How the WWE Spoiled Us With Main Stream Rock Themes and Pyro

by Brian Phelps
http://www.wrestlersway.blogspot.com

Boy, times have changed haven't they? In particular, the sport of professional wrestling. I remember a time when there was no pyro. There was no titantron. There were no theme songs by main stream rock bands. The only time you got pyro was at Wrestlemania if you won the MAIN EVENT. Even then, it was just the simple spray. The face of the company didn't even get pyro, let alone a mid-carder. Hulk Hogan in his prime didn't get pyro. Ric Flair didn't get pyro. No one did. Every one had stock music, and it sounded like some regular Nintendo music. The only person who had an actual song was Hulk Hogan and it wasn't a main stream song. Everyone else had some old NES sounding music. But times have certainly changed.

Nowadays, everybody gets pyro and a theme song from a main stream rock band. You've got Triple H coming out to Motorhead, The Undertaker coming out to Johnny Cash (Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock before that), Batista coming out to Saliva, and even Edge coming out to Alter Bridge. Back in the '90s, it was unimaginable that wrestlers would be coming out to radio music. Now, even mid-carders come out to main stream rock music when you flip on WWE. Drew McIntyre's theme song was done by Shaman's Harvest

Then you have the pyro. As I said earlier, back in the day not even Hulk Hogan came out to pyro. No wrestler had pyro for their every week regular entrance. That was unfathomable. The only time Hogan got pyro is when he won the main events at Wrestlemania. You would never have seen the Big Bossman come out to black and blue pyro. Flip on WWE now, and even mid-carders got pyro. Kofi Kingston has had pyro forever now, and he is still just a mid-carder. I bet legends like the Horsemen watch this and laugh. Back in the day, you didn't have the help of massive pyrotechnics and Motorhead to get you over. It was ALL personality and skills.

Knowing this, I surf the internet and laugh as I read WWE die hards making fun of TNA Wrestling for using stock themes. So what? To me, it makes TNA Wrestling themes unique to TNA Wrestling only. I remember when all anyone had was stock themes. WWE has spoiled the current generation with radio rock, and 4th of July caliber fireworks at every show. I think the new generation should stop picking on TNA. TNA uses pretty much all stock themes, and very little pyro. I think the WWE's million dollar production tends to send the wrong idea to fans who decide to give TNA a chance because many think that just because TNA doesn't spend all its money on pyro and radio rock that it's a cheap show. It's not that it's cheap, it's just a more traditional wrestling show. Pyro and radio rock doesn't equal quality.