WWE "Very Aware" of Fan Frustration With Current Theme Song Producers Def Rebel

WWE fans have dragged the music producers in recent weeks.

By Liam Crowley

While positive response to WWE's visual on-screen product is reaching an all-time high, the same cannot be said for the company's audio presentation. WWE's current music producers, Def Rebel, has been put on blast by fans in recent weeks due to a noticeable pattern in the group's output. Fans have noticed that new WWE superstar theme songs tend to begin with the superstar either saying their name or their catchphrase before a generic instrumental follows, evident in the new themes for Tiffany Stratton, New Catch Republic's Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, AJ Styles, Naomi, and others.

WWE Has Noticed Def Rebel Criticism

DEF-REBEL-WWE-CRITICISM-VERY-AWARE
(Photo: WWE)

Change to WWE's theme songs could be coming sooner than later.

As reported by Fightful Select, WWE is said to be "very aware" of the criticism fans have expressed towards Def Rebel-produced WWE theme songs. It was also added that Douglas J. Davis, one of Def Rebel's key original figures, is not part of Def Rebel anymore and "hasn't been for years." It is believed that Def Rebel's WWE Contract Expires at the end of the year.

Def Rebel began producing music for WWE ahead of WWE WrestleMania 35 in 2019. They took over for CFO$, a fan-favorite producing duo that parted ways with WWE after the sports-entertainment giant got in a disagreement with their publisher, Arcade Songs, regarding royalties. WWE had wanted to sign CFO$ to an in-house deal, which ultimately fell through due to Arcade Songs CEO Gregg Wattenberg pulling CFO$ from WWE Music Group. Wattenberg filed to trademark CFO$ days after departing WWE.

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Prior to CFO$, WWE had a multi-decade partnership with composer Jim Johnston. Johnston is championed as the father of professional wrestling themes, as he is responsible for the iconic signature songs of WWE Hall of Famers like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, The Ultimate Warrior, and dozens of others. 

"Vince [McMahon] fired me. He put it in that he wasn't renewing my contract, but that's semantics. Why? I don't know," Johnston said in a 2021 interview reflecting on his departure from WWE in 2017. "You'd have to ask him. It was time for me to go for me, so honestly, to some degree, he did me a favor. But still, that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. It doesn't mean, you're not disappointed."

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