Posted August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810017 I'm surprised we haven't done a major thread on this already, but it's certainly something that has been important over the years to the product, of most any company. So, what's the best/worst song or piece of music you can think of that someone has ever used?
August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810021 For original music I gotta go with Badstreet USA & Simply Ravishing. For existing tunes, Another One Bites The Dust & Gimme Back My Bullets
August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810024 Some of the earliest entrance themes to be used are still the greatest. Anytime the Freebirds come out to Skynyrd on WTBS gets an instant pop from me. Ditto Queen and the Junkyard Dog around the same time. Lawler's entrance when he returns at the end of 1980 and comes up through the stage to Strauss followed by the Star Wars theme is maybe my favorite entrance ever? Lawler also used the Rocky theme which was fantastic. One that I cannot stand is Dr. Death coming out to Born in the USA, which is a lame song (not to mention it's complete satire). Road Warriors + Iron Man was a perfect fit. ECW had so many perfect fits as well. Although I have to say, the fact that the music was always so good really emphasized how great of an entrance the Dudleys had WITHOUT any music. Similar effect in the 80's when Andre never used music. The stir of the crowd was enough atmosphere. I...can't take any of the songs created by the WWE or WCW seriously tbh.
August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810025 The broken glass sound and the original music was absolutely perfect for Austin. I do not know how they got the idea to use that sound for him, but it was a perfect match. It just seemed right. Pomp and Circumstance was also great, and an excellent fit for Savage. Props to WCW for getting Voodoo Child rights as well, although the Hendrix estate revoked the rights to WWE later, if I remember correctly.
August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810026 I find myself listening to these a lot while I drive: Terry Funk's AJPW theme, Shane's Here Comes The Money, Eddie Guerrero's Viva La Raza, Cesaro's Miracle, Nakamura's Subconscious and Mark Henry's Somebody. Myzteziz's original Ameno is dope af, too. As far as terrible music goes: Gronda 2's 6th Gate/Dance With The Devil (terrible wrestler, terrible theme song) Big Mami's Kulikitaka Cesaro's Swiss Made (his current theme) - I'm still struggling to understand how this was greenlit
August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810028 Misawa and Kobashi had some cracking theme songs. Had them on my mp3 player when I first got into puroresu, it just gets me pumped up.
August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810029 The broken glass sound and the original music was absolutely perfect for Austin. I do not know how they got the idea to use that sound for him, but it was a perfect match. It just seemed right. Austin went into detail on one of his podcasts that he did with Jim Johnston (it's worth a listen for his reasoning behind many of his themes). Basically, this all started when Austin approached Johnston with a copy of Bulls on Parade by Rage Against The Machine as a template for his new theme song. It took Johnston eight hours to finalise what we know today, and those glass shatters were only added in at the end of production. Johnston basically wanted a noise that captured an "oh shit!" from the crowd and thought glass shattering evoked that sense of something bad happening. It's actually an amalgam of three different noises: glass shattering, a car crash and an explosion. You can't really hear the other two noises due to the higher frequency of the glass shattering.
August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810033 Terry Funk's AJPW theme Ahhhh, how could I forget this. Easily my favorite theme ever. Creation - Spinning Toe Hold
August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810034 The broken glass sound and the original music was absolutely perfect for Austin. I do not know how they got the idea to use that sound for him, but it was a perfect match. It just seemed right. Austin went into detail on one of his podcasts that he did with Jim Johnston (it's worth a listen for his reasoning behind many of his themes). Basically, this all started when Austin approached Johnston with a copy of Bulls on Parade by Rage Against The Machine as a template for his new theme song. It took Johnston eight hours to finalise what we know today, and those glass shatters were only added in at the end of production. Johnston basically wanted a noise that captured an "oh shit!" from the crowd and thought glass shattering evoked that sense of something bad happening. It's actually an amalgam of three different noises: glass shattering, a car crash and an explosion. You can't really hear the other two noises due to the higher frequency of the glass shattering. This is all incredibly interesting but now I'll never be able to shake the awesomeness that could have been Austin coming out to Rage every Monday. Beautiful People was also a really good fit for the RAW intro.
August 8, 20178 yr comment_5810037 Andre's Japan theme (which the Machines used in the WWF I think) was great since it was like the theme to a lost Godzilla movie. Pomp and Circumstance for Savage is 1a-1b for me with Badstreet USA in terms of perfect wrestler/music synergy. To this day when I go to a graduation ceremony I fight the urge to break into the Macho Man voice. Can't deny that Real American might be the best in house theme ever created, I can't imagine an alternate universe where it was the theme of the US Express as intended. I wasn't really ever a little Hulkamaniac but it's hard to not get pumped when you hear that theme play. Also can't forget Spartan X. I remember my first exposure to Japanese wrestling watching AJPW in the mid 90s hearing the crowd clapping along chanting MI-SA-WA and thinking "holy shit, this guy must be a big deal".
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810076 The broken glass sound and the original music was absolutely perfect for Austin. I do not know how they got the idea to use that sound for him, but it was a perfect match. It just seemed right. Austin went into detail on one of his podcasts that he did with Jim Johnston (it's worth a listen for his reasoning behind many of his themes). Basically, this all started when Austin approached Johnston with a copy of Bulls on Parade by Rage Against The Machine as a template for his new theme song. It took Johnston eight hours to finalise what we know today, and those glass shatters were only added in at the end of production. Johnston basically wanted a noise that captured an "oh shit!" from the crowd and thought glass shattering evoked that sense of something bad happening. It's actually an amalgam of three different noises: glass shattering, a car crash and an explosion. You can't really hear the other two noises due to the higher frequency of the glass shattering. It's funny that a car crash is mentioned, as Austin's theme is nearly identical to Razor Ramon's theme. Same tempo, same beat, starts with squealing tires instead of breaking glass.
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810090 The Ultimate Warrior's theme "Unstable" fit him really well. I always hated the WCW produced theme songs like "The Man Called Sting" and such. They always sounded really lame. 2 Cold Scorpio's music was really dumb (And so was the video).
August 9, 20178 yr Author comment_5810091 The worst of those WCW-produced songs was the one for Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. Thankfully that team didn't last too long and Steamboat went back to that nice instrumental piece. But the one I like the most was Cactus Jack's theme.
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810092 Shinsuke Nakamura's "Rising Sun" mixed with the lighting and tron effects make the perfect atmosphere to show that this guy is a big deal. Unlike Roode, this theme always seemed to enhance Nakamura rather than defining him.
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810095 I think the new-ish trend of indy wrestlers getting custom theme music made is fantastic. It helps guys stand out and it has produced some pretty badass music.
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810096 The worst of those WCW-produced songs was the one for Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. Thankfully that team didn't last too long and Steamboat went back to that nice instrumental piece. But the one I like the most was Cactus Jack's theme. "Simply Ravishing" was my personal fav:
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810098 No contest. Ric Flair, "Easy Lover" by Philip Bailey & Phil Collins (CWF Battle of the Belts II only).
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810111 I'm a huge fan of the cover of Wild Thing that Onita comes out to Oh yeah. X ! Gotta love that Onita would pick a Los Angeles cult punk band version of a classic rock song as his theme song. I always had a thing for really creepy stuff, and Jim Johnston did quite a few of these in the 90's. The Mankind dual themes was brillant (it seems like this period, which is really the highlight of Foley's work in WWF to me has been forgotten a bit because it came just before the Attitude Era) of course. Also loved Doink (the schyzo one, not the fucking circus) and Waylon Mercy, which was wonderful and minimalistic and really fucking shilling. Brian Pillman's theme was also quite the piece of work, dissonant and droning in parts, with the eerie piano melody in the middle. The 00's really signified the end of cool music themes in general, with a shitloads of generic neo-metal (way after the fact) shit during the decade.
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810120 Some ones that haven't been mentioned- Nakamura's current entrance Mistico "Ameno" - the tune went with the gimick and "Me Muero" - the lyirics about a hero saving the day with the Spanish guitar solo, is there a more perfect entrance for a white meat babyface Terry Funk- The Eagles' "Desperado" couldn't be more perfect for a guy 20 years removed from his world title reign and 10 years removed from his first retirement RVD- Pantera "Walk" a song about beating the shit out of somebody that was a sing along just seemed to go with a guy who was being pushed to the moon Taz- Kiss "War Machine" Same as as RVD Minoru Suzuki - "Kaze Ni Nare" Bryan Danielson- "The Final Countdown" a sing a long off the Rocky sound track, just so perfect for a the top babyface in that atmosphere Matt Riddle - Remix of Warren G's Regulate goes fits a guy who is a legit badass and is a stoner
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810140 Hot Stuff for Eddie Gilbert... fit him in name only. It didn't work.
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810146 I'll stick to wrestling original themes, or at least songs not known otherwise. Good taste in music - not likely. Corporate Ministry Demolition 3 Count (Threeeee!) Goldberg WCW Rap is Crap Jive Soul Bro Lex Luger - Slammer NWO Wolfpac Ultimate Warrior - Unstable Simply Ravishing Chuck Palumbo & Sean O'Haire Lord Steven Regal Blue Blazer Evil Doink the Clown AJW Theme of Red Corner Arsion Theme - Aqua Chapparita Asari - Space Flying Soldier Shinsuke Nakamura - Subconscious Chikayo Nagashima - Born to Win Great-o Sasuke Hayabusa - Fight With Dream Io Shirai - Drama Sambo Oishi Jumbo Hori - Star (Trek) Lady Keiji Mutoh - Hold Out Kenta Kobashi - Grand Sword Meiko Satomura - Rock Your Life Away Queen Angels Tomoko Watanabe - Non-Stop Bomber UWFI Theme Mitsuharu Misawa Yumiko Hotta - Assault Machine Yumi Ogura - Heat
August 9, 20178 yr comment_5810149 I'd cast a so-bad-it's-good vote for Paul Orndorff's "He's Wonderful" from WCW.
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