Five of the Greatest WWE Entrance Themes of the Attitude Era

BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA STAFF

For decades, the professional wrestling industry has effectively made use of entrance theme music to contribute to presentation and character building with regard to in-ring superstars. WWE in particular has launched the careers or some of the most successful industry performers of all time.

The success of these athletes and their enduring legacies for fans have been based in no small part on the company’s knack for offering up great characters into which viewers could sink their proverbial teeth. As a cross-section of sorts of professional athletics, television drama, and superhero comics, selling in-ring superstars as fantastical figures was a crucial marketing component for the industry.

Thus, leveraging the emotional impact and tone-setting characteristics of music could be seen as a natural development as professional wrestling moved into the television age. WWE’s Attitude Era was chocked full of memorable themes for even more memorable characters. These are five of the greatest WWE entrance themes of the Attitude Era.

CHRIS JERICHO: “BREAK THE WALLS DOWN”

Chris Jericho, also known as Y2J, has always been a larger than life presence in whatever capacity he happens to be presenting himself. From his time an up and coming cruiserweight in WCW to a mid-carder vying for A-list status in WWE, and his career as a legitimate rockstar to a veteran competitor in AEW, Jericho has leaned heavily on his boisterous attitude and undeniable charisma throughout his career.

As such, “Break the Walls Down” was an ideal jam with which to present the Ayatollah of Rock ‘N’ Rolla. The extended Y2J countdown and vortex/silhouette clip which graced the titantron for Jericho’s entrances were just icing on the cake. The driving, dynamic, and audacious music served as a great sonic representation of Jericho’s on-screen persona, and even makes lyrical nods to the Canadian superstar’s beloved rock ‘n’ roll, as well as the technician’s brutal finishing submission, naturally.

D-GENERATION X: “BREAK IT DOWN”/TRIPLE H: “MY TIME”

Singer Chris Warren would become known primarily with his musical work with WWE, the peak of which is generally considered to have been the now iconic D-Generation theme song. The rebellious, anti-authoritarian overtones of Warren’s persona and Rage Against the Machine-style vocal delivery made him an ideal candidate to provide musical backing for perhaps the most impactful stable of the Attitude Era.

Warren and his band were primary a behind-the-scenes presence in the business, although the group did perform a live rendition of the DX theme at the Boston Fleetcenter for Wrestlemania 14 in March of 1998. They would also perform a DX-ified version of “America the Beautiful” for the show, a rendition that WWE has done out of their way to whitewash from existence due to how poorly it was received.

The DX theme would also be reworked to create themes for group members X-Pac and Triple H – the latter rendition, reworked as “My Time,” would also be used as a theme for Chyna and Stephanie McMahon.

KANE: “BURNED”

What the Kane theme itself may lack in sonic variation is more than made up for in the sheer spectacle of the Big Red Machine’s decent to the squared circle. The lighting; the pyro; the attire; all the elements come together to create one of the most iconic entrances in wrestling history.

Of course, this is a list of WWE theme songs, not necessarily a list of full entrance packages, though that context is unmistakably significant. Musically, however, the Kane theme always did exactly what it needed to do – no more, no less. The opening organ chords allow for anticipation to build for the inevitable pop when the full band enters, churning out plodding goth rock that sounds like it was composed in a boiler room.

Subsequent versions of the theme would maintain the general structure of the original while making minor alterations such as the omission of the organ intro. In the early 2000s, Finger Eleven would construct a surprisingly catchy and effective rock song from the arrangement. This version of the theme, known as “Slow Chemical,” would be used by Kane for his 2002 return, debuting alongside a brand new ring attire and the final iteration of the Kane mask prior to the superstar’s long awaiting unmasking.

THE UNDERTAKER: “REST IN PEACE”

Few superstars in wrestling history can attest to having had an impact as significant as that of The Undertaker. From the time of his 1990 debut at Survivor Series, The Deadman has assumed the character arc of a ruthless western mortician with supernatural abilities – though the character would infamously undergo a complete overhaul in the 2000s for Taker’s “American Bad Ass” era.

The Undertaker would eventually revert back to his beloved ominous “Deadman” entrance, however. While the theme has been altered to varying degrees over the years – the Ministry of Darkness mix of the theme would incorporate rock instrumentation in keeping with the aesthetic of the Attitude Era – the theme has largely remained the same over time, owing in no small part to its indisputable effectiveness in presenting The Deadman as an otherworldly spectacle to be feared.

STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN: “I WON’T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME”

It would be tough to even have a wrestling discussion without eventually having to mention Stone Cold Steve Austin. The beer-drinking, Hell-raising Texan gained mass favor with audiences around the world for his brash attitude, roughneck wrestling style, and flagrant insistence on taking no BS from anyone.

Brevity was a prevalent theme with Steve Austin. One of his most famous and enduring catchphrases consisted of a single word. His entrance to the ring featured no pyrotechnics. His finishing move was a cutter that could be executed in a matter of seconds. Not dissimilar to iconic rock band AC/DC, The Texas Rattlesnake had a distinctive brand and he felt little need to deviate from that brand.

Perfectly encapsulating the brand in question was the now-iconic “I Won’t Do What You Tell Me” theme music. Opening with the signature shattering of glass, the initial moments of the theme were and remain good for a guaranteed massive pop from audiences, who without fail will be glued to their screens to witness the dismantling of some smug character at the hands of Stone Cold. Much like the iconic themes of kayfabe siblings Kane and The Undertaker, Steve Austin’s music offers little in the way of variation, accomplishing its purpose in establishing a distinct atmosphere and leaving it at that. Perhaps no theme has ever been more effectively suited to a WWE superstar than that of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Photo: WWF Smackdown (WWE) by Nick Noid used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.