Jim Johnston Not A Fan Of Current WWE Theme Songs

Newsweek has published an interview longtime WWE music producer Jim Johnston, who recently left the company after a 32-year tenure. Johnston is responsible for creating some of the most iconic theme songs in WWE history, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker and countless others.

Johnston spoke with Tufayel Ahmed from Newsweek about how he came to work for WWE in the mid-1980’s, what it was like to work for Vince McMahon, how much input Superstars have into their theme songs and his next career moves.

“My last few years with WWE were sadly filled with a lot of politics. It was disappointing because I didn’t think I could contribute in the way I would have preferred. It was probably best I’m no longer there.”

Johnston’s role producing WWE theme songs was greatly scaled back in 2014 when the band CFO$ were brought on as the company’s resident composers. Johnston thinks today’s WWE entrance music sounds too generic and feels bad for the Superstars who are missing a key component of their characters.

“What’s being produced just feels too homogenous. It’s just music that plays—it doesn’t feel like each guy is really themed. All the women have a dance music kind of thing. And it’s lots and lots of loud sound effects.

What makes the worst is not anything that happened to me, or any negativity towards those composers…I feel bad for the talent trying to build careers for themselves when I just don’t feel they’re being served well enough to become stars.”

Johnston used Steve Austin as a prime example of the impact music can have on a character. He says Austin’s ringmaster character was “dead in the water” but a couple of tweaks, different music, different attitude, and he went on to become one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling history.

“I’m wondering who is working currently at WWE who is an absolute superstar but, who, because they’re wrapped in a homogenous piece of clothing, they’re stuck and can’t break out?” said Johnston. “I would hope they would try to really brand each guy and each woman as an individual.”