A key part of the success of a WWE Superstar is the music that plays them to the ring. Memorable themes can make an entrance truly epic, and they stay with fans long after a match is over. It's safe to say that, sometimes, a Superstar can get over simply on the power of a catchy theme music.

WWE legends like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and even Hulk Hogan would probably never have reached the peaks of wrestling success without being paired with an entrance theme that made fans pop up from their chairs or sofas every time they entered an arena. From timeless classics to modern hits, are the best entrance themes of WWE stars.

10 Shinsuke Nakamura

"The Rising Sun" by CFO$ (John Paul Alicastro and Michael Conrad Lauri)

It's a common practice to see crowds hum and sing along to a wrestler's theme song today, but in the WWE of old a decade ago, it was still new to see. One of the first instances of this happening with a WWE Superstar so consistently to the point of deafening crowd reactions is with his first WWE theme song. It is especially impressive to see crowds sing along when "The Rising Sun" has no lyrics. In fact, upon Nakamura's first heel turn in WWE, he started coming out to an updated version with lyrics just so fans would stop cheering.

"The Rising Sun" sprouts an infectious energy that's hard not to get addicted to. Most impressively, the song marks a rare instance of a WWE entrance theme being sampled by a major artist for a hit record. For his Pink Tape album, Lil Uzi Vert samples it for the song "Nakamura."

9 Cody Rhodes

"Kingdom" by Downstait

Speaking of deafening crowd reactions, the "WOAH" that plays at the start of Cody Rhodes' entrance whenever the WWE Champion at the top of the ramp never ceases to get a loud response from the WWE Universe every time. While WWE prefers producing their entrance music in-house, "Kingdom" is actually one of the few instances of a wrestling song that has appeared in multiple companies before WWE. Following his WWE release, Cody had Downstait craft the song "Kingdom" for him to own and use in all the promotions he'd work in post-WWE.

"Kingdom" blared through the speakers of matches that Cody worked in Ring of Honor, TNA Impact Wrestling, NWA, All Elite Wrestling, and everywhere else. Miraculously, the song was a hit wherever he went and helped add allure to his new presentation. Cody managed to get this song over everywhere he wrestled, and now does so in WWE.

8 Randy Orton

"Voices" by Rev Theory

In 2007, as WWE was fully committed to molding Randy Orton into their new top heel, he started to shed his Legend Killer persona and began to recoil into a far more sinister, psychotic Viper. His theme song at the time, "Burn in My Light" by Mercy Drive, while well-received, no longer fit the character Orton was beginning to portray, and so, a change was in order. To satisfy this need, he started entering the ring to "Voices" in 2008. Suddenly, "Voices" brought everything together, fully completing his transformation.

No matter the venue, show, or country that Randy Orton makes his presence known, crowds love reciting the song's lyrics in perfect harmony.

"Voices" quickly became adored by the masses, and continues to be adored today. No matter the venue, show, or country that Randy Orton makes his presence known, crowds love reciting the song's lyrics in perfect harmony. Most of Orton's contemporaries he shared a locker room with in 2008 have all changed their themes at some point, but Orton's continues to withstand the test of time.

7 Hulk Hogan

"Real American" by Rick Derringer

Hulk Hogan may not be so beloved by the masses in modern times, but it's hard to deny just how catchy his theme song remains to this day. Most fans today are quick to boo Hulk Hogan, but love him or hate him, good music is good music and Hulk Hogan's theme song is just plain great. Before Hogan became such a controversial figure, 80s crowds acted like he could do no wrong in the 80s. A major factor to his allure was his WWE theme, as it was enough to get children (and even adults) bursting out their seats.

People loved Hulk Hogan largely because they loved his music, and in more patriotic times, it truly made Americans proud to be American. Even when WWE and Hulk Hogan were on bad following his defection to WCW, his theme was too good to go unused. It'd eventually be recycled for Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco.

6 Vince McMahon

"No Chance in Hell," written by Jim Johnston, performed by Peter Bursuker

Before VInce McMahon's exit from WWE in light of his SEC case (which has since been settled), the Mr. McMahon character was synonymous with "No Chance in Hell." Few wrestling themes in WWE defined their character more perfectly than "No Chance in Hell" did for Mr. McMahon. If someone were to turn on, say, Monday Night Raw or Friday Night SmackDown for the first time and knew nothing about professional wrestling, all they had to do was listen to the lyrics of the song and watch Vince strut down the ring to know everything they needed to know about the character.

A song with this kind of atmosphere and tone sounds exactly as diabolical as it needs to be to match the energy of its recipient. Nothing screams evil boss quite like the lyrics of this song.

5 Batista

"I Walk Alone" by Saliva

"I Walk Alone" is another song that tends to get mentioned a lot whenever fans list off their favorite wrestling theme songs. Saliva frequently partnered with WWE to license their music to WWE for their events, most notably the theme song of WrestleMania 23, "Ladies in Gentlemen." However, Saliva's greatest contribution to WWE was producing "I Walk Alone" for Batista. It's hard not to hear this song and get immediately hyped, not unlike Xavier Woods did in a viral clip filmed backstage during Dave's retirement match at WrestleMania 35.

Upon winning his first World Heavyweight Championship in WWE at WrestleMania 21, Batista repped an instrumental song that wasn't too different from "I Walk Alone," but lacked the twang to help Batista feel like a proper main eventer. The instrumentals were then remixed on the record, Saliva provided lyrics, and the rest is history.

4 John Cena

"The Time Is Now" by John Cena feat. Tha Trademarc

After John Cena's shocking heel turn, he made it clear in his first heel promo that he was not changing his theme song. While it likely served as another reason to give fans to hate him, some fans had to blow out a sigh of relief the moment they heard him say that. Heel or babyface, a theme song like "The Time Is Now" is too perfect to change, even as he nears retirement. The song has endured the test of time, and surprisingly, regardless of his good guy or bad guy allegiances, it still fits John Cena either way.

With a beat reminiscent of the classic rap song "Ante Up" - so much so that M.O.P. tried to sue WWE over it - and lyrics emphasizing his dominance in the wrestling world, John Cena's entrance theme combines the braggadocio of rap culture with a confident wrestling persona.

3 Shawn Michaels

"Sexy Boy" by Jim Johnston, written by Jimmy Hart, performed by Shawn Michaels

When Shawn Michaels first embarked on a solo career once his Rockers tag team ended in a shocking betrayal, he had his manager, Sensational Sherri, sing about how much of a sexy boy he was. It certainly helped solidify his new heartthrob persona he was attempting to get over. As if the theme song wasn’t good enough on its own, it only improved when the Heartbreak Kid provided his vocals in an updated version that emphasized just how cocky and narcissistic this character was.

The song remains a fan-favorite to this day, particularly in the mainstream stratosphere. So much so that one of hip-hop’s biggest names, Sexyy Red, sampled the record to produce a homage titled “Sexyy Girl.” The unreleased snippet going viral gained WWE’s attention, leading to the rapper’s 2024 appearances on Monday Night Raw and NXT. That’s how much everyone still loves “Sexy Boy.”

2 The Undertaker

"Rest in Peace" by Jim Johnston

The Undertaker’s entrance is often hailed as among the most iconic in all wrestling, and the theme song is largely the reason why. His slow, prodding movements to the ring wouldn’t read nearly as haunting or foreboding without the music he’s had for so many years. It’s what truly made him feel like the Demon of the Death Valley. The menacing combination of piano, gongs, and lightning strikes established The Undertaker as WWE’s mythical boogeyman in a way that could be taken seriously.

That’s the most important aspect to the Undertaker, the fact that it instantly legitimized him to audiences worldwide. WWE history is littered with goofy gimmicks and even worse names. The Undertaker easily could’ve fallen into both categories, but an effectively gripping tune helped give a living zombie longevity into modern times.

1 Stone Cold Steve Austin

"I Won't Do What You Tell Me" by Jim Johnston

Whether readers are talking about Stone Cold Steve Austin’s greatest moments or his greatest matches, they all started with the sound of glass shattering. That sound alone is enough to make a crowd leap to their feet and erupt with cheers, almost as if it were a Pavlovian response. Everyone knows when they hear the glass, a brawl is bound to break out, and fans eagerly anticipate their favorite Bionic Redneck dishing it out. And that’s all before his actual song hits.

When the song hits, it reads as the ideal marching anthem to the ultimate brawler. Stone Cold is always noted as an example of a wrestler with the total package of in-ring and promo ability, but having the perfect theme song should be mentioned in that package as it’s a big reason why people view him as such an icon. It should come as no surprise that WWE’s most iconic wrestling character arguably sprouts the sport’s most iconic wrestling theme.