Do you smell what The Rock is cookin’? Actually… replace “smell” with “hear” and “cookin” with “coming to the ring with,” and you’ve got the jist of the latest Wrestler Theme Friday where we count down the themes for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Welcome to Wrestler Theme Friday (or WTF for short), where we count down every single entrance tune used by the most popular wrestlers who just so happened to have fleeting tastes in theme songs. We’ve covered all sorts of top stars already on Wrestler Theme Friday, from Kurt Angle to The Undertaker, but this time we’re covering the greatest crossover star to entertain audiences in the ring and on theater screens alike. No, I’m not talking about former WCW Champion David Arquette. I’m smellin’ what Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is cookin’!
Over the last few years, The Rock has managed to juggle an acting career where he’s starring in the top action movies every summer while still keeping relevant in the world of WWE with constant (but never tired) cameos. With San Andreas just hitting Blu-ray and the WWE aching for another Rock run up to WrestleMania 32, we’re going to chat about The Rock’s themes, from worst to best. Know your role and read this ranking, jabroni!
9 – “DESTINY” BY JIM JOHNSTON
Here’s the thing about The Rock’s first theme; it has a nice build to a decent crescendo and would have been great for an established star making his WWE debut. I could see this as a great theme for Lex Luger three years earlier. However, tacking this tune onto the generic “happy to be here because family” Rocky Miavia just accentuated how out of touch this character was.
8 – “NO CHANCE IN HELL” BY JIM JOHNSTON
Corporate Rock was a great heel. After months of giving fans just the faintest taste of a face Rock, his screwjob turn and subsequent withholding of catchphrases was a great twist. Still, Rock was on such an upward trajectory that he was above using a stable’s theme when walking to the ring with teammates. If anything, having fellow heels accompany the Corporate Champion to the ring with a more Rock-like tune would have accentuated his heelishness even further.
7- “THE ROCK SAYS” BY JIM JOHNSTON
Sometimes the simplest changes can have the most dramatic effects. Right around the time he won his first WWE Heavyweight Championship, The Rock had hist first catchphrase-laden theme to use for his singles run. Unfortunately this one is TOO catchphrase-laden. With the need to stuff all of his quotes into a single tune, “The Rock Says” is a bit disjointed and rough around the edges. With The Rock dominating on the microphone, his themes didn’t need to convey every single one of his famous lines; later tunes would remedy this by focusing on just the hits.
6- “NATION OF DOMINATION” BY JIM JOHNSTON
Rocky Miavia was in a prett rough spot after crowds turned their backs on his milquetoast smiling debut persona. To morph into the cocky main-eventer known as The Rock, Miavia needed to establish a harder edge to begin with. By joining the Nation of Domination and using their hard-nosed theme, The Rock was able to firmly established that the time for smiles and high-fives were over (at least for a few months).
Where does The Rock’s “Hollywood” and modern day themes fall in our rankings? You’ll find out on the next page if you smell what the Laser Time is cookin’.
Great job as always Dave but flip songs 1&2 and the list is perfect.
Wow. That was a surprising number 1. 4 is the best to me because of the crowd reaction. I also like how the song starts with the beats of the words perfectly. It always gets me hyped up. Number 1 is kinda lackluster to start. The way he says the phrase is like the way someone would say in a normal conversation.