#ThemeSongTuesday (3/1/16): Gimme The Bad News First

“Did’ja think you’d havAmbrose take it frum Roman? That this cumpaneh wud’ve listened tuh ya? ...WELL I’M AFRAID I’VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS!”

Fastlane was that strong shot of alcohol we were pressured to take by our friends. They told us to just chug it down and let inebriation handle the rest. Others told us we’d regret it, but we didn’t listen. They told us it’d be fun. Yet here we are, having no fun and gagging at the thought of that finish.

Mike Chioda's stopped giving a shit at this point Source: WWE

A ray of light burned through this parchment of disaster the following night on RAW, when good 'ol suicidal Shane McMahon returned to demand control of the company's now deteriorating brand, due to its "stock, ratings, and plethora of talent injuries."

Whoever uses "plethora" deserves a Legacy of Excellence Award Source: WWE

One plart of this plethora of talent is soon-to-be-released Wade Barrett. As of late, he doesn't do much other than accompany the League of Nations and look intimidating. The charismatic brawler deserves a better road to his (possibly) final WrestleMania. You could’ve asked anyone present for his run as a top heel and they’d share the same sentiments.

“Rebel Son”—Wade Barrett’s theme for the past three years—is your typical CFO$ badass-archetype composition. As we’ve discussed before, that means lots of heavily distorted guitars and thick, hard-hitting drums. Hardcore growling vocals that yell out “BOOM.” It’s at this point that his character went from an Intercontinental Championship run to menial feuds with Neville and R-Truth.

Source: WWE

Source: WWE

It’s a bloody shame, too. “Rebel Son” just happens to be one of the more uniquely crafted themes, despite it still resembling a lot of other superstars’ music. The guitars in this track sound almost exactly like Kevin Owens’ “Fight” and Cesaro’s “Swiss Made”, but are given an added layer with solo guitar licks one could akin to the riffs heard in Ambrose’s older theme “Lunatic Rage”. We’re well aware of CFO$’s tendency to get monotonous, but really? Do they have these guitar tracks pre-recorded and lying around somewhere just waiting to be clicked and dragged around a Pro Tools timeline? Before “Rebel Son,” he used “We Are One” by 12 Stones during his first main roster run as the leader of the Nexus.

Let’s take this into consideration: this is a man who stood out among the first NXT contenders. He led the rest of the pioneer batch, called the Nexus, to destroy John Cena, the commentary team, the ring itself, and both Justin Roberts and Daniel Bryan’s employment (temporarily) with a necktie. All on their RAW debut. It was an angle that was fresh, exciting and terrifying at the same time.

After the Nexus was sent 6 feet below the ground by Cena, Barrett led another heel stable with Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, and Ezekiel Jackson (Big Ryck to Lucha Underground fans) called the Corre. Naturally, a ferocious theme goes to the ferocious leader: the Jim Johnston composed “End of Days.” A track reminiscent of Ruthless Aggression themes, with vocals provided by Sahaj Ticotin, the same man who sang Randy Orton’s “Voices” for the WrestleMania 30 promos.

A heel that could go toe-to-toe with John Cena is someone you build up to be a main threat in the future. But alas, WWE’s ability to build up a strong antagonist is only matched by their ability to fuck them up entirely. The Nexus’ feud with Cena ended with Barrett having zero big wins over Big Match John, then things just fizzled out until he set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. During this and his newfound “Barrett Barrage” gimmick, he switched themes and was given an already established song: “Just Don’t Care Anymore” by Texas rock band American Fangs.

This amped his ruthlessness up even more, but only as far as his theme. After he lost the Intercontinental Championship, the losses piled on all the way ‘til the WrestleMania 29 pre-show. Then another one at Money In The Bank 2013. Even the way he ended his losing streak seemed like a middle finger from the company, as his first win after a long while happened against R-Truth at Main Event. Oh, dear. Now, you can catch him in the occasional tag match, or as Wade "here at ringside" Barrett during Sheamus matches.

"Ah, hello middle rope 'ol friend!" Source: WWE

"End of Days" and "Just Don't Care Anymore" tie for the themes that best captured his controlled, intelligent intensity, but the current theme "Rebel Son"—much like his time in WWE—packed quite the punch but lacked the proper follow through that could’ve led him to great things. Barrett continues to show his amazing mic skills when given the chance, and we wish him the best in future (physically safer) ventures.

What do you think of Wade Barrett’s many themes? Share your favorite ones in the comments below!

 

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When he isn't writing Smark Henry's #ThemeSongTuesday column, Lorenzo Magnaye hosts the #HomeRun on 99.5 PlayFM. It's a good thing, too, since his childhood consisted mostly of watching professional wrestling and listening to his parents on the radio. He's only recently rekindled his love for the WWE, and has been trying to make up for missing out on everything post-WrestleMania XX by praying to Seth Rollins thrice a day. Follow him on Twitter: @RenzoSaurus!

March 01, 2016