It took them a while to hit their stride (and fans to come to grips with the fact Jim Johnston, the man who basically scored wrestling’s heyday by composing themes for Undertaker, Rock, Steve Austin and others, had moved over to WWE Films), but the duo who go by CFO$ got a ton of credit for their work on Superstar entrances this year.
And rightfully so. Thanks in part to talent signings and the presence of NXT as a brand focused on introducing new wrestlers to the WWE Universe, they’ve produced a lot of music - much of it instantly iconic. WWE.com’s staff put their heads together and came up with a “ten best” list of new songs from the duo that hit arena speakers in 2016, and it’s an impressive list.
It’s probably not too controversial, as it for the most part mirrors how WWE Music’s YouTube channel looks if you sort it by popularity. Nakamura’s violin theme (linked below along with the other nine choices, with the sweet Lee England, Jr. version from Brooklyn embedded above) is a solid choice for #1, but the second and third place choices each played as big a part in getting veterans over with WWE fans, and there’s really not a dud in the bunch (personally not a fan of #4, but it is a clever tie-in to TJP’s gimmick).
Here’s their list:
10. Austin Aries - “Ambition & Vision”
9. Rich Swann – “Around the World”
8. Gallows & Anderson – “Omen in the Sky”
7. SmackDown LIVE – “Take A Chance”
6. Naomi – “Amazing” (Remix)
5. No Way Jose – “No Way”
4. TJ Perkins - “Playing with Power”
3. AJ Styles – “Phenomenal”
2. Bobby Roode – “Glorious Domination”
1. Shinsuke Nakamura – “The Rising Sun”
You can vote for your favorite in this poll on WWE.com and, of course, we’d love to hear your thoughts below. What’s ranked to high? What missed the cut?
What was your favorite new WWE theme of 2016?