8 Def Rebel WWE Themes That That AREN’T Complete Garbage
3. El Grande Americano
(Listen here)
Initially cutting too close to the bone when it first launched (due as much to outside events rather than anything Chad Gable might have been putting into the performance), the El Grande Americano gimmick eventually landed where it needed to as a bit of charming midcard comedy on Raw, backed up by the man underneath the mask's constant ability to get just about anything over.
In another pleasing turn of events for the idea, the entrance theme was at least something that aimed to meet the intention of the idea. John Philip Sousa's "Stars & Stripes Forever" had familiarity within WWE canon, having soundtracked some of Hulk Hogan and Sgt Slaughter's 1991 feud as well as providing Lex Luger with an instant hit of Americana when he was hurriedly turned babyface in 1993 for his jingoistic run against heel WWE Champion Yokozuna. The overtly patriotic marching band song effectively carried similar weight to the US national anthem, in that didn't feel like something that could be trifled with.
Enter a mariachi version, and the total undermining of all of that with the most on-the-nose way of poking fun at the gimmick. Blending faux gravitas with the over-arching naffness of Gable's one-note ruse, the theme mocks both itself and the American Made leader while simultaneously allowing audiences to get in on the fun and attach mythical lore to Americano's supposed rich history in wrestling. The link to the tune above features a comments section that has been taken over by people gleefully buying into Americano's biggest and best moments before making it to WWE.