Except for the high-flying acrobatics, rousing promos, and thrilling finishers contained in the sq. circle, a fan’s introduction to the WWE sometimes begins on the walkway to the ring. An entrance tune can both make or break the profession of a WWE celebrity. Legends reminiscent of Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, The Rock, and John Cena all had one factor in frequent: a killer entrance tune that struck a chord inside the WWE Universe. Even Stone Chilly Steve Austin’s iconic theme “I Gained’t Do What You Inform Me,” which immediately begins with the sound of glass shattering, continues to stagger followers greater than 25 years after its debut.
Billboard spoke to immediately’s modern-day WWE stars LA Knight, Damian Priest, Karrion Kross, and Shayna Baszler about what it takes to make an incredible entrance theme and the origin of their very own.
What Makes a Nice Entrance Music:
LA Knight: I don’t know if I can put my finger on it precisely however for me personally, I do know I need robust drums — which, for those who listened to the final couple of weeks, there’s been somewhat little bit of a tweak to “Knight Imaginative and prescient,” as a result of I requested them to carry the drums up a bit. It’s going to offer me a special really feel once I stroll on the market. It’s going to be somewhat hard-hitting, stronger really feel, but it surely’s simply gotta be one thing you possibly can vibe with, that you simply like, and you are feeling.
I used to be instrumental in placing that collectively and I wasn’t within the studio — I wished to be — however mainly, once I first got here in, it was like, “Hey. Look. I’ve made my very own music prior to now. Right here’s what I made. Right here’s what I like and it’s primarily based on this.” Then, they gave me [“Knight Vision”] out of it. It was like, “OK. That’s good.” It really works as a result of for those who don’t really feel that music, for those who simply choose any previous random [song], man, you’re taking the air out of the tires earlier than you even take off.
Karrion Kross: There’s a sure magic between a performer and his music that may’t be given and might’t be essentially created. I don’t essentially assume each entrance and each music will match simply anybody. There’s one thing that occurs I feel past my comprehension between the performer and his music the place the music can kind of carry that performer to life and that performer brings that music to life. I really feel prefer it’s sort of a simpatico relationship.
Damian Priest: The sound has to carry out an emotion and that emotion has to pair with the celebrity. When you have one thing that’s too quick and the particular person is mostly a slower particular person, it gained’t combine effectively and it’ll throw you off. You don’t need one thing too comfortable sounding for anyone who’s sort of brooding on a regular basis. It all the time has to pair with the persona. Often, most music — you’ll get an emotion out of it. I feel the composers normally make it like that on objective. In order that’s mainly what you need, you need that emotion to match the celebrity.
Shayna Baszler: I feel firstly it needs to be recognizable, which could take [a while]. Clearly, your first time on the market no one goes to acknowledge the tune, however meaning it gotta be catchy. And I don’t imply catchy in like a pop-punk kind of means, however one thing that when the primary notice hits, individuals begin figuring out what’s coming subsequent. It doesn’t take a second to go, “Wait. Who is that this? Who is that this?” Like proper from the get, it gotta be recognizable. After which I feel it’s vital that it units the temper of that wrestler. So that you get somebody like a Karrion Kross — he comes out and it’s actual moody and it’s a really completely different aura than like a Seth Rollins, however, very a lot match to their characters.
How Their Entrance Music Got here Collectively
Karrion Kross: My spouse [Scarlett] sings the tune. She was an Arts main from Chicago. When Scarlett and I have been in NXT for our introduction to the corporate, we had many inventive conferences, and I had submitted some impartial cinematography that I had written, directed, filmed and post-produced to Triple H. It was stuff I used to be utilizing on the impartial aspect earlier than I obtained to WWE, and I used plenty of black and white. I used very particular settings, very particular colours within the video and I feel that subconsciously, once we see motion pictures or tv, behind our minds — as a result of we eat a lot materials — I feel we really feel inclined to kind of rating it. If we needed to, we’d know what an surroundings would sound like musically.
I feel Triple H has the magic contact with that. He took my unique ideas and my visions and he simply sort of scored it with the in-house music group. That’s sort of the place that music got here from. It was a really cool and natural means we got here to that. And with the visible presentation, we collaboratively got here up with that. How we moved right down to the ring was one thing that I got here up with my spouse Scarlett. The background, lighting and music was very a lot Triple H.
Damian Priest: My first theme tune once I was in NXT, we had the concept. I defined to them who I’m and what I’m like. I’m mainly an evening owl with this rock star vibe, however nonetheless a badass of the place, I’m going to return in and I’m gonna beat individuals up within the ring and whatnot. There was plenty of completely different feelings for the composer to select from, however they got here up with one thing — and although I didn’t hate it, I assumed [something] was nonetheless lacking. It was lacking some double bass, it was lacking some heavier guitar riffs, perhaps some slower elements and a few symphony sounds to make it epic-sounding. There was somewhat back-and-forth, and once we lastly settled on a sound, I used to be like, “OK. That’s the one.”
For The Judgement Day, the concept with the theme tune was initially Edge. He had a imaginative and prescient of what he wished his Judgement Day to be like. He went and he did that aspect with the music. It match what we wished to do — and as a gaggle, we’re all individually completely different. We’re all bringing out a special emotion, which is sort of like a cool dynamic of why I consider we work so effectively collectively. As a result of we’re not all the identical, we’re very completely different. However that tune matches all of the feelings that we would like: somewhat darker, somewhat ominous, we’re somewhat bizarre, if that’s the case, however thrilling and highly effective. There’s plenty of feelings that that tune brings out, and I feel that’s why it really works so effectively with The Judgement Day.
Shayna Baszler: I’m on this tag-team proper now with Ronda [Rousey], who has a really iconic entrance tune, so it simply is sensible that we come out to that. However so far as [my first entrance song] “Loyalty Is Every thing” — if I’m being trustworthy, I didn’t prefer it at first, but it surely really actually grew on me to the purpose that I nearly didn’t wanna change it when it was time. I do know followers actually beloved that tune, too, as a result of they nonetheless sort of complain concerning the new one, “Limb By Limb.” However the factor with “Limb by Limb” is that once I was wrestling within the indies — I’m an enormous Kiss fan. They have been, like, my first favourite band. My dad took me to a live performance once I was actual younger, and I used to be like, “These guys are so cool! There’s hearth!”
“God of Thunder” was a tune that I used as an entrance. However I wanted one thing quite a bit heavier, so I discovered this band referred to as EXCRUCIATION that did a canopy of “God of Thunder,” and I got here out to their tune — their model of it. Once I was ping-ponging with WWE a few new entrance tune, I despatched them this observe, and for those who hearken to this EXCRUCIATION model of “God of Thunder” and the tune “Limb By Limb,” you’ll see the place it comes from. It’s very a lot impressed by that. “God of Thunder ” — my indie theme — could be very a lot the temper that I used to be speaking about that I like, and really feel like I’m popping out to. I had a hand in it and I prefer it.
LA Knight: When [“Knight Vision”] was first completed once I was in NXT, it had this longer intro with a drum roll and all that sort of stuff. That was OK on the time, as a result of with the presentation and what not, it had somewhat little bit of a construct or no matter, however ultimately I used to be like, “Hey guys. Can we lower that and simply get straight from LA Knight into the tune. So we ended up doing that perhaps late 2021 and it simply gave it such a special really feel as a result of now when it hits, it’s on. There’s no ready. There’s no construct. There’s no nothing, it’s simply growth, in your face and right here we’re.
Private Favourite Entrance Songs:
LA Knight: NWO is simply top-top. That’s simply filthy and good. Steve Austin, however notably the primary Stone Chilly [theme]. We hear the one now and it’s nearly precisely the identical, however there’s little instrumental variations — like when the glass breaks and it takes off, it simply has extra of a uncooked really feel to it, whereas the opposite one is extra produced. I’m certain it has a extra vibrant sound or no matter, however the first one is so uncooked, and it simply feels soiled in the suitable means. You bought the siren going and it’s the suitable drums. It simply feels chaotic, particularly in the direction of the top the place these drums are simply going. [I’m also a fan of] all of The Rock’s themes up till…ah most likely all of them actually. I can’t get away from [Hulk] Hogan’s “The Actual American.” What number of WWE occasions ended going out on that music and him posing? That’s my childhood.
You already know, Edge — I by no means actually obtained into Edge’s music, till perhaps the final six months and I used to be within the health club and it got here on a shuffle. I used to be like, “Oh. This hits.” There’s so many choices on the market. You’re speaking “Million Greenback Man,” “D-Era X,” “No Probability in Hell,” something from the Perspective Period you possibly can take. These issues have been simply on level. Every thing was hitting.
Karrion Kross: Rising up I wished to know who was doing all of the music and the entrances. I used to be all the time a fan of studying concerning the manufacturing and the directorial stuff behind the scenes. So I’d watch the applications that WWE put out for followers and it was this man Jim Johnston that wrote plenty of the music. I watched this behind-the-scenes video that the corporate launched about how Jim would write music primarily based on the way in which individuals would transfer, and simply their vibe. I particularly bear in mind how he wrote Psycho Syd’s music, or Vader, and the way the percussion would kind of land on each single step on the pace that they walked. The music was written round temper.
I beloved Mankind’s music. It was nearly like a Silence of the Lambs rating. Clearly, I beloved Triple H, The Undertake and Gangrel. He had a tremendous entrance, however I used to be very a lot impressed by all the present. I had my favorites, however I actually simply loved the present general.
Damian Priest: I’ve had plenty of favorites. My [favorite] wrestler Razor Ramon’s theme tune labored for him the place that beat and that cool Latino swag was good. For me personally, that wouldn’t match — as a lot as I favored him, his persona and the way in which he was, we’re nonetheless somewhat completely different. That wouldn’t match me. I used to be all the time extra drawn in the direction of the stuff that had extra rock in it, was somewhat heavier and somewhat bit extra evil-sounding, for an absence of a greater time period.
Shayna Baszler: We talked about Karrion Kross. I feel he has a cool entrance. He has among the best ones. I actually like these entrances the place they arrive out at the hours of darkness like Karrion Kross or it doesn’t should be moody or scary however Bobby [Lashley], he appears like a trophy motion determine man with the drums going bong, bong, bong. Holy smokes, that’s cool. I actually like The Warfare Raiders. Their entrance is cool and I like the horn as a result of that’s legit. Again within the day, you’d hear these conflict horns and it will instill worry in you since you knew these raiding events have been about to hit your village. So I all the time imagined that once I hear their music.