Simon RushworthWith the new era in WWE underway following Monday night’s Raw, eagle-eyed (or eared) fans will have noticed not only a new-look stage and opening to the show but a new sound too. If there’s one thing Rushonrock get on board with, it’s the dangerous tag team of rock and wrestling. Day two of our week of wrestling, sees Andy Spoors take a closer look at the current records of the ring.
Raw Theme Tune – Skillet – Feel Invincible
Every WWE fan has a favourite Raw theme tune, from The Union Underground’s Across The Nation, to Papa Roach’s To Be Loved or Nickleback’s Burn It To The Ground. Each one can evoke memories of the Superstars of that era and the opening packages that accompanied them.
Although Papa Roach’s latest effort Born For Greatness was a decent enough effort, WWE never seemed to fully commit to the track, as the show didn’t carry an opening montage package for its run on Monday nights.
Rules for Raw opening themes are quite simple. The track must always have a heavy bass line and a catchy instrumental hook that can be played over and over during add breaks or to hype upcoming matches of the night. The other is it must be punchy enough to open a show into some impressive pyrotechnics that wouldn’t look out of place at a Kiss concert.
The newest effort comes from Memphis Christian rockers, Skillet. They are not, by any means, newcomers with their back catalogue stretching back to 1996. Taken from their latest album Victorious, Feel Invincible certainly fits the criteria. A grand, anthemic track with plenty of beat drops and chest thumping drums throughout.
It will need to stand the test of time to become a fan favourite, but it has all the ingredients to be up there with the greats.
SmackDown Theme Tune – AC/DC – Are You Ready
Something of an eyebrow-raising track for WWE to use for Smackdown on the face of things. WWE’s PPVs usually follow a similar pattern of finding up and coming bands with a semi decent following and selecting a roughly linked song title to the current storylines.
Triple H has made no secret of his love of rock, often using Motorhead and Metallica as entrance tunes, so it stands to reason AC/DC would feature on his playlist too. Past Smackdown themes have included Marilyn Manson – again proving that WWE aren’t afraid of using well established names. The biggest factor, however, is most likely down to Fox influences.
With Smackdown’s new home, synonymous with sports, Fox will be looking to capture fans from a wider range and legitimise sports entertainment as much as possible. AC/DC have been – and seemingly always will be â beloved of a certain demographic, but most importantly are a huge name to pair with the product.
Taken from the band’s The Razor’s Edge album (a subtle wrestling connection and maybe unintended nod to Razor Ramon’s finishing move) it may not be the best-known track by Brian Johnson and co. but it is classic AC/DC.
The lyrics suit the big show feel seamlessly and WWE couldn’t have made a better choice for a new era while keeping its Rock and Wrestling connection alive.
NXT Theme Tune – Slipknot – All Out Life
As the unabashed alternative WWE brand, NXT plumped for an equally alternative band in the shape of Slipknot. Still in its relative infancy, NXT and rock music has gone hand in hand from its inception.
Annual visits to Download Festival and a fantastic array of rock and metal artists providing the soundtrack for the brand’s Takeover PPVs are just two of the key signs pointing to a special relationship.
The non-stop action and more intense feel to proceedings suits the chaotic energy of Corey Taylor and his band of masked musicians. NXT has even adopted a catchphrase from Slipknot’s latest album We Are Not Your Kind. An apt phrase for a brand that doesn’t quite fit the usual mould.