As WWE embarks on its annual “Road to WrestleMania,” the pro wrestling giant is hitting on all cylinders, well, almost all—case in point, Def Rebel and the current state of the company’s entrance themes. Last week, WWE held its annual Royal Rumble event, marking the official kickoff for the months-long build to its biggest show of the year. While it proved to be the most successful Royal Rumble in the event’s 37-year history financially, it also spotlighted the lackluster state of WWE’s entrance songs.
The Royal Rumble is a perfect event to showcase iconic themes—think Stone Cold Steve Austin’s glass breaking, The Rock’s “If Ya Smell!!!” or The Undertaker’s gong. However, many fans left this year’s event complaining about the scarcity of such signature songs among active wrestlers, particularly in the women’s division. This concern even made its way to the “dirt sheets” (wrestling lingo for news websites), with Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp reporting that many WWE superstars are dissatisfied with their entrance songs, most of which are produced by Def Rebel. “We’d indicated in the past that no talent that Fightful spoke with have interacted with Def Rebel producers for input on songs,” Sapp reported last week. “Furthermore, talent expressed unhappiness with the quality of theme songs and attempted to get their previous themes back.”
During Monday night’s episode of WWE Raw, the discussion about the current state of the company’s theme music from Def Rebel even made it on-air. As Logan Paul interrupted CM Punk ahead of the main event match between Paul and Rey Mysterio (yes, he still wrestles), Punk remarked that he didn’t even recognize the music playing as the YouTuber made his way to the ring, saying, “I didn’t even know whose music this was.” Color commentator Pat McAfee quipped, “That seems to be a reoccurring thing.”
Logan Paul comes out.
CM Punk: “I didn’t even know who’s music that was”
Pat McAfee: “That seems to be a reoccurring thing”
THE DEF REBEL SHOTS 😭😭😭#WWERAW pic.twitter.com/0Og5AgCfjO
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) February 11, 2025
While McAfee’s comments might have been seen as controversial under previous regimes, they provide the authenticity WWE sought when adding the ESPN star to its broadcast crew. Instead of ignoring the conversation surrounding its underwhelming theme music, WWE has embraced it post-Vince McMahon, blending fiction with reality in its storylines, presentations, and commentary. WWE is aware of its fans’ discussions regarding the current themes, so why not address it head-on? Or perhaps that’s giving the company too much credit, and this was just McAfee being McAfee, who ironically has one of WWE’s better current theme songs.
