Hello all and welcome to another edition of What I'm Listening To! This month, I decided to dive in on a subject that is near and dear to me: WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)! Yes, I love WWE, as I get to tune off the world around me, and escape into great storytelling and high flying antics. It started as a kid in the early 90's, got back into it during college, and once again when my friend got me into it in this stage of my life. So, with that said, I thought I'd take a look at some of the music that WWE wrestlers come out to when they're on their way to the ring.
"Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (Vivid)
Love him or hate him, CM Punk has the most well known song in wrestling. The voice of the voiceless, a man of the people, CM Punk has never shied away from saying what he wants to say. This song by Living Colour is definitely their biggest hit, and when the music intro cuts, the crowd goes absolutely nuts. Love this song!
"Enter Sandman" - Metallica (Metallica)
Around the time that WWF (World Wrestling Federation) was around, a competitor arose in Philadelphia. Extreme Championship Wrestling, or ECW, was a wrestling promotion started by a man named Paul Heyman. Heyman is a legendary man in the business to this day, and people still look back fondly on the days of ECW. There was a wrestler named Sandman, so naturally, it was his walk up theme. Metallica is quintessential rock, and "Enter Sandman" is used as a pump-up song in sports stadiums and arenas around the world. No different here!
"Rollin'" - Limp Bizkit (Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water)
One of my favorite wrestlers to ever grace the ring is The Undertaker. Far and away my favorite character during the 90's besides Stone Cold Steve Austin. In his later years, he changed from being an undead menace to the American Badass. With the change in name also came a change in his theme song. What a great pairing this was. In fact, it became so popular that Limp Bizkit performed this at Wrestlemania 19 as the Undertaker came out. Middle school Erik absolutely loved this song, as well as the music video. Just don't try and turn the wheel like he does in it!
Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water
"Bad Reputation" - Joan Jett and The Blackhearts (The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: In Concert 2015)
Ok, so this is one where I love the song, but am not a fan of the wrestler. Ronda Rousey became famous through the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), which is the highest form of Mixed Martial Arts we have today. I love MMA. So, naturally, I was impressed with Ronda in UFC. After being champ for a while, I wondered if anyone could beat her. Then she lost. Lost again. Her career in UFC quickly took a turn, so she joined WWE. Her wrestling moves were something to be desired, her MMA schtick could only do so much, and her mic skills were subpar. However, this song rocks!
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: in Concert 2015 (live)
"The Final Countdown" - Europe (The Final Countdown 30th Anniversary Show)
This song is from another classic rock band from the 80's, Europe. I couldn't tell you a single other song they have. However, this song is so well known, and like "Enter Sandman", is used in sports arenas and stadiums. It's really a song that gets you pumped and ready for action. This song was also used by a wrestler by the name of Bryan Danielson (or Daniel Bryan in his WWE days). It's such an 80's rock song, with the instruments used, the voice inflections, etc. Also, this song was famously used more recently in the Detective Pikachu movie (it's a good movie go see it!).
The Final Countdown 30th Anniversary Show (live at the Roundhouse)
That's all for this edition of What I'm Listening To! I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe, just maybe, I'll get someone interested in checking out WWE!
