Winter has come and gone, and the Gorilla Post springs back to life with a guest blogger: Some of you may remember (I like to pretend I have a constant readership) the one and only Abhishek Sen, who has collaborated with me on this blog before (http://from-parts-unknown.blogspot.in/2012/01/new-years-special-12-suggestions-for.html).
The Shillong City Saint is back for a special appearance, and today he will tell us about his favourite WWE entrance themes of all time. If you wonder why he is an authority on the subject, a look at his excellent music blog should convince you: http://scene-unsorted.blogspot.in/
Here, without further ado, is the man's list in his words, and in no particular order:
Hulk Hogan
The very first instance I can recollect of a gimmick in a song. Hogan's theme of 'Real American' resonated with the character he portrayed in the '80s. When he preached about saying your prayers and eating your vitamins, kids in Reagan's America believed him. And therein lay the influence of the song. It brought in massive mainstream appeal (see the promos of the first two Wrestlemanias) and made wrestling accessible to the 12-20 year demographic, something which was lacking before he came along.
Kurt Angle
Before there was hustle, loyalty and respect, there were the three I's—intelligence, integrity and intensity. It was about winning. It was about glory. And what better way to signify that than the powerful sounds of the trumpet? What's even better is that Angle's theme song allowed crowd participation with the famous "You Suck" chants. But Kurt Angle didn't suck. He went out and gave us some of the best wrestling matches we'll ever see. And when that victory came, he fell to his knees, the trumpets sounded - and it was glorious.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
*Glass Shatters* - Cue all hell breaking loose. The perfect set up for a superstar who defined the Attitude Era and this theme song sets the tone for the beer-drinking, McMahon-stunnering, mudhole-stomping, finger-waving, ass-whooper that he was. He said what he was going to do. He did it. And his theme song is the soundtrack to the chaos that many fans want to relive over and over again.
Utimate Warrior
Warrior was, in one word, intense. That's the first thought that comes to mind when this theme song hits. The Ultimate Warrior would capture the electricity and excitement of this song by sprinting down the ramp and running around the ring, eventually climbing into it and shaking the ropes in a frenzy that can only be described as ultimate. Perhaps an exaggeration, but it's only fitting of his wildly random interviews.
Chris Jericho
The countdown, the darkness, the explosions, and then the outstreched arms. I always loved him in WCW and it was a huge moment for the 12-year old me to see Chris Jericho make his debut in WWE. Another example of a wrestler's persona in a theme song. Also I always wondered why Jericho never used any of Fozzy's songs as his theme (even though TNA used 'Enemy' in one of their shite PPVs) and I realised he does not need to. His theme is so iconic, and tongue in cheek, that it says everything about the guy. Sample : "You can be my Judas. I'll be your Priest." (Judas Priest reference. Get it? *nudge nudge wink wink*)
D Generation X / New Age Outlaws
Even though these themes are not really that great from a musical standpoint, this was the very first instance of crowd involvement in the WWE. The crowds sang along, chanted and went completely bonkers when these themes played. Mind you this is before the age of Fandangoing, hashtags and viral marketing. The effectiveness of these themes resonate even in the PG era, as the crowds still go completey insane when either of the themes hit the PA.
Edge
Everything about Edge screams excitement. I loved his old theme 'You think you know me', as it suited the antihero/vampire thing he had going on. I feel he came into his own as a complete singles wrestler after his heel turn and his self-anointment as the Rated R Superstar. The lyrics says everything that Edge's character was. He had paid his dues for 8 long years and finally he was taking what was his. By any means necessary. Metalingus indeed.
CM Punk
The voice of the voiceless has played an integral part in the rise of indie stars in the WWE. Bringing forward a hard-nosed work ethic and actual wrestling skills, the Second City Saint has been instrumental in changing what a 'wrestler' should be like in this generation. What sets him apart is his briliant choice in music (one of the many things we have in common, love of comic books being another one). Be it the cerebral-sounding 'Miseria Cante' from his ROH days, to 'This Fire Burns' by KSE to his current theme, CM Punk's themes say a lot about the person he is. Zero gimmicks. He is the Cult of Personality and it shows by his frequent 4th-wall breaching pipebombs, his Muay Thai inspired style and his rabid fans. Never to shy away from being a complete awesome dude that he is, the cherry on the cake was getting the notoriously media shy Living Color to actually perform the song for him this Wrestlemania. Says a lot about his drawing power and, ironically, his popularity in the mainstream media.
Vince McMahon
El Heffe. The Boss. An interesting fact is that before his feud with Austin, he always walked out to the Raw theme. He changed his theme during the feud to 'No Chance' as a message to Austin that he apparently had no chance in regaining the smoking skull belt (which served as the WWE title back then). The very first instance I can remember where a theme song was in fact created to add an extra dimension to a character and add more color (for a lack of a better word) to the feud. It was so effective that the theme has stuck with McMahon till this day regardless of whether he is playing a heel or a face.
The Undertaker
The ominous gong. You don't even have to be a wrestling fan to know that the The Phenom is coming and the end is nigh. The theme song alone adds to the aura of what the Deadman is and still sends a chill down the spine of seasoned wrestling fans. Even though he had kickass themes in his various avatars since making his debut in 1991, ranging from the brilliant 'You're Gonna Pay', to the cringe-worthy 'Rollin', it all pales in comparison to that extra dimension that this classic theme adds to his overall persona. The Demon of Death Valley indeed.
Triple H
Motorhead. Nuff said.
