Michael Oku - Working with Mikey Rukus, His Entrance Theme No Control, His Favorite Entrance Themes
Michael Oku is a professional wrestler and entrance theme aficionado known for his work across the global independent scene and RevPro. He sat down on Ropes N Riffs with host John Kiernan to discuss how he quietly borrowed his iconic catchphrase from Ric Flair, his love for entrance music, the story behind his hit theme "No Control" by Mikey Ruckus featuring Tristan McIntosh, and his favorite wrestling themes of all time.
You’re a self-proclaimed aficionado when it comes to entrance music. What are some of your favorite entrance themes of all time?
Michael Oku: "Wow, it feels like a Mount Rushmore of my favorite entrance musics of all time. Definitely, Christian's Just Close Your Eyes by Waterproof Blonde is on there. I feel like that was one of the first times that I heard an entrance theme, especially during that era, where I was like, 'Oh what, a woman is singing for a guy?' To me, that stood out as something so cool and really fit Christian at that time.
There are times where I think the Disturbed version of Stone Cold's entrance theme is not just one of my favorites, but I think it's the perfect wrestling entrance song. As in there is no doubt about it that this is for a professional wrestler who's about to come out.
And Hollywood Rock's theme—my God. That might be my favorite. When he came back when he was doing his final run and brought back the Hollywood Rock theme, I was screaming, losing my mind. Those are the three that stick out to me."
In British and independent wrestling right now, who do you think has some of the best entrance themes in 2026?
Michael Oku: "One that comes to mind immediately is a song called Burned by Kwantana, used by a wrestler called JJ Gayle who wrestles a lot for RevPro. We've entered the era where fans realize these are songs, and just like when they go to concerts, they sing along. When JJ Gayle comes out to this theme—which isn't a popular mainstream song—everybody loves it.
There's also Connor Mills. An artist called Filthy has done a lot of themes for people, and people are really bopping to Connor Mills' theme music. There's a part in it that is very chantable, which is always a nice key to victory when it comes to having a good song."
Where did your iconic catchphrase, "Now We Play," come from?
Michael Oku: "Now We Play came from... I basically stole it from Ric Flair quietly, and hoped that nobody would notice.
He would grab the leg a lot of the times and he'd say, 'Now we go to school' and try a figure four leg lock. I was trying to get my half crab over, so I thought if I grab it and say something else—like 'Now we play'—it's as if my business is about to pick up.
I also had a poster from the original NES console box as a kid that said, 'Now you're playing with power.' So combining that childhood Nintendo memory with Ric Flair grabbing a leg for a submission, I put that together and thought, okay, that's going to be my catchphrase. I even met Ric Flair at Mania weekend in Dallas and told him!"
Your current theme, "No Control," features powerful vocals from Tristan McIntosh and production by Mikey Rukus. How did that track come to be your entrance music?
Michael Oku: "I used to use a library track called War by DFM, which I edited myself to put 'Now We Play' on top of it. When I wasn't allowed to use certain library tracks anymore, RevPro's Andy Quildan told me he was going to get Mikey Ruckus to make a theme for me.
I asked to make sure there was a woman singing the chorus and maybe a guy rapping the verses—again, stemming back to that Christian theme I loved. The first time I heard No Control was moments before I walked out to it in 2020, and I fell in love with it.
Later, I found out Mikey Rukus had a batch of tracks for RevPro, and Andy Quildan insisted, 'No, he's a top guy, this track needs to be for a top guy.' It turned out to be the strongest vocal hook on Mikey's album. Tristan McIntosh sang her heart out on it, and meeting her in London recently to film a video together was just amazing. It’s a song I love and plan to use for as long as I’m allowed to."
If you had to choose three songs to put on a Spotify playlist that represent you, Michael Oku, what would those three songs be?
Michael Oku: "Well, I would have to not say No Control. I mean, I want to because people would, A, be surprised how much I listen to it considering it's my entrance theme. I'm not sick of it... so maybe No Control is on there.
And then, man, I think I really love the '80s. I've got a soft spot for the '80s. So I'm trying to think of a specific '80s song that's like, 'This is me, this is Michael Oku.' Skeletons by Stevie Wonder. I know that is just so out of nowhere, maybe, but that just sounds so '80s to me. And I always feel like I was born 22 years too late.
And then the last one—I'm gonna say Wonder Man. Me and my girlfriend, Amira Blair, only realized a few months ago that Ellie Goulding is both of our guilty pleasures. The first time I heard Ellie Goulding was in Wonder Man, and then I started seeking out Ellie Goulding. So Wonder Man is just such a really, really cool song, and I'm gonna put Wonder Man."
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Do you like wrestling? Do you like music and stories from the road? Join John Kiernan, wrestling entrance theme song composer, and professional musician of over 10 years for stories and interviews with your favorite wrestlers, rock stars, and personalities!
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John Kiernan is a wrestling entrance theme song composer with over 150 themes written for wrestlers in various promotions such as NJPW, WWE, ROH, MLW, and many more. As a professional musician, a veteran in the podcasting space, an avid pro wrestling fan and wrestling personality by way of creating the soundtracks for your favorite wrestlers, John Kiernan forges his latest podcasting venture into diving into stories of music, stories from the road, and wrestling from all walks of life from your (and his) favorites of all time.
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