I've been wanting to do a column on The Undisputed Era's theme since they debuted earlier this year, so it's been frustrating to wait for WWEMusic's YouTube channel to upload the damn song. They finally shared it online last Thursday, which has ended my misery and now pretty much allows me to break the theme down for you in this week's column.
From the first time I heard this track, I immediately thought of the nWo's theme. Its tempo isn't as slow as that of "Undisputed," but it was slow enough for Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall to saunter to the ring while playing air guitar. It also had similar-sounding riffs that gave their characters an additional layer of badassery.
In a way, giving Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly a theme that is a spiritual successor to the nWo's is apropos since you could argue that the three of them give off a similar vibe down in NXT. All three were big stars in the independent scene, particularly in Ring of Honor, and they've come to NXT to wreak havoc and usurp the spotlight for themselves, all while establishing their dominance in the process.
"Undisputed" starts with a digitally-enhanced clip of someone saying "Shock the System," which has become the group's catchphrase. Then, you hear a random drop that doesn't seem to belong anywhere on the track at all, and then the main riff kicks in. It's a mix of guitars, drums, and turntable action, a blend of metal and hip-hop that Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park tried to really push in the early 2000s. To say that the track is a throwback is interesting, considering the nWo comparisons I just made earlier.
Throughout the song, you'll hear random sound bites like grunts, "BOOM!", and "What up?" which Adam Cole seems to have memorized because he lip syncs them perfectly whenever he comes out on NXT. They sound smarmy and add another layer of asshole to the dick he's portraying on TV, so that works. I'm not sure how the random screaming peppered into the track makes sense into the entire thing, though, but sure, let's give it a dash of edgelord, too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Overall, "Undisputed" is a decent track that stands out enough relative to all the other songs that we've been introduced to over the past year. It isn't so special, and I wouldn't rank it among my top five, but it serves its purpose and isn't annoying enough—even though it is just one full loop, as usual.
What do you think of The Undisputed Era's theme? Sound off in the comments below!
Photo from WWE
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Stan Sy (@_StanSy) is the Editor at Large of Smark Henry, and is also a radio DJ on Wave 89.1, an events host, a freelance writer, and one of the hosts of the Smark Gilas-Pilipinas Podcast. He also used to be one of the hosts and writers of The Wrestling Gods on FOX. He enjoys watching WWE, NXT, Lucha Underground, and the occasional New Japan match. You can ask him questions about wrestling, Survivor (yes, the reality show), or whatever you like on his CuriousCat account.
