What makes a good theme song?

[Ferbian]

Theme songs, entrance songs etc. is all around the wrestling world, both on the shows, involving the wrestlers and involving the Pay Per Views.

And I have to admit I think there's certainly some theme songs or entrance songs that leaves me thinking "holy shit that was crappy" or "holy shit that was awesome".

So I was thinking "what is that really makes a good theme song?"

I think that it has to do with the proper association of the wrestler, the Pay Per View, or the Wrestling Show, and ultimately if they don't properly fit together, they are gonna be absolutely shit.

For the majority of it, it can be hard to point out a theme song that we can't associate properly with a wrestler if you ask me, but there's certainly some that fits so much better, like Undertaker's entrance song, Triple H's entrance song, or Randy Orton for that sake.

In the "middle" we have some decent songs that aren't properly associated with a wrestler, and therefore I would consider mediocre like Shelton Benjamin's "Ain't no stopping me now" and MVP's "I'm coming"

And ultimately, there's some I find absolutely shit like Yoshi Tatsu's theme song (personally because I find it to be ridiculous and over the top laughable) and of course, there's the NXT theme song, not because it's not properly associated with the show as a whole, but because of the song as a whole being god awful in my opinion.

So I ask you, what do you think makes a good theme song?

Edit: And this is of course not strictly WWE, this also involves TNA, older talents etc. if you want to give any examples of what you find to be an already "good theme song"

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

There has to be either: A: A connection to the wrestler (I.E. The Game by Motorhead) or it has to suit the personality of the wrestler (I.E. Broken Dreams by Shaman's Harvest). There are a few rare exceptions that can always be used becasue they would fit almost any wrestler (I.E. When Bryan Danielson used to use Final Countdown by Europe in the indies).

The song has to be catchy and really you want to here that song and go 'That's so and so'. The best example of this is Steve Austin with Glass Sahtters. As soon as you heard that noise, you knew that it was Austin. Another example is Bret Hart. When you heard that music you knew he was coming, but he kept you in suspense by waiting until those beats at the beggining finished.

As for PPV's. Well they should have a song that suits there overall theme or name (I.E. Armaggedon had The End by Jim Johnston). If that theme doesn't suit the PPV then it's not going to work. A perfect example of how a song can help a PPV tremendously is SummerSlam 98's with Highway to Hell. That got you really hyped up and you wanted to see Austin and Taker rip each other apart.

Here's the commercial for the PPV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkwxGU5Xmas

 

[RKGO2SLEEP]

i always thought remember the name by fort minor might be a good for a rising star

i believe it would be good because it helps explain the character, just like someone said about connections like the game by motorhead. a song fits a superstar if it relates or explains him

 

[harrythem]

I've always thought the rock version of "all about the benjamins" would be a good theme song.

The idea is that theme songs should stand out instead of every wrestler having the "generic rock entrance" they have now. A case in point that still makes me laugh is at the 96 Royal Rumble Owen Harts music hits and the crowd go crazy for a few seconds, until they realise it's not Shawn Michaels. they started a bit too alike for my taste

 

[TwistofRKO]

A great (entrance) theme song needs to summarize the wrestler's ring style and overall personality. Elite wrestler's should have a theme that tells you its the main event. Goldberg's theme came on, and boom, it felt like the main event, even if it wasn't the title match. It should be easily associated with the particular wrestler, containing references that lead you straight there ("Time to play the game", "The Rock says, the Rock says..", etc).

Great themes include:

Kane (Debut theme)
Undertaker (all of the Deadman variations)
Randy Orton (Both Legend Killer and Viper)
The Rock
Stone Cold
Goldberg
Triple H
John Cena
Shawn Michaels
Edge (current)
Kurt Angle

There are, of course, more great themes, but all of these enforce to you immediately who is coming out, they all have a degree of catchiness, they all are mostly unique- describing the wrestler and their personality. You can easily associate the beginnings, for example, "On this day" with Edge, shattering glass with Stone Cold, and "If you smell" with the Rock, while the rest of the song carries it weight as more than just filler time until the entrance finishes. It has an, pardon the cliche word choice, epic feel to the entire walk down the ramp and walk into the ring.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

Hey Yo!
For me a theme song is real important because it should give like an insight or edge to a character to make you think like oh shit Stone Cold is coming when you hear that glass shutter. A theme song should outline what the character is about and what he stands for etc for example Triple H's theme by motorhead as many have stated before me. A theme song should also create a certain atmosphere for that particular superstar enetering the arena for example Goldberg when that guy came out it screamed danger and badass and let's not forget my personal favourite theme The Wolfpac theme now that was awesome.

 

[theundisputedY2D2]

I think that for a theme song to be good, it needs to reflect somewhat on a wrestler's gimmick or character, and it will stand out from all the other theme songs so that when you hear it you immediately associate it with said wrestler only.


There have been plenty of themes over the years that just stand out as being perfect for a certain wrestler, and as such these themes have attained legendary status: Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, The Rock, Goldberg, HHH etc. all have instantly recognisable themes that fit them perfectly, and you can't imagine these wrestlers without them (or a variation of them), or someone else using their themes. When you hear Stone Cold's theme you don't think to yourself "Oh shit, who's theme is this? Aw man I know this one! Nope....it's gone!"


I also think that for a wrestling theme song to be a success, it's best for them to have an impactful intro, because from Taker's gongs to Stone Cold's shattering glass to the Rock's "If ya smelllllllllll..........." the best entrance themes have always had a hook at the start that gets the crowd on their feet.

 

[The Doctor]

The most important thing for any theme song, in my opinion, is for it to be unique. You need to be able to hear the theme and immediately recognize it as a certain wrestler's theme. The best way to do this is through a hook, a section at the beginning of the song that tells you business is about to pick up. The most famous hook is the glass shattering. When you heard that, you knew Austin was about to come whoop some ass.

Another important thing is for themes to fit the gimmick. This is less important than being recognizable, but it's still nice. For example, when Kane comes out I expect to hear a creepy song. When Orton comes out, his song talks about his instability, which fits his character. The Miz's theme boasts about how AWESOME he is. These songs all fit and are all recognizable.

Also, a theme can't be too slow or boring. A theme needs to pump a crowd up and get them to WANT to cheer or boo.

A theme needs to be something you can associate with a wrestler immediately, and it needs to get the crowd excited as well.

 

[Hawkeye]

An entrance theme has to have something at the beginning to let you know who it is.Sound bites ALWAYS score big i.e Miz,Big Show etc. or even a familiar tune i.e Harts,Punk,HHH.

The song also has to match the personality of the wrestler,such as with Cryme Tyme, Matt Striker and others.

Only in certain instances is it okay for a wrestler to SING their own theme music. R-Truth has been the best by far at this but HBK is probably recognized the world over.John Cena is an okay rapper so I don't really care for his but Jeff Hardy--NO.

 

[Via Armbar]

The most important thing for theme song to do is to fit it's respective wrestlers. There could be an awesome theme for one guy, but another uses it and it seems stupid. That's why there are so many reused themes in the WWE; they can easily fit any generic rookie. They have used Mike Knox's theme a couple times as well as Dreamer's and Holly's. They have no real character to them so they can be used multiple times.

Guys like Austin and Michaels, you react to the first couple notes of their songs. You recognize it right away and that excitement is there. If Austin came out to anything other than shattering glass it wouldn't seem right, no matter how good the new theme would be. The greatest themes always embody their owner.