Skip to main content

Recapping Jim Johnston's First Work In WWE.


We've all heard of the saying of "music brings joy in us". While it is a cheese pizza saying, the statement is 100% true especially in my case. One of my earliest childhood memories involved my parents playing 90s RnB and Hip Hop music on the car radio. After my wrestling fandom kicked in, I furthered my taste in music by listening to rock/heavy metal as well as some electronic dance music or EDM.

Needless to say, I love music and professional wrestling has been incorporating music into their characters and shows for what feels like an eternity. 

Now, music wasn't part of the pro wrestling mystic until the 1950s hit where Mildred Burke utilized music in her entrance. The same practice was also executed in the same decade by Gorgeous Geroge. 

The 1970s was a period of time where a few pro wrestlers gave their shot as a musician. 

"Classy" Freddie Blassie released an album in 1977 called "Blassie, King Of Men". The album utilized his promo mic skills instead of his raw vocal range which was a smart move if you ask me. 


The 80s is an important period of time when it comes to music in professional wrestling. 

The WWF was a huge beneficiary when it came to music in wrestling. When you think of the likes of Macho Man, "the million-dollar Man" Ted Dibiase, Hulk Hogan (#F**kHulkHogan) or hell, even The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, you think about their theme song. 

Music was such a part of their DNA that they released an album in late 1985 simply titled "The Wrestling Album". 

That same year, Titan Towers decided to recruit a name you may or may not heard of, Jim Johnston. 

There's a reason why people would post #JimJohnstonForHOF whenever his name comes up and that's because he's made a mark in wrestling even though the man isn't a promoter or a pro wrestler. 

Johnson is responsible for some of the most iconic music in professional wrestling that folks will still vibe to even after Johnson left WWE 4 years ago. 


Songs that come to mind are The Undertaker, Steve Austin, The Rock, Bret Hart and my personal favourite, Luke Gallows because that is some of Johnston's best work according to Smackdown vs RAW 2011. 

With that out of the way, I am going to review Johnston's early work in a new limited article series (depending on whether I like doing this), "Reviewing Jim Johnston's Early Work" where I recap Johnston's early work mostly from the mid-80s to the early 90s. 

In this post, I'll be writing about Johnston's first piece of music recorded for the then WWF which was the main theme song for the second-ever Wrestlemania. 

Let's get the negatives out of the way. The SONG ISN'T IN HIGH QUALITY. EVEN MY OLD RINGTONE FOR MY NOKIA PHONE HAS A HIGHER QUALITY THAN THIS! 

This is a great example of Jim Johnston showing his versatility when it comes to the composition of his music. 

So, the dude executed the "This clearly isn't ad music for the NFL back in the 80s" in a way that was passable. 

His later work is a lot more memorable which is why it feels like the early phase of his WWE music career (for the most part, of course) was him figuring out the genre of the music he composes that fits with certain shows' main theme songs/promotional ads/performers. 

On and all, this instrument was a decent path at an eventual legendary career for the man called Jim Johnston. 


(Monday Night RAW was so bad today, I decided to post this month’s editorial a week early). 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

WWE Wrestlemania 26 | A Coherent Review.

I've teased a mystery review on my Facebook page (which you can click here to follow us) and that mystery has now been unveiled. It's Wrestlemania 26. This review was delayed and was supposed to be up last Monday but at least is now up. Also, The first draft of this review was 7 pages long so strap in. By far, the longest review on this very website.  I thought it would be fitting to review a Wrestlemania from a decade back and how do I feel about it? It was a show that if you watched it, you're most likely going to have a good time. It was a mix of great things but terrible things at the same time as most shows.  The 26th edition of Wrestlemania took place in the University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona on March 28th, 2010.  The commentators were Micheal Cole, Jerry Lawler and Matt Striker. Honestly, Striker was pretty good and a far better colour commentator than Lawler was on this show (even today, Lawler is still bleh on commen...

AEW Dynamite Blood And Guts | A Coherent Review.

Another watchable episode of AEW Dynamite but this time, it features the first-ever Blood And Guts encounter. Kenny Omega And Michael Nakazawa vs Jon Moxley And Eddie Kingston.  Don Callis announced that Michael Nakazawa is going to face Mox and Kingston all by himself only for Kenny Omega to show up and compete in the match anyway.  A weird booking choice but I'm just nitpicking.  What wasn't weird was how the match ended with a double team dragon suplex into a clothesline from the duo of Mox and Kingston to Nakazawa.  Then, a beatdown ensued from Omega's Posse to Jonny Mox and Eddie Kingston. The Young Bucks vs Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston? I'm down.  It was revealed later in the night that a number one contenders match for the AEW championship is set up for next week's show between Orange Cassidy and Pac. I'm assuming AEW is saving the Hangman Page and Kenny Omega encounter for All Out?  Either way, AEW has the potential to tell an interesting story of ...

The 5 News Week: Quick Predictions On Wrestlemania: Backlash.

Hello, my fellow wrestling fans and welcome to the 5 news week. The post where I report 5 major or minor pro wrestling news, rumours and spoilers of the week that I don't have time to do it separately.  Without further ado, here are the 5 news week.   A Brief Thoughts On AEW Dynamite.  For the first time on this very series, I am going to briefly discuss my thoughts on AEW Dynamite and it was decent for the most part. I do have some perspectives on a few key things.  Most notably, that Cody Rhodes promo which by the way, was without exaggeration, one of the worst PROMOS I've ever witnessed as a 14 year veteran in the wrestling fandom.  The overall dialogue was an example of American imperialism and without a little or too much propaganda (while having the basic understanding of American imperialism), it exposed the very dated nature of the "America vs foreign heel" storyline.  Let's move on to the positives. Miro's booking in recent months has been exc...