Fans are not alone in being frustrated with the current crop of WWE theme songs that Def Rebel makes.
In December 2023, there was a report that a change for Randy Orton’s theme song was considered after years of his familiar “Voices” song. It was not the new Rev Theory version either, as it had “no music off the top and limited lyrics.” Orton was not a fan of the Def Rebel-made theme song and nixed it within minutes of hearing it.
Fightful Select’s Corey Brennan reports WWE is aware of the fan backlash and is monitoring the reactions, but there hasn’t been a plan in place to replace Def Rebel. Fans became hopeful when WWE posted a job listing looking to fill for “Director of Music Strategy and Operations.”
Sean Ross Sapp was told this wasn’t specifically for a composer role as Jim Johnston once held. Instead, it’s for UFC, PBR, and other TKO properties. The report noted, “In speaking to several WWE talents who are currently using Def Rebel’s themes, Brennan was frustrated across the board with Def Rebel’s methods and the themes they have produced, with several talents expressing negativity about their current theme music. When Sean Ross Sapp spoke with talent, many were never told outright why their theme music changed from the CFO$ era, even though they asked. The talent that we’ve heard back from say that they haven’t had direct contact or met Def Rebel.”
People who work in production have communicated that they would prefer a new method and were hopeful for a more “motivated and personalized” approach to theme music. Fightful has not heard of any imminent plan to utilize more licensed music as theme songs.
This is just a snippet of the story. For complete details, please visit Fightful Select at Patreon.com/Fightful.
