Welcome to Best & Worst, a new feature here on Wrestletalk.com that I will be undertaking once a week (roughly) talking about all manner of wrestling topics. Today, we’ll be looking at something particularly musical.
Theme songs, especially in WWE, tend to carry a lot of weight with them, with the ability to get someone over, or conversely make an audience actively disinterested. I would say a wrestler’s theme is almost as important as their character and in-ring work. Almost. CFO$, the primary producers of most themes in the current WWE product, have a knack of knocking themes out of the park. Having said that, there are some duds in there too.
Bearing that in mind, let’s take a look at the Best & Worst of WWE’s current crop of entrance music. This is just my opinion though, so let me know how wrong I am in the comments or on Twitter!
BEST – Shinsuke Nakamura
While Shinsuke’s current heel theme is the one making the Best today, his old face theme would easily be joining it too. Changing up the most popular entrance theme in the company at the time was a risky idea, but one that most certainly paid off. Nakamura’s heel theme with vocals by Shadows of the Sun fits the character change perfectly. A more aggressive arrangement with Japanese rap over the top of it clearly indicates to viewers, even newcomers to the product, exactly who Nakamura is and what he’s here to do. You don’t need to understand the lyrics to know when he’s coming out, he means business. It’s perfect.
WORST – The B-Team
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEq6rsUhe5E
Hoo boy. I get the idea they were going for here, trying to get the crowd to chant along, but…it’s just so annoying. It’s an obnoxious theme and it’s an ‘I choose you’ short of being something out of Pokémon. Top that off with the high school gymnastics tune, similar to that off the Spirit Squad, and you have yourself one terrible, terrible theme. One of the Worst. Please stop. Thanks.
BEST – Braun Strowman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLrG-0DtISE
While the majority of Braun’s theme is…fine, maybe good, there’s one thing that sends it into the Best. The opening roar. It’s the current day’s version of the glass shattering from Stone Cold Steve Austin’s theme; as soon as you hear it, you know stuff’s about to go down. It’s the kind of thing that will pop the crowd massively when it’s surprising to hear it, such as for a Money in the Bank cash-in, a Royal Rumble entrance, or an interference in a match. It fits Braun’s character perfectly, and for that, it’s one of the Best themes going today.
WORST – Carmella
F-A-B-U-L-I don’t care. Ignoring Carmella herself for a second, there is nothing about this theme to get excited about. The beat is boring, the lyrics are uninspired and it invokes apathy in an audience, which for a women’s champion, is horrific. There are no redeeming qualities, it’s just a bad theme. Plain and simple. One of the Worst for sure.
BEST – Samoa Joe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TeXQHirMJE
Who is Samoa Joe? A mean, vicious wrestler who will pick you apart at the slightest chance he gets. An intimidating presence, one you can’t run away from, because Joe will catch you. And what says ‘stalking predator’ more than his theme? The aggressive beat invokes a sense of danger and lets the audience know something violent is coming. That’s Joe, through and through. This is the perfect theme for a wrestler like Samoa Joe. It’s one of the Best.
WORST – Brie Bella
BRIEEEEE MOOODDEEEEE. My skin crawled just typing that. The opening to this theme is just…abhorrent. The amount of tuning and other effects in place is just so jarring, so cringe-inducing that fans are actively put off by it. Which would be…fine I guess if she was a heel. But she isn’t, she’s a face. People are meant to enjoy that, be excited for when she appears. But if your first instinct is to flinch as the entrance music hits, you eventually associate that feeling with the wrestler themselves. It’s awful. This is the Worst. The Worst theme in WWE today.
BEST – Seth Rollins
We’ll finish off on a positive note today, as we look at one of the Best themes going: Seth Rollins’. I was a fan of his entrance music when it first debuted after his split from The Shield, but now they’ve added in something that takes it to another level. The opening drums and guitar riffs let you know exactly what’s coming because it feels epic, exciting, fast-paced. Then there’s a pause. You hear the screaming of “BURN IT DOWN” and it takes those feelings and accentuates it even more. It gives the crowd something to scream along to, and the act of screaming along with the music gives that sense of connectivity with the wrestler, and you automatically feel more invested in the wrestler themselves. It’s a perfect blend of excitement, involvement and epic-ness. It’s one of the Best, if not the Best WWE entrance music today.
Related content
- Seth Rollins SHOOTS On Hulk Hogan
- Samoa Joe SHOOTS On SmackDown Live and Raw Locker Rooms
- Braun Strowman Is In Tears
What do you think are the best and worst themes in WWE today? Have I missed your favorite theme out? Let me know in the comments, on Twitter or on Discord today!
Comments.
Loading comments…