Top V Best Wrestler Entrance Themes By Outside Musicians

I've been working on a special post here at Wrestling Shame that should debut in the next week or so. It will be a special "exhibit" of our Hall of Shame that focuses on Shameful Entrance themes of WCW. And -- spoiler alert -- it's beyond shameful.

But not all entrance themes are bad, shameful, cheesy, or stupid. Some are actually good! That's even more impressive considering the vast majority of current wrestling themes are produced by the WWE itself for a variety of reasons (mainly because Vince McMahon doesn't like paying for royalties).

But this wasn't always the case! So for today's Top V, I've listed what I believe are the best entrance themes for wrestlers that weren't produced by WCW, ECW, or the WWE in-house, but by outside musicians. 

Note: I'm not as familiar with ROH or Impact Wrestling themes, so I apologize in advance for not considering them. 

Second note: This is going to be ECW-heavy. Deal with it.

Honorable mention: Hulk Hogan / Survivor "Eye of the Tiger"

We here at Wrestling Shame aren't the biggest fans of the Hulkster for a number of reasons, but we can give credit where credit is due: he had some good entrance music. No, we aren't talking about his WCW theme (which is hilarious) or "Real American" (which wasn't even supposed to be his), but "Eye of the Tiger" and "Voodoo Child."

Now, I can't seem to find a decent cut of Hogan entering an arena with "Voodoo Child" on YouTube, so let's focus on "Eye of the Tiger," which was originally his entrance music in the AWA. It's important to note that the AWA was rarely using entrance themes at that time, and I'm sure the decision to do so had nothing to do with the fact that Hogan appeared in a feature-film that used "Eye of the Tiger" as its theme.

True story: my girlfriend saw Survivor live a few years ago, and they opened and closed their set with "Eye of the Tiger." I also love this song. Sue me.

5. The Gangstas / Ice Cube and Dre "Natural Born Killaz"

No wrestling promotion used outside music more effectively than ECW.  Tommy Dreamer used Alice In Chains' "Man in the Box." Sandman entered (and still enters the ring) to Metallica's song of the same name. Hell, even the Dudley Brothers entered the ring to Wu Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M" on a couple of occasions.

But perhaps the best usage of music was for New Jack and Mustafa: when the first strains of "Natural Born Killaz" played, the ECW crowd popped like mad for the the Gangstas, not only because they would bring a shopping cart of weapons to the ring, but also this song fit their personas perfectly.

There need to be more shopping carts in wrestling, IMHO.

4. Raven / The Offspring "Come Out and Play"

Raven is easily in my top-5 wrestlers of all time, and is best entrance music is The Offspring's "Come Out and Play" in ECW. A lot of people will argue that a darker song fits his character better -- and hint, hint, I think WCW thought this too -- but the brilliance of this pairing is that the song itself is far darker than its pop-style punk melody suggests and that Raven would enter the ring to this music slowly, thereby undercutting the song's tempo.

That last sentence might be the most "music-critic-y" thing I've ever written.

3. CM Punk / Living Colour "Cult of Personality" 

The most recent entry on the list, as well as the most unexpected. To be blunt, the WWE doesn't like paying music royalties (hence the scrubbing of a lot of non-WWE produced music on the Network). That said, when CM Punk got the company to use "Cult of Personality" as his entrance music as part of his contract negotiation in 2011, I think many of us were completely impressed / blown-away.  And damn this is such a good song and it works so well as not only his entrance music, but as entrance music in general.

2. Sandman / Metallica "Enter Sandman"

I debated not including this on the list for a few reasons, primarily because this list was ECW-heavy as is, but also because I've been to a live show here in Wisconsin where Sandman tried to duplicate this particular entrance of his, and it sucked live. But I blame the people of Wisconsin more than the Sandman himself for that.

But that said, it would have been harder to not include Sandman and "Enter Sandman." Sure Sandman isn't the most technical of wrestlers, but it's hard to deny that he makes the music work for him. I don't really know what I mean by that, but it makes sense to me writing it.

Plus, his entrance at One Night Stand 2005 might be one of the best combinations of a hot crowd and a wrestling theme and entrance ever.

1 (tie). Ric Flair / Richard Strauss "Dawn" & Randy Savage / Edward Elgar "Pomp and Circumstance"

I know this is a cheat, but I really couldn't decide between Flair or Savage's music here. They are both nearly perfect as entrance themes and befitting of their complicated characters. Strauss's music embodies the grandiose nature of Flair's heelish character, as well as the mythic qualities of Ric Flair the legendary wrestler. The same can be said of "Pomp and Circumstance" for Randy Savage: the song and the wrestler are almost 'larger-than-life.'

Both songs are also so integrated in other aspects of culture that it's difficult to not encounter them, which makes their choice somehow even more inspired. I think it's a minor miracle that I did not twirl and yeah "Ooooo yeah!" as I walked into the arena to get my PhD on graduation day.

So there we have it! Five...er, seven...non-WWE / WCW/ ECW produced songs that were great wrestling entrance themes! Did I miss any? Let me know!