10 Wrestling Moments You Didn’t Know Were Totally Ripped Off

5. Ripoff Entrance Themes

Ripped Off
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Many Attitude Era fans actually discovered metal through pro wrestling as a result of its shared, cathartic edge.

And, when they did, they learned of Jimmy Hart and Jim Johnston's cheeky trick: subtly "altering" the rhythms of certain radio rock tunes to fit the character without incurring a copyright slap-down. Steve Austin's Won't Do What You Tell Me borrowed its name from Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name, but thieved the riff from the same band's Bulls On Parade. This is the most famous example of the 'Jimmy Hart Version' trope, but there are several others.

Countless others.

All of the others.

Cesaro's themes ripped off quite the range, from ersatz James Bond to the the bonehead landfill Indie of the Fratellis; Booker T and Harlem Heat quite ironically ripped off the manic strut of Kraftwerk's Musique Non Stop, as opposed to anything penned by his namesake; Simon Dean's 'Simon System' is Laura Brannigan's Gloria essentially note for note: virtually every theme is derivative of something else.

Bayley's 'Turn It Up' is Owl City's 'Good Time' which again is ironic, because being stigmatised as a wallflower through a refusal to wield a kendo stick doesn't sound awfully fun.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!