Long before any of you were watching professional wrestling, there was a wrestler by the name of Michael Hayes. He was a member of The Fabulous Freebirds, one of wrestling’s most illustrious groups in the sport’s history, and spent time in almost all of the biggest wrestling corporations.
Michael is also the man responsible for professional wrestling entrance theme music. He convinced promoters to play Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” as his glorious group of rebels made their way to the ring.
Can you imagine WWE wrestlers walking to the ring without music, fireworks, or sexy women accompanying them?
The ring entrance is the best part of any gimmick in the WWE. It adds to the dramatic effect by giving the fans an idea of who is about to enter the building just seconds before he arrived.
Here is our list of the WWE’s greatest ring entrances.
20. Brock Lesnar “The Next Big Thing”
It is tough to be universally hated in professional wrestling but Brock Lesnar created such a douchey character that he is a legendary heel all WWE fans united to hate. His ring entrance song, however, is one of the most badass in wrestling.
19. Rey Mysterio “Booyaka 619”
At 5’6″ and only weighing 175 pounds, Rey Mysterio is the smallest professional wrestler to ever win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt. His underdog persona created such a large following that the WWE had no choice but to give him his shot in 2006. The Booyaka simply means Hey, check me out. It was fitting for a man that has spent his entire career as the smallest man among a giant list of superstars.
18. Chris Jericho “Break the Walls Down”
Chris Jericho’s feud with Dean Malenko in the beginning of his WCW career was, and still is, one of the best storyline’s they have ever written. It perfectly turned him into one of the most hated wrestlers in the history of wrestling which, in turn, turned him into a superstar long before he started the Y2J entrance song. This song has had several versions with each one getting better than the last.
17. The Rock “Electrifying”
What makes a wrestler go from mediocre to elite? He has to be charming, likable, marketable, and have enough charisma and a big enough personality to carry himself to that level. The Rock has all those things and is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He learned very quickly that being a heel that is hated by millions is better than being a face that is loved by some. So he went from bad to good to bad then back to good which lead him to becoming the most electrifying man in sports entertainment.
16. Mr. McMahon “No Chance in Hell”
Vince McMahon might just be the most successful douche bag in sports entertainment while also being hated by more people than Satan. Every time someone spewed hate at Mr. McMahon, he would swallow it with a bottle of water and spit it back at them. But if not for his feud with Stone Cold, which helped the WWE win the professional wrestling company battle, then his entrance song might not have made this list.
15. Hulk Hogan “Real American”
Did you honestly expect us not to include one of the most iconic wrestlers in the history of the sport? Before he turned into the most hated man in the WCW, after being a founding member of the NWO, Hulk Hogan was a true homegrown, American hero. He turned wrestling into the spectacle it is today and he was a Real American, the title of his entrance song.
14. The Brood “Blood”
If not for The Brood, Edge and Christian might have ended up just another two names no one remembers from the WWE in the late 90’s. Luckily for both of them, the alliance was a hit and turned into several interesting storylines that defined their careers. Gangrel was the third, in case you were going to ask. Remember that nut job?
13. Randy Orton “Voices”
As with most of the biggest names in wrestling, you can either love Randy Orton or hate him. But if you love him, get ready for a lot of hate mail because he has been disliked for quite some time by far more fans than those that love him. The entrance song is nothing more than another reason for the fans to hate his guts.
12. Mankind “Wreck”
Mick Foley had three characters but none of them were as great as the man himself. He was also Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love. His entrance as Mankind was first a very dark and creepy video that many believed to be a bit much for WWE. But then it became this one and the rest is history.
11. John Cena “The Time is Now”
The Rock and Stone Cold are two of the most popular WWE superstars ever and their rise to stardom happened fairly quick, just like John Cena’s. His first match was against Kurt Angle in 2002. It took him less than a year to become a star and two years before becoming the WWE Champion.
10. Kane “Burned”
When the building goes dark and the only thing you can see is a sea of red, there is only one man in the building, Kane. His entrance was more than exciting, it was terrifying. He would appear in the ring virtually from out of nowhere. The posts on the rings would shoot fire to really sell the persona of Kane being a monster.
9. The Ultimate Warrior “Unstable”
If there was a song title more suited for The Ultimate Warrior, we can’t think of one. The rush he gave us when that song started and he ran full speed from wherever he was in the building all the way into the ring was perfectly Warrior. He died two years ago, much too young, but will forever be remembered as one of the most powerful wrestling legends the sport has ever seen.
8. Shawn Michaels “Sexy Boy”
Although a song that talks about a sexy boy doesn’t seem that amazing, it was Shawn Michaels that turned the entrance music into a character. His charisma and personality turned what could have been an outdated and cheesy entrance theme song into one of the most iconic of all-time. He still used it up until his final match at WrestleMania XXVI.
7. D-generation X “Are You Ready?”
Nothing is more exciting to watch than a group of men that can, at any time, do something no one else is man enough to accomplish. D-X were the WWE’s answer to the WCW’s NWO faction and actually caused the battle between the WWE and WCW to become one it did. The music was fast, raw, young, and in your face, just like them.
6. Edge “Metalingus”
It is hard to argue with our choice for 6th on the list. Edge has been one of the most popular superstars in WWE history by never giving up on his dream. He wasn’t your typical, off the shelf, future superstar, he was average, at best. He grew into the man behind this entrance and was feared by everyone while being the love of the fans.
5. The Undertaker “Graveyard Symphony”
The legend of the WWE, The Undertaker, has fought some of the greatest matches in all of wrestling history. He has also made something creepy and ominous, like horror music, into a reason to go nuts and cheer. His battles with Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kane, and Stone Cold are some of the greatest storylines the WWE ever created.
4. Triple H “The Game”
In order to demand respect in professional wrestling, you have to respect the game. It is that simple. Triple H took his entrance to another level by adding the iconic spitting water into the sky move. It was a move that Lebron James took into the NBA to create his own version using chalk on his hands.
3. Goldberg “Invasion”
The WCW folded and was eventually purchased by Vince McMahon and the WWE in 2001. Unfortunately for Goldberg, who was just reaching the top of the sport in the WCW, things were about to change. It took about two years before he resurfaced in the WWE but when he did, he brought along an even better version of his entrance song.
2. Ric Flair “Also sprach Zarathustra”
Hate him or love him, Ric Flair is one of the most influential professional wrestlers in the history of the sport. His ring entrance built the anticipation of his imminent arrival just seconds before the infamous Ric Flair “Woo”.
1. Stone Cold “Hell Frozen Over”
There is no mistaking the glass shattering of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s entrance theme. When the WWE was at their peak, between 1997 and 2001, there was not a single wrestler that could erupt a building like Stone Cold. He owned professional wrestling like Hulk Hogan once did and can be attributed for the sport becoming the greatest in the world.