Should the WWE Hire Better Music Creators?
NXT recently held their homecoming episode at Full Sail University, where past and present members of the NXT roster were present to remind the entire WWE universe of their roots and how they look to shape the future. Past NXT champions such as Finn Bálor, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa celebrated the occasion by making special appearances during the episode, even going as far as getting involved with present NXT superstars in the ring. One of the most important aspects of this episode involved Bálor and Gargano entering the ring to their original NXT theme songs. Anyone who watched NXT since the very beginning automatically felt nostalgia as their themes surrounded the arena. As great as it was hearing “Rebel Heart” at Full Sail, it brings up a recurring problem the WWE has when it comes to presenting their superstars: wrestler theme songs.
When Jim Johnston was employed by WWE, he had to rely on originality and character work to create theme songs that not only fit the wrestlers but that the fans could identify immediately when the first note hit the arena. From Kurt Angle to The Rock, Johnston created legendary songs that made these wrestlers larger than life. Johnston also worked with other artists such as Saliva and Lil’ Kim to give superstars an even larger identity, creating timeless classics such as Batista’s “I Walk Alone” and Trish Stratus’ “Time To Rock & Roll.” Although Johnston’s time with the company eventually came to an end, it would be left in safe hands with the introduction of CFO$.
In 2012, CFO$ were given the task of producing the theme song for RAW 1000. They ended up producing the song “The Night,” which ended up serving as RAW’s theme song until 2016. Once they were fully brought up to the company, CFO$ began producing the theme songs for the WWE superstars for the next few years. CFO$ differed from Johnston in the sense that they relied more on beats and composition that repeated after 30 seconds instead of producing an entire song. At first, fans were divided on their direction of music creation, but over time, WWE fans fell in love with many of CFO$’s creations, as they were still able to identify which superstar was about to make an appearance based on their entrance music. CFO$ is credited for some of the best theme songs of the modern era, some that are still playing to this day, such as Bianca Belair’s “Watch Me Shine” and Sami Zayn’s “Worlds Apart.” CFO$ created music that fans could easily sing and chant to, creating a more welcoming environment for fans to join in on their favorite superstar’s entrances. An entrance such as Bobby Roode’s would be less impactful if the fans didn’t sing along to “Glorious Domination.” CFO$’s time with the WWE came to an end in 2020, but their impact on wrestler theme songs is still felt today.
Then we get to def rebel. The importance of wrestler theme songs seemed to die down once def rebel made their way to the WWE. def rebel started off promising as they created two of the most important theme songs of this generation: Roman Reigns’ “Head of the Table” and Iyo Sky’s Tokyo Shock.” What then followed was a consecutive amount of theme songs that sounded very similar to each other, with each one starting with a superstar catchphrase. The theme songs started lacking energy and relied heavily on beats instead of character development. This became an even bigger problem when the Royal Rumble came around, as fans would eagerly count down to the next superstar’s entrance only to remain quiet when a theme song started, as they were unsure who the theme song even belonged to. Fans would only find out who was entering the Rumble when the wrestler’s name appeared on the titantron. This resulted in the Rumble losing a bit of authenticity, as every entrance felt as a surprise entrance.
The problems for def rebel continued as they were accused of using artificial intelligence to create Fatal Influence's theme song, even going as far as using beats from another wrestler’s theme to add into the newly created theme. Now with a lack of originality and the reliance of artificial programming, the criticism directed towards def rebel was heavy, and even though WWE was well aware of it, they have chosen to stick with def rebel. Now, def rebel is using a few of the roster’s old tunes and changing up the sound a little bit and presenting it as a creation of their own. This is the case with Asuka and Aleister Black, whose theme songs are now credited by def rebel. def rebel has become so unlikeable that some wrestlers even asked to keep their CFO$ theme songs, and some of the more likeable theme songs are from bands that worked with WWE, such as Motionless in White for Rhea Ripley and The Wonder Years for Becky Lynch. When AJ Lee made her return to the WWE, many fans were worried that def rebel would get their hands on her theme songs and create a new one that was generically bland. Luckily, Lee was able to keep her old theme song.
One of the most important things about a wrestler’s presentation is their theme song. When their theme song lacks creativity as in generic just like everybody else’s, it takes away from their presentation. Even though def rebel have proven they are more than capable of creating good theme songs, they have swung for the fences and missed too many times. Fans want to feel excited about their favorites walking towards the ring and not feel as if the wrestlers are coming out to “generic jobber number two entrance.” It;s time that WWE move on from def rebel and bring in someone who understands the importance of a wrestler’s theme song when it comes to their character.
