Seth Rollins on His Wrestling Themes, How They Shaped Him

The theme song can be iconic and help elevate who a superstar is. When you heard The Undertaker’s theme hit, you know something big was happening. When you heard Ric Flair’s song, you knew the sixteen time Champion would be gracing us all with his presence. Remember Seth Rollins entering at WrestleMania 31 and cashing in the briefcase to win the WWE Championship? Of course you do!

Hidzir Junaini of Bandwagon recently interviewed former WWE Champion Seth Rollins about the music that has accompanied him during his career.

Rollins was asked about his theme songs in wrestling and what they mean to him. He has a definitive, interesting response to each question.

The first theme Rollins is asked about is called ‘American Love’ by Haste the Day and was his first theme song way back when he competed at IWA Mid-South.

Haste The Day - American Love

“Haste the Day is actually a Christian rock band from Indianapolis, Indiana. I’m not a huge uh… I’m not a very religious person but I love the song – I thought it was very melodic but also very heavy. The reason I wanted to use it specifically for that show is because at the time I was doing a character during my entrance I kinda slam danced around the entry way and stuff like that. It had a really good breakdown so if you get on YouTube and search “Tyler Black dancing” I’m sure you’ll find videos of me looking like a goof ball at 19 years old. It’s a beautiful song, the band’s great – they got a lot of great records out.”

As many fans will know, Rollins competed with Ring Of Honor for several years under the name ‘Tyler Black,’ where he would use ‘The Haunted’ by a band known as Walls of Jericho.

Walls of Jericho- The Haunted

“Oh yeah ‘The Haunted’ man. That fit perfectly with what we were doing with Ring of Honor and Age of The Fall – the lyrics just dead on. It was just super gnarly. I thought it was very appropriate for what we were doing – the group that we were, the outsiders that we sort of were. It had a really haunting beginning I remember. My partner at the time, Jimmy Jacobs – he doesn’t listen to that kind of music at all, so he was kinda skeptical about it at first but I think once we got a rhythm to it, he kinda got into it as well. But yeah that song’s a killer too man.”

When Rollins was signed to WWE, he had the theme ‘Battle On’ by War Of Ages. He would use this while in developmental. This was during his time in Florida Championship Wrestling before it was overhauled into NXT. In addition, he used the song for a brief period of time during his Ring of Honor days.

War of Ages - Battle On

“‘Battle On’! I was actually able to use it in Ring of Honour a little bit too. And for a short period of time I used it in FCW when I first got to WWE. It’s really just an epic song, it’s got some incredible riffs on there – War of Ages is a band that’s good friends with me and they were kind enough to let me use the song. I just thought I had a really awesome opening riffs and a great entry point for me to come through the curtain and make my way. That’s actually a great song. One of those I kinda forget about sometimes.”

When Rollins debuted in NXT, he started to use ‘Flesh It Out’ by Blues Saraceno as his theme. He did this, as he explains, for what is an obvious reason.

Blues Saraceno - Flesh It Out

“Yeah… y’know, once you got to NXT and WWE, you start worrying about licensing agreements and lawsuits and stuff. You kinda gotta get music that’s not copywritten. They had me go through a list of songs that had fit my character and that ‘Flesh It Out’ kinda just worked the best for me. It served me well during the time in NXT.”

When The Shield was created, Rollins would begin using ‘Special Op’ by Jim Johnston alongside Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Junaini also notes when asking Rollins about this that he believes it to be the most iconic theme of Rollins’ career so far.

2013 (WWE): 1st The Shield Theme Song "Special Op" (High Quality + Download) iTunes Release

“Well that song definitely has a special place in my heart, obviously. It’s my first entrance theme on the WWE main roster. We also got to record the beginning to that, the “Sierra Hotel Indie Echo Lima Delta – Shield” ourselves. Me, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose sat in a room and did those call signs. That was pretty cool.”

“It was composed by Jim Johnston – who’s a legendary music maker for WWE. Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock – he did all the best ones ever, so he kinda picks and chooses who he wants to work with nowadays and The Shield was his special project. He really nailed it on the head with this one. That song, Roman still kinda uses a version of it. I still miss it though, with our entrance through the crowd.”

This then brings them to Rollins’ current song, ‘The Second Coming’ by CFO$. He has had this since splitting from The Shield a few years ago.

WWE: "The Second Coming" ? Seth Rollins 5th Theme Song

“Yeah I love it. It’s one of those where soon as the riff kicks in, everyone knows who’s coming through the curtains. That’s all that really matters when you’re picking an entrance theme. It fits my character. Though it was really weird adjusting to it at first because the pace of it is different from The Shield music, so y’know, trying to get the timing down on the entrance and making it feel like my own song took a little while.”

“But now I’ve had so many moments with that music playing behind me or in front me – it’s become mine. People ask me “oh you’re gonna change your song, you’re gonna do this, you’re gonna do that” – I think that one’s sticking for a long time. I like guys who had the same entrance theme forever and ever – like Stone Cold, Chris Jericho, the Big Show – I think that’s always a really cool thing when guys have the same song for a really long time.”

Rollins was also asked if he could have any song in existance be used for his theme that best describes himself, regardless of copyright and such, he would choose ‘Wild Eyes’ by Parkway Drive.

Parkway Drive - "Wild Eyes"

“There’re some incredible songs – who doesn’t wanna come out to ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns and Roses? There’s a lot of options. For me, if I were to pick a perfect theme song, it’d be the song by Parkway Drive called ‘Wild Eyes’. It’s a really fantastic song, it’s got a good rhythm to it, I think it would work really well as an entrance theme.”

Rollins also explained that if he could use any other superstars theme for himself, he would choose Bray Wyatt’s theme song. He also spoke of his favorite moments and what music he listens to in his day-to-day life. You can read the interview in its entirety here.

Rollins recently took part in the Fatal 5 Way at ‘Extreme Rules‘ where the winner would become the number one contender for the Universal Championship. He ultimately lost, but faced the victor in Samoa Joe on this past ‘Raw.’

Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe: Raw, June 5, 2017

Editor’s Note:

Rollins is amazing, enough said. He hasn’t done much since WrestleMania that is of real note, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the best talents they have. I love the majority of the music listed, and I like that he would love to have Wyatt’s theme.

What are your thoughts on Rollins’ music? Which was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page or Twitter account. Additionally, you can find me on Twitter at @SOSNH1995.