The Top Five WWE Theme Songs Of All Time

The debate is raging online: WWE's most iconic troubadour, Jim Johnston, or its sorely missed production prodigies, CFO$? There is only one way to settle the score: a look at the top five WWE theme songs of all time. Now, to isolate this list to the artists, as mentioned earlier, wouldn't be fair. There are actually five different categories to consider. You have the Jimmy Hart era, where he worked with various artists to make music out of loops. You have Jim Johnston, who was the resident composer from the 1980s all the way until 2017. The shortlived CFO$ rocketed onto the scene until 2019 when Def Rebel replaced them. Then you have artists that work elsewhere, licensing their music to a wrestler or the promotion, and are often bangers in their own right. Which songs, and therefore composers, come out on top?

It's just a bit shy of the top five WWE theme songs of all time.

Let's set some qualifications. Cult of Personality is not a WWE theme. CM Punk to a widely recognized Rock song and brought it into the WWE Universe. Now, in a just world and a longer list, these three songs would absolutely be entitled to their flowers before any other incredible jams that have accompanied stars to the ring.

Kingdom by Downstait, Close Your Eyes from the Johnston era, and Def Rebel's Head of the Table are some of the best themes in WWE history, and it is easy to see why. They each have a unique flair that fits the superstar qualities of the world champions they introduce. It is hard to make a quality jam that fits the act to perfection. Guys like Bobby Roode were all entrances, whereas Kurt Angle made his brassy entrance pop more than any musician in the booth could.

Def Rebel is much maligned online, and one could (and frankly should) argue that it is warranted. Something they have done even more consistently than remixes many fans despise is make Roman Reigns an absolute bop for an entrance. His Head of the Table entrance is superb, epic, and far more "final boss" than their remake of his cousin's electrifying tune. Downstait is a real band with several solid wrestling themes to their credit, but Kingdom is the best.

In a short time, it has become a staple of WWE fandom, as it was in AEW before. Those fans can't seem to agree on anything, except that the story of Kingdom is Cody's in a scary close manner, and fans love a Cody Rhodes story. Lastly, Christian Jim Johnston's collaboration with Waterproof Blondes and later Story of the Year created a personal favorite tune that only gets better with each new iteration in Close Your Eyes. Unlike Def Rebel, Johnston has plenty of hits, but this one stands out.

Sexy Boy- Jimmy Hart

The Mouth of the South, Jimmy Hart, produced and even performed many iconic songs in his day. Back then, during wrestling's initial boom period, they had to use some relatively low-cost methods to make a theme. Some hits, like Real American, blew up because of the talent being played out to the ring to them. Others were opuses to Hart's musical prowess, like Shawn Michaels' Sexy Boy. The party anthem is so good that it works even as its star vocalist is now an executive on NXT.

Jimmy used every bit of his background in entertainment and the musical chops he brought from The Gentry's when composing Sexy Boy. Shawn Michaels himself features prominently on the track, as does his valet, Sensational Sherri, from that run. A young Johnston worked on the track, and Jimmy himself appeared, too. Name an iconic wrestler, and they have had two or three theme songs in their WWE tenure. Even the great Jim Johnston had to swap out songs. HBK has been "just a sexy boy" well into his fifties. A hit song is a hit song, and if you have been rocking to it since 1993 and it's iconic enough to be spoofed on TV, you have a hit song.

Rebel Heart-CFO$

It's the best CFO$ song in their entire catalog. It takes everything that makes the duo special and wraps it into one theme for an outstanding professional wrestler. Most of the songs have gone to certified stars, and on NXT, where Rebel Heart got most of its use, Johnny Gargano was a massive star. His feud with Ciampia is still one of the best long-term bookings in company history, and this was the valiant call to action for the plucky underdog face.

The song is a loop, and a short one at that, which only makes it more baffling how lousy the remix was when Gargano started competing on the main roster. The lyrics impose an attitude toward constant motion, to perpetual rebellion against the forces that physically and mentally try to change or contain you. Fronted by a female vocalist, it also joins a rare pantheon of WWE themes that are not looking to scare or intimidate. Its goal is to be inspirational, not threatening; the beatdowns are for Johnny Wrestling to dish out.

Glass Shatters- Jim Johnston

"And then the Glass Shatters". There isn't a better stinger in wrestling history than the shard-forming break that accompanies Jim Johnston's Glass Shatter theme for Stone Cold Steve Austin. To a large group of fans, this is the best theme song in WWE history. That is letting the man make the music a little too much. Stone Cold is arguably the greatest and most famous professional wrestler in American wrestling, if not the world proper. His theme song, though, is filled with nostalgia that fans will never get excited about. Anything can happen in wrestling, and then the glass shatters.

The song tells the story of Stone Cold without a single lyric. The guitar's sloppy yet somehow succinct riffs mimic the Texan's style of battering your opponent first, then figuring out a way to win the actual match at some point afterward. It repeats a bit as well, which is standard operating procedure for Austin, who frequently returns to his safe space in the match, stomping a mud hole and then walking it dry. Try to fight the urge to hit a Lou Thesz Press at the gym when this theme comes on if you can.

No More Words- Endeverafter

If you were too young to watch wrestling from 2008-2010 or too old not to be a curmudgeon about it, you missed arguably one of the most famous pro wrestlers in the history of the industry work. Everyone of a certain age knows Jeff Hardy. He is typically listed in any casual to non-fans' five wrestlers I remember, alongside John Cena, Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker, and so on. All of that recognition is specifically from 2008 to 2010 in his singles run in WWE and jump to TNA Impact. The soundtrack to the rise, peak, and fall of Hardy has a soundtrack by Endeverafter, No More Words.

Fans so believe in No More Words that Jeff's 2021 run was bolstered and extended well past its sell-by date just because they wanted to hear it frankly. The Hardy Boyz song does fine, of course, but it's shared with his brother. No More Words is catchy, particularly Jeff, and is tailored almost explicitly to fit the vibe of a free spirit and artist who is done being the background character in their life. They are ready to fight now and are confident that when they fight, they win. It, like Hardy, took the industry by force of will and the fan's support.

Voices- Jim Johnston

This is Jim Johnston's greatest hit. Voices is not just in the top five WWE theme songs ever; it sits atop that list. Jim had never had a better idea in his illustrious career than to call Rev Theory for Orton's new theme when he started to lean away from his cocky vibrant self and into a darker, more subdued sort of predator in the WWE locker room in 2008. Burn Inside My Light is excellent, so topping it wasn't going to be easy. Johnston did, though, and when you have to beat excellence, all that is left is perfection.

Fans around the world sing Voices at full volume every week. Orton began using his "punt" finisher, which played well into the voice character, too. It brought enough darkness to his persona that he could hang with the Kanes and Bray Wyatt without being a monster villain himself. It was the modern-day Jake Roberts, making their snake connection quite interesting. Consciously or not, Johnston channeled his old work on Jake the Snake's track when he mapped out Voices. It is still Orton's theme today, and there is nothing that can happen to change that now. His career is pitch-perfect, with the voices guiding him. If it isn't broken, you don't fix it; if it can't break, you've written the best theme of all time.