Episodes

Mike Santana has made his debut in NXT after Tony D'Angelo's retention of the NXT Championship against Naraku. When you heard Santana's entrance theme, you heard today's guest, Blass 89. On today's episode, I speak with rapper Blass 89 about his relationship with Mike Santana, including working on his entrance theme and the emotional story behind the lyrics production, and a story about perseverance through the entrance theme. We also talk about Blass 89's upbringing in church music to hardcor...

Coming out of the Wicked Garden match against The Righteous in TNA Wrestling, Jeff Hardy has graced us with a conversation about how he's recuperating after such a vicious match! Jeff Hardy talks about his various themes over the years from the iconic Hardy Boyz entrance theme Loaded to his TNA entrance themes. Did you know Jeff Hardy wrote many of his TNA entrance themes from Modest to Obsolete and others in between? Pretty incredible! We dive deep into the stories behind his debut TNA theme, ...

He can slap a tornado and dry up a sea, sometimes he's BROKEN, but today...TNA Wrestling's Matt Hardy is hanging with us on Ropes and Riffs In our interview, Matt Hardy shares insights into his iconic entrance themes, the creative process behind them, and how music has played a pivotal role in his wrestling career. From 'Loaded' to 'Live for the Moment' and 'Moonlight Sonata,' discover how Hardy's musical choices shaped his character and connected with fans. we also talk about his theme as Brok...

From the ashes of The High Crusade comes GRPPLNG, the musical brain child of Motor City Machine Guns Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, Chris Plumb, Adam Cline, and Adam Tatro. GRPPLNG's debut EP, "H's All Around," comes out May 18th and features four new original songs about heartache, happenstance, hubris, and hope. On today's episode, Chris Plumb and I talk all about the new record, the themes behind the music, and how time apart made the GRPPLNG guys come back together. We also discuss playing ...

Lizzy Rain has been lighting up WWE NXT since her debut with her Heavy Metal, never say die attitude and in ring style! After a successful debut against Nikkita Lyons, The Maiden of Metal is going to be tearing it up against Zaria and Nikkita Lyons with her tag partner Tatum Paxley. In our interview, we talk with the former Rayne Leverkusen, now Lizzy Rain, about becoming the flag bearer for metal in wrestling, what it means to her to bring Clive Burr (her uncle, the original Iron Maiden drumme...

D-Von Dudley of The Dudley Boyz and Team 3D. Reverend D-Von. Whatever you wanna call him, one word will always stand out: legend. D-Von Dudley is a wrestler who is synonymous with so many companies and the most decorated tag teams in all of professional wrestling, so it's only fitting that he's had a myriad of awesome entrance themes over his career. We talk all about the entrance themes he's had with The Dudley Boyz and how their Wrestlemania moment was one of the best theme moments for him, ...

Atreyu just dropped their latest record, The End Is Not The End, which is thirteen tracks of the sonic brutality and creativity that you've come to know and love with them. Travis Miguel (a fellow Balaguer Guitars endorsee with some sick custom guitars!) and I had the opportunity to sit down a few days before the record came out to talk all about the creation of the record, his favorite tracks from it, and how Atreyu has achieved the longevity of being in a band for almost 25 years. As many wo...

In today's episode, we explore the fascinating intersection of professional wrestling and fashion through McKenzie Mitchell's brand new book, "Threads of Triumph", out April 7th 2026 and discover how wrestling gear shapes identity and storytelling in the ring. In the world of professional wrestling, the gear worn by wrestlers is often as iconic as the athletes themselves. From the flamboyant robes of Ric Flair to the striking ensembles of modern stars, wrestling attire tells a story that goes b...

Mike Santana, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, hangs with John Kiernan before his title defense at TNA Rebellion against Eddie Edwards for the TNA World Championship! We talk about why Eddie Edwards is in for the fight of his life, how his entrance theme Realest of The Real embodies the story of his life, what some of his favorite TNA Wrestling entrance themes are, and the importance of a solid entrance theme for any wrestler. Enjoy! - 🔔Subscribe To The Show! https://www.youtube.com/@ropesnrif...

In the world of professional wrestling, creating a compelling character is as crucial as mastering the in-ring techniques. In this episode, we dive into the story of Sidney Bateman and his evolution into the character Soleil, exploring the passion and creativity that shaped this unique persona. We also talk about his new entrance theme and how Zaheer, myself (John Kiernan) and him made it come together so quickly. Discover how Sidney Bateman transformed his wrestling career through the creation ...

Nili Brosh is one of today's premier guitarists with a brand new record out called Eventide. Performing with the likes of Danny Elfman, Dethklok, and Cirque De Soleil, as well as being the guitarist on the X-Men 97 theme, Nili's your favorite guitarist's favorite guitarist! In our conversation, we talk all about the creation of her newest record Eventide, the process of working on the record, and how/why she continues to merge so many styles into each record from 80s Synthwave to flamenco to sh...

Brendan Vink to Duke Hudson in Chase U in NXT to Duke Hanson, Australia's own has had some awesome entrance themes over the years. The man once known as Elliot Sexton talks to me about how music has impacted his life, working with Downstait on his newest theme Brand New Duke, and one of his favorite themes he's ever had in Hangman, as well as how Chase U's and walking out with a stable has a different feel than walking out on his own. - 🔔Subscribe To The Show! https://www.youtube.com/@ropesnr...

You just heard him on My Shadow Knows Tommaso Ciampa AEW Entrance Theme , you've heard him for years on The Big Show entrance theme Crank It Up and Paul Wight's AEW theme, and you've probably even heard his amazing covers of popular songs in various styles. On this episode, I talk with Joe Altier, the man behind the Big Show's entrance themes over the years. We talk all about how he got involved with Jim Johnston and Big Show's theme Crank It Up, how Brand New Sin was tapped to write their rend...

Drew McIntyre Broken Dreams. You hear those words and you immediately think of one of WWE's most iconic themes of all time. Now you get to hear the full story behind the theme with the band behind the music. Shaman's Harvest vocalist Nathan Hunt hangs out with me, John Kiernan (your resident wrestling entrance theme song composer) to talk all about the behind the scenes of writing Broken Dreams with Shaman's Harvest while they were in the process of recording an album. Nathan also talks about t...

Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Anderson, Ken Anderson. You know him by many names. Whatever you know him by, he's a great dude with some awesome stories about wrestling, his awesome entrance themes in his time in WWE and TNA, and his favorite themes in pro wrestling. We also talk about what Vince McMahon's vision of entrance themes was, as well as talk about the songs that represent the heart an soul of Ken Anderson the most. Also...Avenged Sevenfold wrote a theme for him??? Where's that at? Enjoy today's e...

Hi everyone! My guests on today's episode are the unbelievably creative and spiffing chaps in The Ex-Bombers! You may know some of their work from their work on The Jim Cornette Experience's theme, as well as Jeremiah Plunkett's theme in NWA wrestling. We talk all about their process in working on these themes, as well as talk about their own original music and their wild instruments like an 8 string bass. We also talk about how they approach their overall creative vision, as they are unbelieva...

Shinsuke Nakamura's theme, The Rising Sun. One of wrestling's most iconic modern themes in WWE. In 2016, I recorded a cover of The Rising Sun on guitar (before I ever got into writing entrance themes) and it connected me with wrestling fans and other composers and musicians in the industry like It Lives, It Breathes and many more. The Rising Sun means a lot to me for what it meant to me as a fan of Shinsuke, as a musician working on covers, and as hearing longtime WWE composers CFO$ crush anothe...

I recently got the opportunity to write Lacey Lane's new entrance theme, Let's Go For A Ride, so it was only fitting to have Lacey Lane on Ropes N Riffs to talk about...what else? Entrance themes and music! In our conversation, I, John Kiernan, ask Lacey Lane (fka Kayden Carter) all about her love for different styles of music from Metal to Country and much more. We talk about the entrance themes she's used over time, including on the independents, the Mae Young Classic, and with her tag team w...

Hi everyone! One of wrestling's most memorable themes is Kane's entrance theme from his debut at Survivor Series 1997. The rendition of his theme Slow Chemical written by Finger Eleven is just as memorable, if not more so, to so many. Finger Eleven guitarist Rick Jackett, fresh off of the release of their new album Last Night On Earth, discuss the process of writing and releasing Last Night On Earth and how Finger Eleven is thriving as a fully independent band without a label. We also discuss ...

Hi Everyone! I'm always grateful to have written with It Lives, It Breathes on Brian Myers entrance theme The Ride and the with legendary Downstait to collaborate on Matt Cardona and Brian Myers tag team theme Major Players was another dream come true. Brian Myers and I finally have a conversation, on camera, for y'all to talk about entrance themes. Brian Myers joins me on this episode to talk about our collaboration on his entrance theme The Ride and Major Players, as well as discuss his them...

Hi everyone! It's always awesome to speak with fellow theme song composers, especially when they're kings and legends of the space. Enter, once again, Downstait...this time, their guitarist Justin Call. Justin and I talk all about working on legendary entrance themes like Cody Rhodes Kingdom, Matt Cardona's Theme, The Miz Theme, Alex Riley's theme, and more. We also talk about how it had been to collaborate and work with WWE's former entrance theme composer Jim Johnston. What's his favorite one...

No Name Tim has been crushing it in the music industry for years now and you've heard his music everywhere. Tim and I, John Kiernan, sat down to talk about some of his iconic themes he's written for talents such as Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa as Guerillas Of Destiny (GOD) in New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ace Austin AEW theme, Brittnie Brooks, Fallyn Grey, and many more. We also play our favorite game on the show, Music City Rumble, where No Name Tim names the musicians he'd book in a wrestling match: o...

Hi guys! John here. Totally had to steal his gimmick for a sec. If you know what I'm talking about, you know who today's guest is...Maven! You may remember Maven from his time as WWE Tough Enough FIRST winner! You may remember him for his awesome entrance theme, Tattoo (which apparently he hated!). You may remember him for knocking Undertaker over the top rope in the Royal Rumble. You may know him for his successful YouTube channel! You may know him for all of those things and more, but one th...

HI everyone! Many of you know how important Bray Wyatt was to me as a wrestling fan. For years, Bray's entrance theme Live In Fear resonated with so many of us, as it was the perfect theme for the Wyatt Family and Bray at large. I got the opportunity to sit down with the man behind the theme, Mark Crozer, and talk about how his song Broken Out Of Love became the anthem that Wyndham Rotunda would walk out to with his family over the years, his thoughts on the adaptations done by names such as Co...