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Anyhow, I decided that a perfect collaborative effort between he and I would be to weed our way through the best entrance themes of all-time, with him offering a uniquely expert opinion. Yet, I did not wish to make this purely a two-man show, so we went to the WWE forums and asked for the posters to nominate any theme that they’d like to see in a tournament to crown the greatest theme music in WWE history. The nomination thread was massive, with over 80 themes mentioned. So as not to skip anyone’s choice, we decided to have a play-in round, with the goal being to narrow the list down to 67 themes (six of which would also go into a smaller play-in round, with the winners facing the top four-seeded themes). The LOP WWE Forum posters again were the voters. Here were the play-in round match-ups and results, along with analysis from both myself and a few of the voters… (CMV1 note – you may see a WCW theme or two mixed in) Play-In Round Brock Lesnar “Here Comes the Pain” defeated Zack Ryder (current) -CMV1 note – I thought it was funny that Ryder’s theme got a nomination for best of all-time, but to each his own. There have been far worse. Fabulous Rougeaus defeated Billy and Chuck -“Bonus points for singing their own song, and being All American Boys… I miss songs like this” – LWO4Life Dude Love defeated Akeem -CMV1 note – Akeem and Slick had the same theme song and it got a lot of love in the nominations thread. Sadly, the voting did not back up the hype it received in the beginning. Chris Jericho “King of my World” defeated Roddy Piper -CMV1 note – I was very disappointed in the result, here. I had hoped the voters would put Piper’s theme through. It wasn’t special by any means, but thought it deserved inclusion in the big tournament. I’m sure this won’t be the first time I’m disappointed in a result. Corporate Ministry defeated JYD -CMV1 note – I don’t see either of these themes making it past the first round when put up against one of the top 64 themes (yes, there will be a ton of themes in the tournament). The Miz (current) defeated Owen Hart “Enough is Enough” -CMV1 note – One of the most intriguing things I’ll be looking for as we progress in this saga is to see how the newer themes do against older themes. Entrance music from the past has nostalgic value that newer ones do not yet possess. How will Miz fair later on against a borderline classic or straight up classic theme song? Undertaker “American Bad Ass” defeated Lita -CMV1 note – Undertaker had about 5 themes nominated (as did Triple H). I was hoping an underdog like Lita might knock one of the Deadman’s themes out and give us at least one Diva theme in the tournament. Oh well… Billy Gunn “Mr. Ass” defeated Earthquake -CMV1 note – I think I remember singing “I’m an ass man” as a teenager, but I don’t look upon that memory fondly. Sheamus defeated Kurgann -CMV1 note – No contest. The Celtic Warrior’s theme is awesome CM Punk defeated Kane (current) -“This was tough. I wish these two weren’t together” – Mr. Big Gulp Diamond Dallas Page defeated Scott Steiner “Holla if you hear me” -CMV1 note – Another disappointment, for me. I liked Steiner’s WWE theme despite the annoyingly repetitive siren going off in the background. APA defeated Eric Bischoff -CMV1 note – Bischoff got the shaft on this one. How does a theme that perfectly fits a character get beat out by a generic theme that could’ve been given to any other wrestler and it wouldn’t have made any difference to their career? DX (Run DMC version) defeated Ahmed Johnson -CMV1 note – It would seem that all of Triple H and Undertaker’s themes are going to make it to the big dance. Christian (’01-’03) defeated The Mountie -CMV1 note – Well, at least Ray Rougeau got his voice into the main tournament with the Fabulous theme. Goldust defeated Slick -CMV1 note – Sorry, Slick fans Big Bossman defeated Raven (WWE) -CMV1 note – “Hard Time” got stuck in my head on many a night as I went to sleep as a kid. Law, order, and justice! JBL defeated Mike Awesome -CMV1 note – In JBL I trust The Dudleyz (1st WWE) defeated Marcus Cor Van -CMV1 note – While a little bit generic, I always found the original Dudley theme to be really good. I once put together a CD of my favorite 25 themes in the WWE’s history and this one was on it. Stone Cold “Disturbed” defeated Undertaker “Rollin” -CMV1 note – There’s a lot of people that voted that seem to dig this version of the Austin theme. I never much cared for it, to be honest. A bunch of screaming over and over and over again is not my cup of tea. However, I do thank it for knocking out one of the Taker’s themes so a fifth of the tournament isn’t made up of something from the Deadman, Inc. Honky Tonk Man defeated R-Truth “What’s Up?” -CMV1 note – My favorite part of the Honky Tonk theme was the girl in the background doing his back up singing and repeating his name. I once did a rendition of that in a lab while earning the letters that proceed (or precede depending on how written) CMV1. Sandman “Enter Sandman” defeated Brutus Beefcake -“Maybe it’s the Metallica fan in me, but I feel it’s unfair to compare Enter Sandman to most entrance music” – Smarter Mark Demolition defeated Jimmy Snuka -CMV1 note – Seems there are a lot of folks that would have Demolition win over anyone. Let’s see how that holds up if it gets put against another classic. Me and Leonard will be making the rankings, so we’ll see where it gets ranked – that might make the difference. Hollywood Hulk Hogan “Voodoo Child” defeated Stacy Keibler “Legs” -CMV1 note – So, we will not have a Diva theme in the tournament. Evolution defeated Triple H “King of Kings” -“Not fair to me as I’m a huge Motorhead fan lol” – Sean -“I think my favorite on this list is the Evolution theme, that’s one of my all time favorites” – Mizfan Cactus Jack defeated Undertaker “You’re Gonna Pay” -CMV1 note – Thank you, Cactus Jack fans. I’ve said my peace about the Deadman themes… Rikishi/Too Cool defeated The Rockers -CMV1 note – WHAT?! C’mon! Rockers may have had generic rock music, but it was kick ass generic rock music. I always thought of it as “Ultimate Warrior light.” Warrior is going to end up ranked very high in my book. Shane McMahon “Here Comes the Money” defeated Doink the Clown (heel) -“Shane O Macs is prolly my favorite out of that list” – MaxPowers -“Doink’s was an underrated classic though, just for the way it went EVIL right after it started off CLOWN type” – HBK911 After the play-in round was completed, Leonard and I each ranked the 67 remaining themes in order. Leonard noted that he took into consideration both the compositional make-up and quality of the music in question as well as its suitability as a professional wrestling theme and to the wrestler that used it. Not being the expert on music that he is, I used my personal experiences with themes combined with how I thought each one fit the character that the wrestler played. We took the average between our rankings to determine the seeding. Again going back to the WWE forums, we asked the posters to continue to help us with this project by voting and commenting on the first round. I must admit that I was looking for a few more upsets than there actually were, once the results came in. I had certain themes that I thought might have a chance to get knocked out earlier than expected. The match-ups and comments from the forum posters, Leonard, and myself were as follows: First Round Results 64 Corporate Ministry defeated 65 Mike Tyson 1 Hulk Hogan “Real American” defeated 64/65 Winner (Tyson) -Leonard’s Notes – The Corporate Ministry theme is an interesting mash-up, but I’ve never cared for mash-ups in general (I think it shows laziness, and most of them don’t sound as good as this one—see Rated RKO for proof of that). Having said that, the Rick Derringer-created “Real American” blows all of that out of the water. Much like other themes on the list, this one defines an entire era of professional wrestling. While Cyndi Lauper was the one who started the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection, Rick Derringer kept the relationship going all the way up to the ‘90’s with this hit, a smash (pun intended) with Demolition, and several others. The influence of this entrance theme cannot be denied—and on top of that (and all its cheesiness), it’s a pretty catchy tune and can get a crowd hyped up for sure. -“Corporate Ministry theme was dooope. Hogan’s was Corny.” – Theghostofdokfreeez 66 Undertaker “American Bad Ass” defeated 63 Fabulous Rougeaus 2 Ric Flair defeated 63/66 Winner (Taker) -Leonard’s Notes – I never cared for the campiness of the Fabulous Rougeaus Brothers’ theme, but I don’t particularly like this Kid Rock original either. If I had to pick, it would be the Rougeaus, simply because it is more geared towards its era (note again the campiness) and I never really liked the “biker” Undertaker anyhow. ‘Tis all a moot point anyways, because the “WOOO!” placed at the beginning of the Dawn section of Richard Strauss’s tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra, gets me every time. It really is the perfect fit for Flair’s “stylin’ and profilin’ ways,” even though it may not have been a traditional wrestling theme. No matter how many years had passed since his supposed “prime,” the crowd always went crazy for his entrance and theme. 67 DX (Run DMC version) defeated 62 Dude Love 3 Ultimate Warrior defeated 62/67 Winner (DX) -Leonard’s Notes – The Dude Love theme was about 10 years too late (in the middle of the Attitude Era, really?!), but I thought that Run DMC’s interpretation of Degeneration X’s music was an abomination. Definitely not my cup of tea. Regardless of who takes victory here, the Warrior’s theme was a great way to amp up the crowd, but in a very different way that Hogan’s did in that the theme, no matter who it would have been used for, it would have certainly gotten the crowd ready for an exciting match. As far as compositional quality, it’s the same basic layers repeated over and over again. Not too creative, but still effective in its repetition. -CMV1 note – The Warrior’s theme was one of the few that Leo and I agreed on in our rankings. I had my groomsmen introduced to this at my wedding. In my opinion, this was tied for the best theme song of that era with Hogan’s. Each perfectly fit their characters and made them larger than life to me (as a 6 year old). 4 Triple H “Time to Play the Game” defeated 61 Diamond Dallas Page -Leonard’s notes – Jim Johnston’s collaboration with Motorhead is definitely fitting for wrestling’s “Cerebral Assassin.” Even though, much like Warrior’s theme, it’s based on only a few chords, there is something about it that just fits Triple H so well. As far as DDP, I always found him much too overrated as a wrestler, and for me his music is no different. I remember his WCW theme being a poor man’s knockoff of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and his WWE theme was just generic rock. Triple H gets my vote due to both originality and suitability. Good job, Jim. -CMV1 note – There is a reason why Triple H hasn’t changed his theme in almost ten years. The best of the best themes get to stick around for multiple generations. He’ll be appearing to this theme when he’s 60 years old and making random appearances on Raw Anniversary episodes. 5 DX defeated 60 Chris Jericho “King of my World” -Leonard’s Notes – I’m not at all crazy about Chris Jericho’s quasi-theme “King of My World.” Compared to his first WWE theme, this just does not cut it. The vocals are not exciting enough, the backgrounds and tempo too slow. Perhaps in a higher key this would work, but not in its finished form. I do believe that the DX theme, along with one other theme, defines the Attitude Era in its “answer to nobody” attitude and rocking guitar riffs (especially the one in the ‘B’ section right before they start yelling “Degeneration X”). This one wins with its simplicity, in my opinion. -“I really like Saliva’s King of the World, but sadly I do not consider this a wrestling theme. I consider it a song used as a theme to sell a CD. I have every wrestling theme I have ever heard on my PC and well organized but I still cant figure out where to put King of the World. Again good song and fit Jericho well but I don’t see it as a wrestling theme. As for DX, well it works but certainly wont win it all.” – MachoKing 6 Chris Jericho “Break the Walls Down” defeated 59 Hollywood Hulk Hogan “Voodoo Child” -Leonard’s Notes – I love Chris Jericho’s first entrance theme. It really suits his ‘80’s rock and roll era-inspired character, as well as his “No Country For Old Men”-inspired heel persona now. I believe that is due to the medium-paced tempo, as well as the excellent vocals and backgrounds. As you can clearly see by now, I do not care for already-popular songs being used as entrance themes—I’m not sure this is how Jimi Hendrix envisioned his music being used. Does it fit Hulk? Perhaps, but it’s not my cup of tea as an entrance. Besides, he already had that sweet nWo theme, so why change a good thing? -CMV1 note – I once used this as a ring tone for my cell phone. In my opinion, the high ranking this received was a testament to just how underrated it is amongst the all-time best wrestling themes. I feel it tends to get lost in the shuffle amongst some of the others. I’d like to see it make a deep run and I think it has an outside shot of winning if the match-ups work in its favor. -“Best contest (of Round 1)” – Durandal 7 Mr. Perfect defeated 58 Billy Gunn “Mr. Ass” -Leonard’s Notes – Here we have the theme from “Exodus” versus a guy singing about his ass. Only in pro wrestling. While the latter is a fun song—if not a little bizarre, Mr. Perfect’s theme always suited his class and technical ring style. It also did well in bringing a little class to the wrestling ring, much like Ric Flair’s theme. -CMV1 note – This was actually very close in the voting, which shocked me, to be perfectly (pun intended) honest. Agreed with Leo’s comments as to why this should have been a no brainer. 57 Stone Cold (Disturbed) defeated 8 The Hardy Boyz -Leonard’s Notes – I always enjoyed the Hardy Boyz theme, in that I equated it to the Warrior theme of the Attitude Era. Not too complicated, but energetic enough to get the crowd popping (and they did pop to this for many years). It also fit the Hardy’s entrance rave-type dancing and antics quite well. On the other side of the coin, I never really had a problem with Disturbed’s rendition of Stone Cold’s theme per se, but I just never found it to be much different than the original, except for the words. I don’t believe that the words add much, so if it ain’t broke, why fix it? -CMV1 note – Given that this was the theme that got me started as a runner (I run 3 miles every other day), it holds a bit of sentimental value to me. Running around the NC State campus probably would not have happened for me earlier last decade without the Hardys theme. I am shocked to see it get bounced in round 1. Leo and I both ranked it high, so I figured our opinions would be mirrored in the voting, but I guess there had to be a major upset. However, based on some comments and the landslide victory against it, I think I’m in the minority of those that say this was, in fact, an upset. -“Weirdest seeding. The most overrated and underrated themes. You could flip those two rankings and I wouldn’t bat an eye.” – Durandal 9 Undertaker (traditional theme) defeated 56 Rikishi/Too Cool -Leonard’s Notes – Rikishi’s theme was fun, but in no way ever provided such a bone-chilling as an entrance like the Undertaker’s original theme seems to still do today (albeit in a remixed form). His theme also has a Classical influence, as it is essentially a remix of part of a Chopin piano sonata (Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35, Third Movement (Marche funébre) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5UrVdvk1Ao). It is basically a glorified funeral march, and perfectly appropriate for the man from Death Valley. I do not believe that any theme is quite as impactful on an entrance as this one is. -CMV1 note – I went to Wrestlemania 24 with my dad, which was a great experience for the both of us. There are two things that he remembers most from being a part of that event and the other is the Undertaker’s entrance theme (“GONG, GONG” as my dad likes to say) 10 HBK defeated 55 The Dudleyz (1st WWE) -Leonard’s Notes – To me there is no contest here. With the Dudley Boyz theme, you had more of the same, generic rock that you saw in the Attitude Era that said nothing about the wrestlers who were coming out to it. The Heartbreak Kid’s theme, likely the last composed by Jimmy Hart in the WWE (and originally sung by Sensational Sherri) tells you everything (and then some) about the athlete coming down the aisle. It was so perfect, in fact, that Shawn used it for his entire career, barring a few years with Degeneration X, of course. The HBK theme certainly stood the test of time—not many themes on this list can definitively say that. -CMV1 note – I mentioned this earlier about Triple H’s theme, but there is a reason why HBK had the same theme for so long. It was just a perfect fit for him and it never failed to be. There’s just something about a guy that good singing his own theme – as cheesy as it may be – that is fitting. Only Shawn Michaels (the best in-ring performer in WWE history, in my opinion) could have pulled off this theme for the virtual entirety of his singles career. 11 Stone Cold (Glass Shatter) defeated 54 Cactus Jack -Leonard’s Notes – I believe that the original “Glass Shatters” Stone Cold theme is the other entrance track that defines the Attitude Era. Much like the “WOOO!” or “Hell’s Bells,” when you heard the glass shatter, there was no doubt as to what would occur next. The high octane chords that came next were the perfect match with the Texas Rattlesnake, and used this for almost his entire tenure with the company. Good stuff compared to a generic rock theme that was used for Cactus Jack’s short WWE runs. -CMV1 note – I have gone on record many times as having never been a huge fan of the Texas Rattlesnake, but I cannot deny that the shattering glass never failed to send a tingle down my spine when it hit. It still does to this day… 12 Edge “Metalingus” defeated 53 Eddie Guerrero “Can You Feel the Heat” -Leonard’s Notes – I do like both of these themes, but Eddie Guerrero’s seemed more like “fluff” compared to the hard hitting theme by Alter Bridge. Accompanied by the “you think you know me” that has followed Edge throughout his WWE career, those heavy-hitting guitar chords, along with the decent vocals, make it a theme that hasn’t tired on me as much as it maybe has on other folks. -CMV1 note – Blame the average rankings for putting these two together. I think that Eddie’s would have made a strong run into the 2nd round and perhaps beyond had it not been put up against Edge’s, which is one of the best themes of the current generation of stars and is one that I’ll be very interested in seeing how far it can go. -“Edge is sooooo lucky to have this theme because the song itself is good. I put it over the Eddie heel music because I felt that Eddie, if he didn’t die, would have gotten a better remix of it with words. The theme felt like HHH’s My Time theme before they added words to it and produced it better. Edge wins because the song fits him perfectly and the fact it still has “ You Think you know me” at the start makes up for its lack of instant grab.” – MachoKing 13 Evolution defeated 52 New Age Outlaws -Leonard’s Notes – The novelty to the New Age Outlaws theme had nothing to do with the music, if you’re asking me. The music itself was very simple, and not very interesting to be perfectly honest. The Road Dogg’s changing dialogue is what made it appealing, and it wasn’t even part of the music (if you listen to the original release on WWF The Music: Vol. 3, the only time Road Dogg says something is at the beginning of the track, and then fades out). This is opposed to the awesome Evolution theme, which had qualities from themes of Ric Flair (a slower, grandiose theme) and Triple H (Motorhead) to create a very interesting new product. -“This one was a very hard decision. OH YOU DIDN’T KNOW!? I went for NAW due to them being very entertaining when I was 8-10 years old. OH YOU DIDN’T KNOW!?” – Lenoxygen 14 Bret Hart defeated 51 Big Bossman -Leonard’s Notes – Both of these themes are relatively simple in their composition, and both fit well in terms of the wrestler they represent as well. The deciding factor here must be in the fact that not only was Bret Hart a much more influential force inside the ring, but his original “Hitman” music lasted a heck of a lot longer as well. I have no problem with the Bossman’s theme, but Hart’s was definitely more long lasting and crowd-pleasing. -CMV1 note – A classic from the 90’s beating out a classic from the 80’s. I feel the need to bring up a point made by poster/voter ZeroTolerance, who noted that the 90’s were very underrepresented in this tournament. I whole heartedly agree. Too bad the nominations did not cover more 90’s themes. I, thus, am rooting for themes like Bret’s to make a strong run into the latter rounds. -“Yep, I just said Bossman had a better theme and I am right. Bret had and has a generic theme that only became popular because of the wrestler and not because of the music. That guitar screech is its only saving grace from being a 30 second song being on repeat. Whereas the Bossman has a song, with words that fits him perfectly and got people pumped. Hell I think half the reason Bossman was so over in 90 was because of his theme lol.” – MachoKing 15 Million Dollar Man defeated 50 Shane McMahon “Here Comes the Money” -Leonard’s Notes – I enjoy both of these themes a great deal, so for me this is one of the toughest matches of the tournament so far. Shane McMahon’s theme is an interesting hip hop oriented piece, but actually a lot more aesthetically pleasing than most hip hop or rap to me. The artist enunciates clearly, and from that you can hear that this theme is very telling of McMahon’s character. While this is true, and it’s a very catchy theme, bonus points must go to the Million Dollar Man for originality in providing his own vocals (what I would consider more of a poem recitation than a rap, but so be it) and having his character infused into the theme by himself. His theme will always be one of the old WWF’s classics. -CMV1 note – There was an even number of voters in the WWE forums, giving me the tie-breaking vote. This was one of two themes that came down to my tie-breaker. It was, therefore, I that chose MDM to advance over Shane. The predominant reason was that Dibiase had a theme that perfectly fit his character, which was one of my key criteria. Shane’s did, as well, but I never found the son of McMahon as well defined as a character as the MDM. 16 The Rock defeated 49 Jake Roberts -Leonard’s Notes – While the Jake Roberts theme is very broody, much like a snake would be, the Rock’s theme is right in your face from the very beginning, with his pop-inducing opening. Both are very indicative of the person’s personality, again, but while Roberts’s theme never really picks up any steam (bar the very beginning), Rocky’s does tend to have a growing intensity throughout. It also has a strong backbeat, which helps to amp up the crowded arena. It could be considered another generic rock theme, but since it was attached to such a megastar, it’s influence cannot be denied. -“Damn, in a different matchup I would have been looking at Jake for an upset pick. Trust me.” – ZeroTolerance 17 Kurt Angle defeated 48 Goldust -Leonard’s Notes – I’m definitely a sucker for both of these themes, but it is clear who the victor should be. Goldust’s theme brings about the Hollywood glitz and glamour that only the Bizarre One can bring, but does not have much substance. Angle’s theme, while similar in lack of substance, is another one of those themes that brings intensity to the arena. The combination of Olympic-style fanfare and hard rock power chords and beats (his last WWE remix of this theme was incredible and brought even more of a rock feel to the selection) gives this piece my vote over Goldust’s. -CMV1 note – This was a pretty close vote and I can see why. While I love Angle’s theme and the crowd involvement that came to be its signature, I thought Goldust’s was just perfect for the character that he played. I would have voted for Angle if I’d have had to, but it would not have been easy. -“Closest decision (of Round 1)” – Durandal 18 Triple H “My Time” defeated 47 John Cena “Basic Thuganomics” -Leonard’s Notes – No one can deny the popularity of John Cena’s “Basic Thuganomics,” as it is part of what propelled John Cena into the main event picture permanently. At the same time, Triple H’s first “post-DX” theme helped solidify him into a serious main eventer. The difference here is how good they are compositionally. While both have since had better themes, I do believe that “My Time” just edges out John Cena’s theme in terms of providing interesting material throughout the piece (Cena’s is basically just the same generic backgrounds again, while “My Time” at least tries to change things up a bit). The incessant electronic rhythm that appears at the beginning of Triple H’s theme lasts throughout, but the backgrounds are changed consistently enough to edge out the Thuganomics. Also, bonus points to Triple H’s theme for giving a shout out to WWE’s resident composer, Jim Johnston. Boy do I envy his job. -CMV1 note – I’m glad that this did not come down to a tie-breaker, for I would have a hard time choosing. I love “My Time” – I have it on my Ipod – but I was also a big fan of Cena’s original theme and to this day favor it over Cena’s current theme by a mile. It came to be one of those rare “sends chills down my spine when it hits” type of themes, for me. I’m not sure who I would’ve chosen. I might’ve flipped a coin. -“Man, Trips, as if banging the boss’ daughter and practically running the company wasn’t enough, you had to go and take all the best theme music too.” – ZeroTolerance 19 Goldberg defeated 46 Honky Tonk Man -Leonard’s Notes – The winner of this match-up all depends upon what you like more in a wrestling theme. Do you prefer campiness like the Honky Tonk Man’s “Cool, Cocky, Bad,” or do you prefer the hard hitting basic themes like Goldberg’s? I love Honky Tonk’s theme, but Goldberg’s is just too hard hitting and intense to ignore (whether or not those chants were piped in is irrelevant). -CMV1 note – I ranked Goldberg’s theme in my top ten. It takes a special theme to get you pumped up about seeing a guy wrestle for 1-minute. 20 Randy Orton “Voices” defeated 45 Vader -Leonard’s Notes – Randy Orton’s new theme was a much needed intensity change from his “Line in the Sand” that he used for years after breaking from Evolution. The slow, brooding, methodical theme is much like Orton’s actions (relate this to Jake Roberts), but does a good job of being a varied and interesting piece of music. The same cannot be said for Vader’s theme, but I will say that I love hearing “It’s Vader Time!” -CMV1 note – The lyrics to “Voices” perfectly fit the Orton “Viper” character. I’ve liked all of Orton’s themes, but this one is by far my favorite. 21 LOD “What a Rush” defeated 44 D’Lo Brown -Leonard’s Notes – Simple works for some themes. The Road Warriors would be a prime example of that. I find the “What a Rush” track one of the most infectious and easy to listen themes in this tournament. D’Lo Brown’s theme, while good, is not even in the same league. -“This is a perfect example of how words can hurt a song lol. D’lo had a decent theme but the words sucked and while some might call LOD’s theme generic, remember this…..when it first came out it wasn’t generic and most generic themes copy from this one. LOD wins by breaking D’Los neck in revenge for LOD member Droz.” – MachoKing 43 Sandman “Enter Sandman” defeated 22 JBL -Leonard’s Notes – JBL’s theme is perfect for his character. In addition, it’s one of my favorites, since it not only employs a full orchestra for its playing, but also has interesting contrasting sections throughout. The same can’t be said for the Sandman’s theme, which, in my opinion, is better left to Metallica (I’m assuming we’re talking about Sandman’s ECW theme). -“Love Metallica, but JBL’s got the ‘mooooooo’” – mizfan 23 New World Order defeated 42 APA -Leonard’s Notes – The APA’s music was good, hard hitting stuff, no doubt about it. It’s also very possible that the nWo’s theme music could have worn out on the wrestling viewer by the end of an edition of Nitro. However, since both are so repetitive and similar in style, I would have to say that the New World Order’s music is slightly more important in the grand scope. I do dig the guitar riffs and the creepy man saying “N-N-New World Order.” -CMV1 note – This was a theme that Leo and I strongly disagreed on with our rankings. I had it in my top 5. I absolutely love the NWO theme. There’s just something about it that I cannot quite put my finger on. 41 Dusty Rhodes “American Dream” defeated 24 Ravishing Rick Rude -Leonard’s Notes – Both of these themes are older WWF themes, and both have their positives. Rick Rude’s use of the jazz instrumental “The Stripper” was a wise move—while not original, it was suitable for the character that considered himself “Ravishing.” Nothing really groundbreaking there. The “American Dream” theme is very campy, but a lot of fun. It was easy for Rhodes (and Sapphire) to dance to, and fit the character profile quite well also. On originality, I believe Dusty’s theme should get the nod. -CMV1 note – Rick Rude was one of my all-time favorite performers and characters, so I had hoped his theme would advance. American Dream was a little too cheesy for my taste. 40 Razor Ramon defeated 25 Christian (’01-’02) -Leonard’s Notes – I’m all about the “Bad Guy’s” theme…it was great and all, but I think Christian’s opera-inspired theme was one of the best themes of all time, no questions asked. The theme came along at a time when Christian was first breaking out to be a singles wrestler, and the words chronicle that (albeit, in Italian, but the TitanTron video does give subtitles). As I hinted at, the theme is a mix of rock elements with Italian opera influences, and it comes together quite nicely. It is probably the best Jim Johnston creation outside of just a few. Can’t forget those opening chorus lines either (“CHRISTIAN! CHRISTIAN! At last, you’re on your ooooooooooooooown!”). -CMV1 note – After reading Leo’s notes, I have a greater appreciation for Christian’s theme. However, the Razor’s entrance music was excellent in its simplicity; the kind of theme that got stuck in your head after Raw or a PPV and didn’t go away until later in the week. 26 Undertaker (Ministry) defeated 39 Booker T -Leonard’s Notes – I will say that Booker T’s theme is quite a long lasting theme in pro wrestling, but it’s just too generic to me to match the Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness theme. While the theme is clearly different from the original that came before it, there are many bridging materials (such as the “Hell’s Bells” and the grave-sounding nature of the piece) that kept the Undertaker’s roots in mind. I really dig the guitar riffs in there too, especially the opening one. -CMV1 note – I ranked the Ministry theme very high on my list and consider it to be one of the most underrated of all-time. The Taker has had many, many versions of his entrance music during his 20 year career, but none were better than the Ministry theme. 27 Four Horsemen defeated 38 Demolition -Leonard’s Notes – I can dig the Four Horsemen theme, but I don’t think it’s a match for Rick Derringer’s sophomore WWF track dedicated to the Demolition duo (later trio). The lyrics were original and about the guys who were coming to the ring, and just had a way of getting the crowd hyped up for what was about to happen in the ring. The Horsemen theme (if it’s the original one—which was the best) fit the wrestlers, but wasn’t so good on getting the crowd amped. If I had the say, it would be Demolition here. -CMV1 note – I would narrowly pick the Horsemen over Demolition. As Leo mentioned, the Horsemen theme (complete with trotting hoof steps at the beginning of the track) perfectly fit the demeanor of the characters involved in that group. To this day, I still consider it one of my all-time favorites. It brings back fond NWA memories. 37 Mr. McMahon defeated 28 Mick Foley “Crash” -Leonard’s Notes – After listening to the suitable, yet boring, first theme of Mankind for so long, it was a breath of fresh air for Mick Foley to finally get a new theme at the beginning of 1999. The theme is a standard rock riff repeated, but there was something about it that just screamed “car wreck” (besides the opening car wreck). It immediately makes you think of Foley’s wild antics. Vince McMahon’s rock theme, while appropriate, isn’t so vivid. -“No chance for this Mick theme. Look for McMahon to surprise a few top themes, very underseeded.” – ZeroTolerance 36 The Brood defeated 29 The Miz (current) -Leonard’s Notes – The Miz’s theme is awesome (pun awesomely intended). It tells you exactly what you need to know about the Miz—he means business—and it’s a pretty rocking theme to boot. It is one of my favorite current themes in the WWE by far. The Brood’s theme was certainly different in a time when the norm was rock inspired themes. While catchy and hip, does get boring after a bit. It’s quite repetitive, and it loses its luster quickly. -CMV1 note – The Brood theme was actually not nominated nor did it have to compete in the play-in round. I simply noticed that it was not going to get to take part, thought it deserved to take part, and put it in the rankings. I guess you could say I gave it my “editor’s choice.” This match-up came down to a tie in the voting, so I again served as the tie-breaker and chose The Brood. It’s got a unique sound to it that differentiates it from other late 90’s themes. 35 Brock Lesnar “Here comes the pain” defeated 30 Owen Hart -Leonard’s Notes – Owen Hart’s theme is a sentimental favorite, but there’s no denying the impact that Brock’s “Here Comes the Pain” theme had on wrestling audiences during the early part of the last decade. It breaks my heart, but the Lesnar theme should get the win here due to its intensity and suitability to the wrestler. 31 Randy Savage defeated 34 The Fabulous Freebirds “Badstreet USA” -Leonard’s Notes – As good as Randy Savage was, using “Pomp and Circumstance” was probably the lamest theme in wrestling, though one cannot deny that it was immediately recognizable and always got a reaction from the fans. What cannot be forgotten, however, is that “Badstreet USA” was one of the first original theme songs in wrestling history, and helped pave the way for other actual “songs” to be used to accompany wrestlers to the ring. The song is a lot of fun, and works well in kicking the crowd into high gear. -CMV1 note – A close vote narrowly won by the Macho Man. Despite the graduation theme being a silly choice for a wrestling entrance, I’ll never forget the massive reaction that Savage got at Wrestlemania VIII when this song hit. 32 CM Punk defeated 33 Sheamus -Leonard’s Notes – If there’s one thing I’m an advocate for, it’s making wrestling music more varied to add additional flare to the wrestler. I’m cool with CM Punk’s music, though it certainly isn’t my favorite, but Sheamus’s music is different enough that I believe it warrants passing to the next round. It’s Irish in nature, yes, but has enough of a rock feel that it serves well as an entrance theme. I especially enjoy the vocal harmonization in the refrain section. -CMV1 note – Just as it should’ve been given the seeding, this was one of the most difficult choices of Round 1. Sheamus has an awesome theme that I’d put up against any of the current entrance music, but Punk’s is one of those rare “screaming rock” songs that I actually like. I would’ve likely voted for Sheamus had it come down to it, but Punk won by a surprisingly wide margin. -“By far the toughest match up!!” – charttoppers
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