Former WWE music producer slams current entrance themes

Jim Johnston, the music producer responsible for creating some of WWE’s most iconic entrance themes, recently talked about the current state of entrance songs.

During an interview on the Podcast Heat Wrestling, Johnston discussed his thoughts on entrance themes. While it does not appear he tunes in weekly, he has come across the current WWE product on multiple occasions. He does not like what he hears.

“It’s almost a frustration to me, the few times I’m going through the cable stations and I land on one of these programs,” Johnston said. “I’m just shaking my head, like, What does this music have to do with anything? We’ve gone from a time when you could be cooking in the kitchen, and the TV’s two rooms away, and you could tell who’s coming out to the ring.

“And now, it’s noise,” he continued.

Johnston may have a point. He has not been with WWE since 2017 when he was released. Johnston was with the company for over three decades, and they have been trying to fill his shoes since.

Def Rebel has been providing WWE’s entrance music since 2019. Before them, John Alicastro and Mike Lauri, known as CFFO$, wrote and performed songs since 2012-19.

Since their start, Def Rebel has received a lot of criticism from fans. They have had some hits — Roman Reigns, Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley, and Gunther all have entrance music that fits their WWE personas. For the most part, Superstars have bland songs that do not help them stand out.

However, some of the other notable songs were recorded by other artists. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes’ are known for using “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour and “Kingdom” by Downstrait. Randy Orton has been using “Voices” for years, and Rev Theory performed it.

Could Jim Johnston return to WWE to make entrance music?

Luckily, it sounds like Johnston is open to coming back to wrestling down the line. He revealed in the interview with Podcast Heat Wrestling that he approached AEW at one point. AEW allegedly had “no interest” in bringing him in, though.

He somewhat blames himself. “The way I approached, it’s very possible that the people in charge never got that memo,” Johnston said.

If Johnston were to come back to WWE or work with AEW, he has one condition. He does not want to be as involved with it as he once was. “I would never want to get as immersed as I was,” he reasoned.