JBL largely agreed with recent criticism from legendary WWE composer Jim Johnston regarding the current state of wrestling entrance themes, arguing that iconic music can instantly connect fans to a performer.
“Oh my God. No. I mean, when you had something, you had Eddie’s music hit or Shawn’s music hit or Kurt’s music hit or anybody’s music hit, you knew exactly.”
JBL acknowledged that top stars naturally have more recognizable themes but maintained that memorable entrance music used to be far more common throughout the roster.
“These were massive stars. I get that. So, you have a middle-card to lower-card guy you may not know. You may not have known him back then, but you knew nearly all of the themes that went with these guys.”
He went on to explain why distinctive music can be such a powerful storytelling device in wrestling.
“As soon as that music hit, it puts you into a different world. You know, music is such a powerful emotive source. You listen to a song and it takes you back to where you were when you first heard it.”
Conrad Thompson echoed Johnston’s broader point, suggesting many modern themes don’t immediately identify the wrestler entering the arena.
“It does feel like we’ve lost our way. There’s a handful of really great themes in WWE that stand out and we all know and they’re iconic. Then there are others where the music starts and we’re all kind of watching the Tron to see, ‘Now who is this again?’”
JBL’s comments came after Johnston argued that today’s wrestling music is too homogeneous, with JBL emphasizing the importance of creating instant recognition through entrance themes.
“You knew nearly all of the themes that went with these guys. And as soon as that music hit, it put you into a different world.”
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit and link to the original source with a h/t and link back to WrestlingHeadlines.com for the transcription.