NXT returns to Milwaukee this Thursday for the first time in over a year. As always, it’s going to be a show you won’t want to miss. This show sold out Turner Hall weeks ago, just as it did with a far different roster last summer. Much like any highly anticipated event, the music selection can make or break the mood.
Poor entrance music selection is to a wrestler what “Cupid Shuffle” is to a wedding…a total bummer. But in some cases, you luck out and get a great entrance song, something that excites the crowd and lets them know exactly who’s making their way to the ring. NXT may be WWE’s developmental brand, but the entrance music throughout the roster is glorious. Here’s your guide to the best entrance songs currently in NXT.
5. Bianca Belair — “Watch Me Shine”
When this song comes on, you know someone’s about to get their ass whipped…with a four-foot long braided ponytail. Belair’s entrance music is reminiscent of Sasha Banks’ in that you may not know all the words, but you know exactly who’s coming to the ring when you hear the first few bars.
Since debuting in the 2017 Mae Young Classic, Belair has made her mark in NXT, both metaphorically and literally, using her Rapunzel-esque hair to wildly strike her opponents. Milwaukee would be lucky to see the EST of NXT have a match with any of her recent opponents, including Taynara Conti, Io Shirai, and Deonna Purrazzo.
4. The Undisputed Era / Adam Cole — “Undisputed”
The grittiness of this song gives off some blue-collar vibes, which fits well with Philly-native Adam Cole. You can almost picture a cream cheese factory employee listening to this song as he chows down a cheesesteak and washes it down with some ‘wooder’ on his lunch break.
There’s also a fun built-in game as the song leads up to the part when Adam Cole says “Boom.” Take a drink every time you hear someone say “Boom” too early or too late, and every time you see someone doing Adam Cole’s arm flex/thumb point move. You’ll be sufficiently buzzed before the bell rings. Fun!
3. Nikki Cross — “Glasgow Cross”
Nikki Cross is unlike anyone else currently on the women’s roster, and her entrance music makes you well aware of that. Creepy laughter and blood-curdling screams are somehow seamlessly layered over a frantic techno beat, creating a song that makes your skin crawl but also makes you want to rave.
It’s unclear if Cross is still on NXT’s roster, as she recently appeared on SmackDown with the rest of SAnitY, but hopefully she’ll be bringing her unique brand of unhinged violence, screaming, and surprising technical skill to Turner Hall.
2. Velveteen Dream — “Velveteen”
From his third-eye sunglasses, to his unique ring gear (i.e. pants that say “Call me up Vince” on the butt), Velveteen Dream can do no wrong. His entrance music is no exception. Dream’s music oozes out of the speakers, from the subtle “Hit it” at the beginning, all the way through the remaining three repeating words of the song.
Just like Dream himself, the song has a mysterious element in that it never says exactly what “D-R-E-A-M” is. What is D-R-E-A-M? Unbeatable? Perfect? God herself? Perhaps the best adjective is “unforgettable” as Dream’s matches never disappoint. Hot off the heels of his title shot at NXT Takeover: War Games, Dream is sure to be looking for a redeeming spotlight in Milwaukee. Here’s hoping Dream’s dream is far from “ova.”
1. Aleister Black — “Root Of All Evil”
Aleister Black wrote the lyrics for this song. You read that correctly. Aleister Black wrote the damn lyrics for this (in the words of Matt Hardy) “woken” song. Despite repeating just nine lines over and over, this song is hands-down the most listenable of anyone on the NXT roster, and can be thoroughly enjoyed even outside of a wrestling event. The song doesn’t just work as entrance music; it’s also a promo within a song. The lyrics were recently even used against Black by his War Games opponent, Johnny Gargano (who arguably has the worst entrance music in NXT).
When this song comes on, you should get excited (and a little scared) because you’re about to watch a heavily-tattooed guy from the Netherlands perform a Black Mass on his opponent. Don’t worry if you’re not that into wrestling; Black’s song—combined with his overall ring performance—will make you a fan by the end of the match. Also, occult stuff is really in right now so jump on this bandwagon while you still can.
Honorable Mention
Tommaso Ciampa — “No One Will Survive”
Billed from Milwaukee, Ciampa looks like a guy you would see at a ‘Stallis bar (maybe not as many muscles though), and his entrance music sounds like the type of song a ‘Stallis bar would be playing as he slammed PBRs and played bar dice. It’s a decent song: kind of scary, kind of metal, but the heart-monitor beeping at the beginning sounds like a dump truck backing up. Plus, Ciampa was much cooler when he walked out without entrance music.
Street Profits — “Bring the Swag”
Street Profits deserve a song that’s better than this one. You may be asking yourself, why? And what even is a Street Profit? Here’s what Montez Ford had to say:
“We’re profits. We’re advancing in life. We’re advancing the tag team division. We’re advancing the goal. We’re advancing the skill. We’re advancing the style. We’re advancing everything. The profit is an advance, and that’s what we do.”
It’s a good entrance song, but based on that definition? CFO$ (WWE’s songwriting and production team) could have—and should have—kicked this song up a few notches. In spite of that, it’s different than the music a lot of the other tag teams use and it’s easy to sing along to. Your soon-to-be favorite tag team’s first priority should be a new entrance song, closely followed by a shot at the tag team titles.