Semi-random article alert. Well, it’s not completely random. With the changes that’s going on in WWE, I couldn’t help but notice that RAW has new theme music, “Enemies” by Shinedown. For some reason, a part of my brain told me, “Yep, you have to write an article on this”. So, I figured, why not. I also figured this may give you a little insight to my little world and what my preferences are. I’m a big rock/metal fan, and while the days of WWE having those type of theme songs may be over, it’s always good to reminisce about the music they used to have on their PPV’s. With that said, for your visual (and audial) pleasure, here are my 15 favorite songs on WWE PPV.
Here are some other ones that i left off so that this list wouldn’t be too long:
Survivor Series 2001 – Control (Puddle of Mudd): Really wanted to put it here.
Over The Limit 2012 – War of Change (Thousand Foot Krutch)
Backlash 2009 – Seasons (The Veer Union)
No Way Out 2009 – Hunt You Down (Saliva)
Hell In A Cell 2015 – Cut The Cord (Shinedown)
Extreme Rules 2009 – You’re Going Down (Sick Puppies)
WrestleMania 26 – Be Yourself (Audioslave)
Backlash 2007 – There and Back Again (Chris Daughtry)
Royal Rumble 2003 – Falling Apart (Trust Company)
Unforgiven 2005 – Calling (Taproot)
15. Great American Bash 2006 – Lonely Train (Black Stone Cherry)
Favorite Verse:
I have seen my brothers
In ashes on the ground
And maybe in a new life
We can turn this thing around
But you can’t judge a book, looking at the cover
You can’t love someone, messing with another, no
You can’t win a war, fighting with your brother
You wanna have peace, gotta love one another
I’m sure that most of you are familiar with this one. I also remember hearing this in a Smackdown vs. RAW video game as well. A pretty simple song, but a very good one.
14. Hell In A Cell 2011 – Set The World on Fire (Black Veil Brides)
Favorite Verse:
Proud in all you are
Showing every scar
As your badge of honor
When you can’t take anymore
Of what they’re living for
Set the world on fire
Basically, this is song is telling us that no matter what happens in life, grab it by the throat, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise and do what your mind and heart tells you to do. Interesting choice of song for a PPV which focuses on torture inside Hell In A Cell.
13. Survivor Series 2004 – Ugly (The Exies)
Favorite Verse:
Are you ugly?
A liar like me?
A user, a lost soul?
Someone you don’t know?
Money, it’s no cure
A sickness so pure
Are you like me?
Are you ugly?
It could be easy to miss, but song, at least my interpretation of it, is a song about drug addiction. I think the “Far from sober” part sort of gives it away. I also like the transition from the last line of each of the verses right into the chorus.
12. No Mercy 2005 – Save Me (Shinedown)
Favorite Verse:
How did I get here
And what went wrong
Couldn’t handle forgiveness
Now I’m far beyond gone
And I can hardly remember
The look of my own eyes
How could I love this,
My life so dishonest
It made me compromise
Shinedown has made some great songs for WWE to use on their PPVs. This, once again, is another song about being addicted to drugs (“and take away all these pills”), but it also talks about needing to be saved in general. Kind of a scary coincidence that this was Eddie Guererro’s last appearance on PPV before he died of heart failure four years after quitting his drug overdoses.
11. One Night Stand 2007 – Famous (Puddle of Mudd)
Favorite Verse:
I just wanna be famous
‘Cause fame is contagious
Now all the Playboy bunnies want more money from me
Show up at the Grammys
So loaded they ban me
The money is for nothing
And the chicks are for free
I think the title is self-explanatory, but it’s still a good listen. I remember always listening to this playing Smackdown vs. RAW 2008.
10. Unforgiven 2002 – Adrenaline (Gavin Rossdale)
Favorite Verse:
Sail through an empty night
It’s only you and I who understand
There is no plan
Get closer to the thrill
Only time will kill
What’s in your eyes
Is so alive
I listen to this song when I go out and exercise. Of course we all know adrenaline, but when he actually experience it, and we get that rush in our lives, it’s something special. Very good choice of song for this PPV, especially stressing “you don’t even feel the pain” with Brock Lesnar featured on the cover.
9. Vengeance 2003 – Price to Play (Staind)
Favorite Verse:
Then all you see and all you gave
And all you step on will know shame
There are no rules, no one to blame
The price to play the game
A real no holds barred song. I believe it was last year when I wrote an article about overlooked PPV’s and Vengeance 2003 was up there. It wasn’t till a little bit after when I realized their theme was awesome as well.
8. Money In The Bank 2016 – Black Honey (Thrice)
Favorite Verse:
So I’m cutting’ that branch off the cherry tree
Singing this will be my victory
Then I
See them coming after me
And they’re following me across the sea
And now they’re stinging my friends and my family
And I
Don’t know why this is happening
But I’ll do what I want
I’ll do what I please
I’ll do it again ’til I’ve got what I need
The most recent of these songs, this song was apparently about the United States invading Iraq and how they did anything, whether it was kill innocent civilians or others to get oil, or the “black honey”. Stinging their hands through a swarm of bees, ignoring the risks, and never learning from their mistakes (“But I never get it right”), but will keep doing the same thing till they got what they need. I first heard this when they were doing their promo of the MITB ladder match and I assume they apply this to the briefcase. I spammed this song about 100 times when I first heard it.
7. Vengeance: Night of Champions 2007 – Gone (Fuel)
Favorite Verse:
I know how you’re always putting down all your friends
I know how you think your righteousness will make amends
I know how that little short skirt always get you in
I know how you hold me down just hoping I’ll say when
And I know you want to own my soul
The minute I hear this song, for some reason, it has a nostalgic effect on me back to the days when I was in grade school. Maybe it’s the guitar, but I just absolutely love listening to this song, even if I didn’t think it related to the PPV.
6. New Year Revolution 2006 – Stricken (Disturbed)
Favorite Verse:
You’ll never know how your face has haunted me
My very soul has to bleed this time
Another hole in the wall of my inner defenses
Leaving me breathless, the reason I know
Disturbed is more of the popular metal bands out there, and it’s songs like this that tell you why. If you were a kid and watched WWE, I almost guarantee that you came across this song at least once. Over a decade later, with the main event of this PPV being an Elimination Chamber, it set a fitting atmosphere.
5. WrestleMania 17 – My Way (Limp Bizkit)
Favorite Verse:
Just one more fight
About a lot of things
And I will give up everything
To be on my own again
Free again
No list of best WWE PPV themes can be complete without this. Far from a Limp Bizkit fan, but this song that was used in The Rock vs. Stone Cold video package for what was probably the best PPV of all time has left an infallible mark in WWE theme songs.
4. No Way Out 2003 – Bring Me To Life (Evanescence)
Favorite Verse:
How can you see into my eyes, like open doors
Leading you down into my core
Where I’ve become so numb, without a soul
My spirit’s sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home
I believe this song was regarding depression, but regardless, this was one of THE songs back then. I also remember listening to AMV’s of Naruto or Dragon Ball Z on YouTube on this back in the day. Yeah, those were the times.
3. Tie: WrestleMania 18 – Tear Away (Drowning Pool)/ Superstar (Saliva)
This is probably the best duo of songs for a PPV that I’ve ever heard to be honest with you. The first song just has a great beat to do it. Imagine entering a WrestleMania arena with that song and methodical movement. Meanwhile, the other song was a song I first heard in the Bardock: The Father of Goku movie, and I didn’t know that it was also a theme. Two great classics here.
2. WrestleMania 23 – Ladies and Gentlemen (Saliva)
Favorite Verse:
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening
You’ve seen, and seeing is believing
Your ears and your eyes will be bleeding
Please check to see if you’re still breathing
Doesn’t this song just scream “WrestleMania”? The way the song goes on makes it seems as if you’re in a circus, but for WrestleMania, and especially a great WrestleMania like the 23rd edition, it made it feel like a special moment. The ladder match, the co-main events with both world titles on the line and more. Fantastic music, but there’s one that takes the cake for me.
1. Survivor Series 2002 – Always (Saliva)
Favorite Verse:
I see, the blood all over your hands
Does it make you feel, more like a man
Was it all, just a part of your plan
This pistol’s shakin’ in my hands
And all I hear is the sound
I love you, I hate you, I can’t get around you
I breathe you, I taste you, I can’t live without you
I just can’t take anymore
This life of solitude
I guess that I’m out the door
And now I’m done with you
So how about Saliva, eh? This song is really more about issues in a relationship, but there’s so much power and energy to this song and WWE translated this into the brutality that the first ever Elimination Chamber match brought. The best song for a WWE PPV that I’ve heard to date, and it will be kind of hard to top it.
Well, I hoped you enjoyed this list and hoped you enjoyed my selections. What are yours? Let me know, and let me know if I missed any as well. Until next time. Deuces.
