15 Greatest Jim Johnston WWE Themes
" I have no idea what I wrote for The Ringmaster, but I bet it wasn’t very good.” WRONG.
After three decades scoring the soundtrack to our most cherished wrestling memories, Jim Johnston was reportedly let go from WWE last week. Once The Fink packs it in, that really will be the (long overdue) end of our childhoods.
Johnston wasn't just an occasional collaborator who provided a few memorable melodies to the Stamford promotion. Since assuming the composer-in-residence role full time ahead of regular contributors Rick Derringer, Jimmy Hart, and J.J. Maguire, Johnston has been the sound of WWE, penning more iconic tunes than any pop star of the past thirty years. The likes of Justin Bieber and One Direction might lay claim to however many triple-platinum albums, but can any of them say they wrote the theme tune of The Rock, Steve Austin, or The Undertaker? Baby, please: they'd kill for that.
The WWE musician's discography is ludicrously extensive. Considering it's "just" wrestling music, It's also incredibly varied, running the gamut of genres from grunge metal and hard rock to Romantic ballades and sweeping symphonies. Yes, the names might be corny ("Hart Attack", I ask you), but the music is insanely catchy. And good.
Picking just fifteen for his greatest hits was almost impossible. Send complaints to his record label.
15. The Ministy Of Darkness - "Ministry"
It's a little unfair that of all the awesome entrance themes Jim Johnston wrote, The Undertaker was the recipient of approximately 60% of them. At least a whole crew of Satanic lackeys got to bask in the creepy coolness of this 1998 effort.
Flunkie familiars such as Viscera and Mideon probably couldn't believe their luck, given the chance to evilly tromp out to a theme so Goth it helped dismantle the Roman Empire. Quite what diabolical incantations Minister in Chief The Undertaker is reciting are unclear, but we suspect it's the ancient demonic language of 'gibberish'.