Does theme music really make or break a wrestler?

[It's...Baylariat!]

Think about this. We all know how terrible the Ultimate Warrior was as an actual wrestler. Sure he looked like a million bucks and he was painted and excited all the time, but what is interesting to me is how the WWE's Ultimate Warrior DVD pointed out that the majority of the excitement for Warrior came from his generic, upbeat theme music. I can see that.

Same for Stone Cold. What would he be without glass breaking? Or the car crash with Mankind, and 'Do You Smell What the Rock is Cookin'?' at the beginning of the Rock's music. I can go on and on... but my point is that some of the better wrestlers in our modern generation had theme music that was pretty damn cool.

The Freebirds used this idea and it was revolutionary and got them a ton of heat in WCCW. They even had their own song and made a music video about it. Think about that.

So... the question beckons... does theme music make or break a wrestler?

 

[klunderbunker]

Sure it does. Picture this.

It's the main event of Wrestlemania III. Andre is in the ring, and Bob Uecker says, "And, his opponent, from Venice Beach California, weighing 294lbs, he is the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion. HULK.....HOGAN!"

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Music can completely define a character and set you in the mood for everything that's coming. It sets the stage for the match and you identify wrestlers with those sounds. The wrong music can hurt a wrestler but the right music can launch them. Look at Hogan, Austin or Flair. Their music goes hand in hand with them like few others. Yes it can make or break them.

 

[Triple K]

It makes a wrestler. Orton's theme shows him as a crazy, unpredictable lunatic. While I still prefer 'Burn in my Light', it didn't fit Orton's theme as the Viper. You think people would care about Cena now if he wasn't a rapper then? No, so he has a rap theme now. Cena coming out to a rock theme wouldn't fit his character. The Superman theme would be better suited for him. But in more ways, a wrestler's theme can break a wrestler. Can you picture Carlito or Yoshi Tatsu winning an elimination chamber or some other brutal match and the them they have now play? It wouldn't seem right.You can't see Hurrican winning the Royal Rumble and then here his music play. You can't see Finlay's theme play after a brutal match. But it's really not a theme, it's their gimmick. Gimmicks make wrestlers, not themes. So, it really depends on whether or not the gimmick fits the wrestler and the song. You can't have Undertaker come out being as big as he is as if he were a huge Taylor Swift fan.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I have to agree with KB and Lariat on this one. Theme music plays a crucial part in helping define a wrestler. It sets the tone for how a crowd will react to them, and it also gives the wrestler a presence. Mr.Kennedy had an awesome theme song in WWE at first:

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Then, for some reason that I still don't understand till this very day, WWE changed it to this horrible version:

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It made Kennedy seem less powerful on his way to the ring. His first theme song gave him a presence, while the second version of his theme song made him look foolish on his way to the ring if you ask me.

When you heard the glass break from Steve Austin's music, the crowd would go nuts. It let you know that the Texas Rattle Snake was on his way. So, yes I definitely think theme music can make or break a wrestler.

 

[Dan E. Inferno]

Im not so sure that theme music can break a superstar because if the wrestler is good enough then he can probably do well enough with any generic theme music. However, it can certainly make a wrestler's career. I think the importance of theme music is very underrated. The most important things about theme music are that it's catchy and relevant to the wrestler. Lariat picked out a selection of good examples like Stone Cold, Mick Foley and The Rock but the importance of theme music can be exemplified by the current product.

For example, Randy Orton. His current theme music is absolutely perfect for his character. I genuinely believe that his music helps him get over as a heel. When I hear "I hear voices in my head...", it completely just sets my mind into the mentality that we're about to see some psycho heel shit going on. It's the same thing with DX. Although their music may not be as appropriate as it was 12 years or so ago, it still gets me in that mindset that I'm about to be entertained and I'm going to have a few laughs. I also can't see Khali getting over as a fun loving face with his old music. Theme music can help a wrestler make it because it can help them get over with the crowds in a major way.

 

[Remix]

Yes Music can make a huge difference for a wrestler. For a start, if the fans love the song they'll already be hyped for the wrestler. Take the Sandman's entrance original entrance, the croud freaking sings the song while Sandman's making his way to the ring, or a sold out arena shouting 'You Suck' at Kurt Angle in time to his music. Tell me that doesn't make the croud hyped up for the surely average but brutal match that's coming up and I'll call you a fool or a liar. Probably both. Secondly they can give an insight into the wrestler's character. All of Kane's themes have sreamed 'big scary monster', Sheamus', Khali's, and one of Kozlov's themes have all told you where they're from (Sheamus' has an irish singer, Khali's sounds like it's from India, same with Kozlov's and Russia). And finally they provide an aural clue to tell the audience to cheer/boo (can you imagine Austin making his way to the ring without fans (and JR) having an orgasm at the sound of breaking glass?) which means that the crowd's already cheering the wrestler before they step out from behind the curtain.

Conversely, bad themes take away from an enterance (look at the MCMG's various bad themes before they switched to 'Motorcity'). Like someone showed earlier, it's impossible to take a badass seriously if they come out to a completely unbadass theme, and you'd never expect a high flying face who sprints to the ring and leaps over the ropes to come to the ring to the last march.

Even so, I dont think that it makes or breaks a wrestler, but it can go a long way in that direction. Take the MCMG despite their shit theme they were still very over (same with Chris Sabin who's theme sounded like 'a cat having a sezure on a casio' and was the most over guy in the X-Division).

 

[Leafy]

Of course it does. A theme music announces when the wrestler comes in and if it's catchy it can keep the wrestler in your mind.

Compare the uniqueness of Stone Colds to some of TNA's themes. When a heel was talking and the glass shatters you were ready for Stone Cold and got excited for him, making him a huge wrestler. Compare to a generic theme like Mr. Kennedy's TNA theme and when that hits you are confused and when you realize it is him you've lost interest and he doesn't get the reaction he wants.

 

[Via Armbar]

Theme music can work two ways. It can make a not so over wrestler over if the music is really good. Or it can hold an over wrestler back a little, in a way that the crows doesn't pop for them immediatly when they hear that music.

The most important part of theme music is how well it fits the wrestler it belongs to. Like KB said, you wouldn't have Hogan coming out to Britnee Spears. The music has to fit the wrestlers gimmick and persona or it's going to be akward. Music that sets the mood for the wrestler has infinite value in getting a hi over. Austin's glass, Undertaker's gong and so on. The best music connects the fan and the performer.

It won't make or break a wrestler. An awful performer isn't going to get completly over because his music is good. And an extraordinary performer isn't going to get a Haas pop because his music sucks, but if his music isn't good enough to connect with the fans then he will not see his full potential. It's a great tool for success, but it's not going to be a deal maker or breaker.

 

[Crippler CrossFace]

Call me crazy but I think that it's not so much the song but the opening. Think about what a lot of people here are actually saying, the glass, the gong, the car crash, the "Can you smell", and I'll go so far as HBK's aah's. Don't get me wrong they can't have an awesome opener and then a lame ass song but I think the biggest stars have an opener that really gets the crowd going.

 

[pyrusane]

Call me crazy but I think that it's not so much the song but the opening. Think about what a lot of people here are actually saying, the glass, the gong, the car crash, the "Can you smell", and I'll go so far as HBK's aah's. Don't get me wrong they can't have an awesome opener and then a lame ass song but I think the biggest stars have an opener that really gets the crowd going.

This is actually a very good point in many cases. The one I'll mention is Edge. Edge has changed his entire theme song more times than anyone else I can remember, yet one thing always stays the same: "You think you know me..." Whether it was Metalingus, Never Gonna Stop, or even this:
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As soon as you hear that opening line you know who it is. I remember when Edge returned at the first (or perhaps it was the second) Draft, I was confused as hell because I heard "You think you know me" and then music that was quite obviously not Rob Zombie. That was when he debuted Metalingus as his new theme, and if they had just played the song, it would have gotten zero reaction. But that catchphrase at the beginning was enough to instantly identify it with Edge.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Theme music doesn't quite make or break a wrestler, but it certainly does play a part in it. Someone with terrible theme music can still get over through mic skills and in-ring ability.... They would have better odds of getting over with good music, but it could still happen. Then you have guys with good entrance music but lousy in-ring ability and are awful on the mic. They manage to get over a little but not as much as they could be due to not having enough talent. I'd say that it comes down to four things that when weighed equally are what truly makes or breaks someone.... In-ring ability, mic skills, gimmick, and their entrance. We have very few who get all 4 of those things right and they are known as legends among legends. Others get by and still have large fan-bases when missing one of those things. They could be bad in the ring but have the charisma and a great entrance to still get them over. Or they might be awful on the mic but still have a good entrance and are entertaining in the ring.... Theme music can really help a lot, but it doesn't make or break a wrestler because some can manage to still get over even if they have a really bad entrance theme.

 

[Alex]

Theme music does play a part in helping or hindering a wrestler, but I don't think it plays a huge part. John Morrision for example is over, however I don't think his theme completly suits him, people cheer when they hear it, but I think they'd cheer more if it was a different theme.

Jeff Hardy is another one, his last WWE theme was good (I loved it) but it didn't suit his daredevil persona

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compare this, to this


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which sounds more like a daredevil song, which one would pump you up more and which one sounds more like a high-flyer's theme??? Regardless Jeff Hardy was super over he could come out to any song and he'd probably still be over