A major part of the pageantry and the grandeur that makes WrestleMania the extravaganza it is are the live musical performances. They have become a staple of WrestleMania in the last decade, with this year's instalment featuring Flo Rida and Pitbull, among others, singing the show's theme song, “Greenlight.”
The various renditions of “America the Beautiful” we have had over the years have also been amazing, but the tradition of bands and artists singing Superstars to the ring is perhaps the best use of a live musical act at the event. It has always added a sense of extravagance to the stars’ entrances and adds to the pomp and circumstance of WrestleMania.
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Fans tend to remember Motorhead's live performances for Triple H in years past, as well as POD performing for Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 22, but there are a handful of underrated musical acts from WrestleMania's storied history that have gone under the radar.
#5 Snoop Dogg (WrestleMania 32)
While there were several other celebrities that should have been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame before Snoop Dogg, he wasn't an unworthy recipient considering all the work he has done with the company over the years. He entered the illustrious hall the weekend of WrestleMania 32 and gave a good speech.
His weekend didn't end there, though, as he was asked to play a part in Sasha Banks' first-ever entrance at WrestleMania that Sunday. After all, the two are cousins in real life, and Snoop performing her theme song live would make her matchup that much more memorable.
Decked out in her Eddie Guerrero-inspired ring gear, The Boss was accompanied in her walk to the ring by Snoop Dogg, but only after he had rapped and remixed her entrance song. It was a cool moment that virtually solidified Banks as a star, despite her loss that night.
#4 The Dudley Boyz (WrestleMania 18)
WrestleMania 18 is most famously known for the night that Drowning Pool played Triple H to the ring, but they weren't the only musical act that performed. Saliva also had a pretty prominent role at the event, singing the show's theme song at one point in the evening before appearing again a little later on.
Yes, of all the Superstars to receive the honour, The Dudley Boyz were an odd choice, especially considering they were in a throwaway tag team title match on that show. That said, Saliva did an excellent job of performing “Get the Tables” and actually made the song sound better than the original (Bubba Ray would later use that version as a singles star months later).
If nothing else, their live performance gave fans an excuse to see Stacy Kiebler rock out with members of the band at the top of the stage. That alone was worth it.
#3 Randy Orton (WrestleMania 30)
When you think of WrestleMania 30, the first thing that comes to mind is Daniel Bryan and his rise to superstardom. He fought valiantly against The Authority all night long, culminating in an amazing WWE World Heavyweight Championship victory in the main event.
From a musical standpoint, fans recall Mark Crozer doing a live rendition of Bray Wyatt's entrance theme (which looked and sounded amazing), but Rev Theory performing for Randy Orton is typically forgotten about. They performed “Voices” for him as he walked to the ring for his main event title defence, and it came across extremely well.
What made this so notable was that Orton had been using “Voices” as his theme song for so long that it was great for Rev Theory to finally perform it in person for him. Again, it's overshadowed by everything else on that show, including The Streak being broken, but Rev Theory should be applauded for their performance.
#2 CM Punk (WrestleMania 29)
WrestleMania 29 is largely written off as a terrible show by fans, and rightfully so, as a result of its underwhelming card. Not only was The Undertaker vs. CM Punk the saving grace of the show, the entrances for the match were equally spectacular.
Sure, Undertaker making his iconic entrance while attempting to avoid being dragged down to hell by zombies was admittedly awesome, but Punk arguably outshined The Deadman when Living Colour performed “Cult of Personality” live as he walked to the ring.
Punk debuted “Cult of Personality” as his signature song in the WWE in July of 2011, and regardless of what you thought about The Voice of the Voiceless, there was zero question that he had one of the best entrances themes in the company. Thus, to hear it live on the grand stage was incredible, and thankfully it happened at least once before he left the WWE the following year.
#1 Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 14)
Even though no one knew it at the time, Shawn Michaels had a fitting farewell at WrestleMania 14, which would turn out to be his final match for nearly five years. He was dealing with a bad back injury at the time, but he was determined to go out in style, as well as in the main event for the WWE Championship.
The match he and Stone Cold Steve Austin had was easily among the better bouts on the show, but HBK’s over-the-top entrance never seems to get the credit it deserves. As he walked to the ring for his title defence, “The DX Band” performed “Break It Down” for him and lent the encounter a big fight feel.
Their rendition of “America the Beautiful” that night was also interesting, but there wasn't a better band to perform that night, giving Michaels this aura of arrogance as he prepared to fight The Texas Rattlesnake.
This was one of the first few times a musical act had ever sung anyone to the ring at WrestleMania, so it was unprecedented for its time and is therefore overlooked more often than not.
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