, a dark melody that remains forever linked with mortal death.
07:08This lends The Undertaker's slow and methodical entrance a foreboding atmosphere unlike any
07:14other.
07:15The fans in the stands will wait forever for The Undertaker to make his way to the ring,
07:19becoming hypnotised by Johnston's iconic composition.
07:2613.
07:29Kingdom – Cody Rhodes
07:31It speaks volumes that the WWE didn't compose new music for their prodigal son, Cody Rhodes,
07:37upon his return to their fold.
07:45Rhodes retained Kingdom by Downstate, a song composed specifically for him after initially
07:51leaving the WWE.
07:52The company used to be notoriously protective of how its characters and respective legacies
07:57were perceived, often adjusting history in order to fit new narratives.
08:12The Triple H era has instead done a great job at acknowledging precedent and canon,
08:17even if it was achieved elsewhere.
08:20This is partially why Kingdom has earned the following it has for so many years – a sing-alongable
08:25banger with massive hooks and melodies for days.
08:3112.
08:33Metalingus – Edge
08:35Do you think that Marc Tremonti of Creed and Alterbridge knew back when the latter released
08:40their debut LP that Metalinguus would be a hit?
08:49The song wasn't released as a single, but never underestimate the power of the WWE universe.
08:56If Edge would adopt Metalinguus for his entrance theme in 2004, then it would go on to become
09:01as synonymous with the character as the Blood theme was for Edge's former faction, The
09:06Brute.
09:19This is anthemic and muscular metal that did a great job at severing the creative ties
09:24from Edge, the tag team specialist, and building the bridge to Edge, the single's competitor.
09:3911.
09:40Metal – Kurt Angle
09:42Kurt Angle made his televised WF debut in 1999, but his memorable theme made its debut
09:49two years before him.
09:54That's because this Jim Johnston tune was actually recycled from its usage as a theme
09:59for Del Weix's character, The Patriot.
10:02Let's be clear however, it was the WWE universe that helped make Metal an iconic piece of
10:07pro-wrestling music.
10:13This was thanks to Angle's status as a heel and the ingenuity of the audience to yell
10:18You Suck during the breaks in Johnston's tune.
10:21The rest, as they say, is wrestling history.
10:2810.
10:30The Game – King of Kings – Triple H
10:38As we've already seen, WWE theme songs have been contributed by both talented composers
10:43within the WWE ranks, like the amazing Jim Johnston, and outside artists, often with
10:49a considerable reputation of their own.
10:51Earlier we alluded to the collaboration between Motörhead and Triple H for the classic opening
10:56theme tune, The Game, and here it claims its own spot on the list.
11:07It doesn't matter which song you choose, the heavy metal, rock and roll vibes of Motörhead
11:12and Triple H just gel together in perfect symbiosis.
11:209.
11:24Walk Alone – Batista
11:26Batista's theme was another opening track that was penned by an outside band, in this
11:31case the heavy rock act, Saliva.
11:40The song plays heavily into the WWE's connection with aggressive, testosterone-fuelled nu-metal.
11:46This sound, for better or worse, largely defined the brand in the new millennium and beyond,
11:52although today the brand is much more diverse when it comes to music.
11:58Still, Walk Alone feels like a time and a place, a land of giants in which warriors
12:06like Batista prowled the squared circle, looking for victims.
12:10The solo section in particular features a tasty, mid-paced riff that feels perfectly
12:16suited to Batista's bruising in-ring style.
12:20The combination of Saliva, Batista and Walk Alone definitely feels like kismet.
12:318.
12:34Break The Walls Down – Chris Jericho
12:37The arrival of Chris Jericho into the WWE was one that was met with one of the most
12:41iconic ovations in the company's storied history.
12:46Of course, it helped that Jericho was aided by one of his most defining theme tunes, Break
12:55The Walls Down.
12:57Chris has redefined himself numerous times over the years, but his post-WCW iteration
13:02speaks to the man's rock and roll lifestyle and flamboyant, technically gifted pedigree.
13:12Jericho's Wars of Jericho finisher ties into the song lyrically, while the vocalist
13:20on the track also drops not-so-subtle references to heavy metal legend Judas Priest.
13:25It's a perfect storm of attitude, swagger and riffage to signal the entrance of one
13:31of pro-wrestling's GOATs.
13:397.
13:41Voices – Randy Orton
13:50Is there any theme tune that better suits the superstar making their way into the ring?
13:55Randy Orton's Voices theme just feels slinky and serpentine, like the Viper himself, while
14:01at the same time feeling coiled and ready to strike.
14:05Voices makes its mark almost immediately with the declaration that Randy does indeed hear
14:10voices in his head, and that they talk to him, drawing him into wickedness.
14:24Even as the song gradually increases in anger and intensity, Voices erupts with that sort
14:30of nu-metal crunch that defines so many vintage WWE themes.
14:33It's a song we honestly can't imagine being paired with any other superstar.
14:416.
14:44Are You Ready – D-Generation X
14:47There were so many WWF attitude-error themes that helped define that commercial boom period
14:52in professional wrestling.
14:57This was one of them, a song that instantly transports you to a time and place, an era
15:02where anything could, and very often did, happen.
15:05Are You Ready may ask the rhetorical question, but we already know the answer.
15:12Yes, fans were very much ready for D-Generation X to assault the boundaries and limits of
15:21good taste, and this sassy, slightly funky rock tune served as the perfect soundtrack.
15:27Are You Ready almost feels like a bizarro rage against the machine, with its rap-slash-rock
15:32attack and neon-green, cross-chopping call-to-arms for the bad guys to arrive.
15:415.
15:45Sexy Boy – Shawn Michaels
15:47Musical themes from the old-school WWE don't generally have a life as long as Sexy Boy
15:53from the showstopper, Shawn Michaels.
15:55The OG version of this tune was actually sung by Michaels' then-manager, Sensational Sherry.
16:05Sexy Boy would later be switched over to feature a new vocal track by Michaels himself, although
16:11Sherry's background recordings remained.
16:18This song is, of its time, in the best possible way – a piece that was initially intended
16:23to underline Michaels' separation from the rockers.
16:26Today, however, it's seen as the triumphant theme to one of the best to ever lace up a
16:31pair of boots.
16:344.
16:37The Time Is Now – John Cena It's never been out of the question for
16:41a professional wrestler to assist in performing their own theme song, but perhaps the most
16:46successful of them all remains John Cena.
16:55The face that runs the place proved he actually had some decent flow when he took to rapping
17:00The Time Is Now, while the boisterous production and bright energy fits perfectly with Cena's
17:06colourful ring attire.
17:15The Time Is Now may have had multiple songwriters behind the desk, including John's cousin
17:20The Trademark, but the end results are purely and undeniably Cena.
17:293.
17:33Electrifying – The Rock Let's face it, The Rock's electrifying
17:48theme beats the hell out of his first entrance music when he was the babyface Rocky Maivia.
17:54The tune is another that opens with an immediate vocal as The Rock shouts his catchphrase,
18:00announces to everyone that he's here, and ready to open up a can of whoop-ass.
18:12Perhaps less celebrated is the song's funky groove, a bass-driven head bobber that feels
18:18a little soulful, a little heavy, and a whole lot of awesome.
18:22If The Rock was the People's Champion, then consider Electrifying to be the People's
18:26theme song.
18:312.
18:35Real American – Hulk Hogan Rick Derringer is a guitar rock legend, working
18:40with artists as varied as Steely Dan, Johnny Winter, and even Weird Al Yankovic.
18:47Derringer also made a big mark on pro wrestling with the most famous wrestling song of all
18:52time, Real American.
19:00The song would become synonymous with Hulk Hogan, the 1980s, and the rock and wrestling
19:05connection, a feel-good anthem with true arena pump and circumstance.
19:13It's a shameless throwback to a character that defined an era, a song with no-nonsense
19:20riffs and a soaring vocal with real purpose.
19:381.
19:48I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
19:52It's obvious from the moment that the glass shatters, it's time to raise some hell.
20:04I Won't Do What You Tell Me might sound like it belongs better as a theme for D-Generation
20:09X, but the heavy metal riffing and no-nonsense attitude immediately feels like Stone Cold
20:15Steve Austin to a T. It's actually difficult to listen to the song without picturing in
20:20our heads the imagery of Austin engaging in some kind of in-ring fracas.
20:32The vibe on the whole reminds us of that classically metallic mid-80s WWF sound, similar
20:38to the Ultimate Warriors theme.
20:40It's aggressive, but memorable, catchy, but full of attitude.
20:44And it was perfectly suited for the Texas Rattlesnake, oh hell yeah.
21:00Which WWE Superstar's entrance theme gets you the most pumped?
21:03Let us know in those comments below.
21:301.
21:31I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:321.
21:33I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:341.
21:35I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:361.
21:37I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:381.
21:39I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:401.
21:41I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:421.
21:43I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:441.
21:45I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:461.
21:47I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:481.
21:49I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:501.
21:51I Won't Do What You Tell Me – Stone Cold Steve Austin
21:521.

Recommended