We have a big update on WWE’s music department.
There has been a lot of criticism over Def Rebel’s WWE music production from fans over the last several years. This is due to a variety of reasons, depending on your taste in music.
A report from Fightful Select’s Corey Brennan says WWE is well aware of the fan backlash and continue to closely monitor the feedback coming in. With that being said, there hadn’t been a plan for Def Rebel to be replaced as of earlier this year.
As we reported earlier today here on WrestlingHeadlines.com, WWE posted a job listing seeking a new “Director of Music Strategy and Operations.” It is said that this wasn’t specifically for a composer role such as the one Jim Johnston previously held.
Several WWE talents who use Def Rebel’s themes have expressed frustration with the way their songs are produced. Some have even went as far as to say they highly dislike their current entrance songs.
When one WWE talent was asked about whether they were told in advance their music would be changing from the CFO$ era, they said they weren’t given a reason as to why. Most of the talent have never met or worked directly with Def Rebel.
Additionally, several members in the production department have expressed their desire to see a new method being used in the future.
One talent joked that all members of The Judgment Day, Damage CTRL, and Seth Rollins had a very similar intro to their previous themes. Although Def Rebel worked on the Damage CTRL and Seth Rollins theme songs, Alter Bridge worked on The Judgment Day’s theme. The talent said, “For the period of a few years any one of a dozen people could have been coming out.”
There are reportedly no imminent plans to utilize more licensed music as theme songs, as the company loves making money and isn’t interested in paying artists for music rights. The only time licensed music is still expected to be featured is at WWE PLEs.
Finally, it was noted that CFO$ would work closely with the talents they were producing theme songs for, including taking any and all input. While not confirmed, there were rumors that WWE owned the publishing rights of Jim Johnston and Def Rebel’s themes (per Arenataping) but only 50 percent of CFO$ themes.