10 Absolute Best Uses Of Music In Wrestling History

By Jamie Kennedy /

8. 'Badstreet USA' Rocks For Fabulous Freebirds

The 1980's were a unique time for professional wrestling. In the middle of the decade, Vince McMahon Jr decided to totally change the way the then-World Wrestling Federation was portrayed. Not content to simply be pro wrestling, McMahon wanted to 'Sports Entertainment', an accepted part of pop culture. Marrying music and wrestling was a big part of that, but he wasn't the first to think of it. In 1983, Michael 'P.S' Hayes was the leader of The Fabulous Freebirds. Plying their trade in World Class Championship Wrestling, the group had been huge heels and feuded with The Von Erich Family. Hayes had always been a proponent for marrying Southern Rock style with pro wrestling, feeling it was a natural marriage. In '83, he'd pen a track which has become infamous.Known as 'Badstreet USA', the song was instantly recognisable. Whenever it played, it set the tone for what the Freebirds were going to do on shows. McMahon must have been impressed, because Hayes and the gang were briefly signed to the WWF in 1984. Badstreet USA played a big part in that success, with the huge, easy-to-sing chorus and brooding vocals from Hayes himself.