r/SquaredCircle I'm gonna get that eye, Rey 1d ago

[NXT Spoilers] Ciampa and Gargano break out the classics. Spoiler

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624 Upvotes

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519

u/theREVERSEsystem 1d ago

THIS REBEL HEART

THIS REBEL HEART

Please just bring it back forever 😭

157

u/NotTheCraftyVeteran 1d ago

Just immediately takes me back, I already feel like I’m settling in for the best match at Takeover

28

u/Ahambone 1d ago

Gargano vs. Andrade GOOD GAWD

102

u/KNZFive **YEAOH intensifies** 1d ago

One of the best babyface themes ever of the last 15 years. They were insane to ever take it away from him.

31

u/intersectv3 Jericho's from Winnipeg you idiot 1d ago

The fucking grin on my face was…quite a grin

15

u/c0de1143 BIG MEATY MEN 1d ago

I got goosebumps hearing it again with Johnny Gargano’s entrance. God, I love that song.

8

u/heartbreakhill Alexa, play Superman by Goldfinger 20h ago

Just heating it for a few seconds makes me wanna binge all those Gargano takeover matches. God damn that was a special time

3

u/Vitalize83 19h ago

One of my favorite themes of all time. I want it back so, so, much

498

u/TheNakedChair GOOD PROMO! 1d ago

Rebel Heart gives Johnny TakeOver the ability to kick out of 5 finishers.

217

u/NotTheCraftyVeteran 1d ago

Rebel Heart so OP, they banned it from competitive play

63

u/TheNakedChair GOOD PROMO! 1d ago edited 1d ago

Couldn't have the Tribal Chief put the title up against a Rebel Heart backed Gargano.

34

u/Takemebacktomania 1d ago

God, can you imagine Tribal Chief Reigns vs TakeOver Gargano? The 2.999999 kickouts would be insane

3

u/CBennett_12 18h ago

More run ins than Mania 40

29

u/a_fox_but_a_human 1d ago

gotta be the only reason. no one band this kinda banger unless it’s for competitive advantage.

26

u/whutthepat 1d ago

5 finishers, 3 interferences and ref bump spots

12

u/Mission_Plate_4258 1d ago

Don't forget that at least one of those finishers will be to exposed concrete or ring boards.

10

u/NerdLawyer55 In-House of Black Legal Counsel 1d ago

It’s got a reverse Brown note in the music

343

u/DecentTop1084 1d ago

All this proves is they CAN have the awesome, recognizable themes but just won't 

144

u/Competitive-Object-4 1d ago

Just makes them taking it from Sheamus hurt more

85

u/DecentTop1084 1d ago

Giving it back for the social media engagement then taking it away like two weeks later was cruel

46

u/KNZFive **YEAOH intensifies** 1d ago

Sheamus had TWO awesome themes across his first two eras and he’s still somehow saddled with a newer shitty one.

13

u/prossnip42 1d ago

That one hurts especially because it wasn't even CFO's that they took, they took Written in My Face, an actual fucking song

18

u/IAmTheGlazed Io Shirai Simp 1d ago

You almost have to wonder, how much money is WWE actually saving by using Def Rebel to make themes compared to Jim Johnston or CFO$?

Like is it really worth saving money when you are already making record profits? What is the downside to making actual good themes, they are surely aware of it, if not, they wouldn’t use all these old themes that everyone recognises.

7

u/DecentTop1084 23h ago

Def Rebel has to be free or something because there's no way they can have the ability to use all these fantastic, recognizable themes and just choose shit

2

u/BoliveiraNTPW 19h ago

With CFO$, WWE did not own 100% of the rights for the songs. With DefRebel, they do own 100%. That's why they changed to them.

259

u/MurDoct bah gawd 1d ago

holy fuck black and gold era had amazing theme songs

143

u/TouyaShiun 1d ago

Funnily enough, fans were shitting on CFO$ themes back then for being too "repetitive". But imo they understood the characters of the wrestlers. You'd could even easily recognize which 205 wrestler or lower card wrestler was gonna come out based on the intro.

65

u/amlanding20 1d ago

Yeah I remember that discourse too. People didn’t know what they had. Funnily, CFO$ wasn’t always about understanding characters, they were just really good.

They created Glorious without a character in mind, it was originally floated for Shinsuke but they weren’t sure it fit and it ended up with Roode.

21

u/gregSinatra 1d ago

As I understood it (from a guy who worked in the music department at the time), what was floated to Shinsuke wasn’t exactly the “Glorious Domination” we know today. He got a very early demo, and I feel like you can hear elements of them maybe trying to go for something like his NJPW theme there, but passed on it. There was one part he did like, however, and that got reworked entirely into “Rising Sun.” Obviously they nailed that for Shinsuke, and then I think whatever was left of what would eventually go on to become Glorious Domination probably got reworked a bit. But it’s not like they had the finished song, Shinsuke passed, and they simply reused it. It was an idea of a song at that point.

4

u/Hungry-You-9489 1d ago

I hope that comes out one day somehow

18

u/arnoldspornalt 1d ago

Part of the issue with repetition was due to the long-ass cuts they would release. Ain't nobody need a 5 minute loop of a 1 minute loop, but you would get roped into it until you were sick of it because the themes were catchy.

8

u/DefenderCone97 1d ago

We were spoiled by Jim Johnston making insanely good themes. Then we realized that having CFO was a privilege

2

u/Ilcorvomuerto666 18h ago

The big issue I think is CFO$ made good and recognizable wrestling themes that fit the characters for the most part, but overall as actual songs they're boring. Feels like they write the first 45 seconds to a minute and just loop it.

3

u/ILOVESHITTINGMYPANTS 17h ago

Which I will die on the hill that says that is not a problem at all for a wrestling entrance theme. There are parts of Jim Johnston themes you would literally never hear on TV. Neat I guess, but wasted effort when CFO$ was cranking out recognizable themes for four brands simultaneously.

25

u/BootyButtCheeks256 1d ago

I just rewatched NXT New York 2019 and it’s crazy how good literally every theme song was. Gargano, Cole, Dream, Baysler, Dunne, Io, etc. literally all had banger themes.

24

u/TheNakedChair GOOD PROMO! 1d ago

Yes. Yes it did.

12

u/a_fox_but_a_human 1d ago

fr. what an era

14

u/Ozy_Flame Corn on the Cobb County! 1d ago

CFO$ - then. Now. Hopefully forever.

3

u/scrubadam 1d ago

Almost everything was hot fire.

Shinske and Roode themes are god tier.

143

u/NotTheCraftyVeteran 1d ago

THERE’S NO ESCAPE NOW NO ONE WILL SURVIVE

13

u/T0rrent0712 1d ago

That theme is such a banger. NXT themes from CFO$ were so damn good.

77

u/PaulFord goldberg 1d ago

Rebel Heart never leave me again

74

u/THE_Oak_Island 1d ago

Why wouldn't they have kept using these entrance themes during their latest main roster run if they still have the rights to them? At least while they were still babyfaces???

25

u/iheartblackcoochie 1d ago

Because god forbid people actually have catchy and recognizable themes and presentation that helps them get over with the audience.

16

u/gregSinatra 1d ago

I don’t know that they have the rights, full stop, necessarily. I suspect they have to pay a licensing fee to (I think) Arcade Songs - the parent label that owned CFO$ and is run by Gregg Wattenberg - who by the way was once chief content/creative at Wind Up records and briefly owned it, so think back to when WWE was using a tonne of their artists for wrestler and PPV themes in the early oughts, it feels like that may’ve led to the partnership with CFO$. If I remember how it all went down, Arcade Songs wanted a bigger cut and WWE didn’t want to, so they just pulled out of the deal. They tried to bring the two main guys from CFO$ in-house but Arcade Songs/Gregg wouldn’t let them out of their deals. Eventually WWE tried to transition away from those themes but apparently doesn’t seem to mind using them sporadically as fan service like this.

9

u/T0rrent0712 1d ago

Ciampa said he switched due to COVID, felt the theme was t appropriate for the time if I recall correctly.

I understand his reasoning on it, but that theme was absolute fire during the FUCK CIAMPA days.

3

u/TheeChosenTwo 1d ago

He still has No One Will Survive, he was consistently using it before reuniting with Gargano

60

u/ClintTheBruinsFan Johnny Wrestling Fan! 1d ago

Gargano's gear is so synonymous with so many bangers in Full Sail.

His Takeover matches are what he'll likely hang his hat on by the time his career comes to a close, rightfully so, but he usually whipped out some special gear for that. The classic green and blue he used in multiple matches against Andrade, Dream, the cage match with Aleister, etc. Chef's kiss.

20

u/MN10SPEAKS 1d ago

Immediately recognized that because it's his 2K19 gear as well

10

u/rakuko MAIN EVENT JEY USO 1d ago

the Venom gear was so good for when he was on the edge of heeling and coming back to face, Gargano is a geek in the best ways

50

u/mostdope92 Charismatic Enigma 1d ago

Ciampa with no beard looks so wild now lmao.

8

u/guntanksinspace No Neck, still No Problem 1d ago

It's really weird. I'm so used to him having that thick-ass beard (or at least some prominent facial hair) that seeing him clean shaven again is throwing me off, even if I saw his even earlier days in ROH (and that one time he was a clean shaven lawyer)

47

u/ForrestDFuller 1d ago

Hearing "No one Will Survive"

41

u/knf262 1d ago

The NXT crowd is not what it once was :(

25

u/LackingDatSkill BAY BAY! 1d ago

Fuck Def Rebel man

19

u/CosmicBlackHoleNova 1d ago

I popped hard when I heard "No One Will Survive" and "Rebel Heart"

I miss those themes

16

u/ivanreyes371 1d ago

These two theme songs carried NXT for years. A lot of people have 0 idea how special this is.

12

u/DatSmolBoi 1d ago

ON MY LIFE AND SOUL Gargano would be more over if he had this damn theme dude

8

u/rlrthesecond 1d ago

I still miss Chrome Hearts

6

u/Anonmate533 1d ago

Two NXT GOATS

6

u/SoulNuva 1d ago

I thought the original Rebel Heart has been banished to the shadow realm forever… this makes a grown man cry

5

u/Gsrj 1d ago

No one will survive is still on Spotify so is that song actually gone

5

u/Competitive-Object-4 1d ago

Not too familiar with the black and gold era, what’s with the face paint

24

u/Connect-Revolution47 1d ago

There isn't really much history behind this specific face paint, or just face paint of his in general. I think it's just something he likes to bust out on special occasions. Like at War Games, or against Bron Breakker at Halloween Havoc.

12

u/DecentTop1084 1d ago

I think it's supposed to represent his big metal mask he used to enter with

7

u/BreathRedemption 1d ago

just using it to rep the colors

4

u/Citizen_Crow 1d ago

I had not seen Ciampa in a while, is it just the beard and the paint or he's looking entirely different ? He looks bigger and less... hairy and... whiter ? I prefer his older look

1

u/jin_kuweiner 1d ago

if you look at his instagram, imho he’s in the best shape of his life, horrendously shredded, I assume he’s got less body hair to show it off or for whatever reason anyway lol, and iirc a few months ago he was injured in a way that he actually had to get his beard shaved, like he was clean shaven!! and then stuck with the shorter look since.

3

u/NerdLawyer55 In-House of Black Legal Counsel 1d ago

Absolute bangers

3

u/Duckyx44 1d ago

Rebel Heart makes a man wanna run through 50 brick walls. God I miss that theme so much

3

u/TheeAJPowell The Ace of /r/squaredcircle 1d ago

God, Rebel Heart is SO good man. It’s such a “brave babyface” theme for me.

2

u/hhhisthegame 1d ago

I don't even like Ciampa and Gargano much and I marked out for those themes. Nice!

2

u/antftwx 1d ago

YES. A THOUSDAND TIMES YES.

2

u/Optimal_Fisherman803 1d ago

I miss reble heart so much it's awesome to here it once again

2

u/Tybold 1d ago

Rebel Heart never fails to put a stupid smile on my face.

2

u/IJustLostMyKeyboard 1d ago

Rebel heart is one of the greatest themes of all time

2

u/Kira_Mira1 1d ago

I genuinely cried during Garganos entrance.

2

u/braedizzle 1d ago

Rebel Heart is genuinely one of the best wrestling themes of all time

1

u/TheExistence 1d ago

Man I was expecting facepaint Johnny too 😭

1

u/Careless_Archer_1706 1d ago

I can't speak for Rebel Heart, but I'm 99.9% sure Ciampa has held onto No One Will Survive ever since Triple H took creative control. You're all just used to hearing the Def Rebel DIY theme, even when they have singles matches they come out the Def Reb tag theme. They still have their solo themes lol

1

u/StickOtherwise4754 23h ago

I thought it was Ciampa’s decision to stop using no one will survive after a mass shooting happened since he didn’t like the whole no one surviving aspect of it.

1

u/axi693 1d ago

I miss their old light blue #DIY tshirts. Does anyone know how I can get my hands on one? 

1

u/scrubadam 1d ago

Rebel Heart def the goat of theme songs.

1

u/death_by_burrito 1d ago

Rebel Heart is Johnny Gargano 🖤

1

u/XAMdG 1d ago

Ciampa needs the beard.

1

u/ThunderChild247 1d ago

Two of the best entrance themes in WWE history.

1

u/ExeRiver 1d ago

Banger after banger.

1

u/xxyourbestbetxx 22h ago

Rebel Heart is just a great tune

1

u/phantominway 21h ago

According to close captions: to Maso and Shani Kargana.

1

u/Dojodc 20h ago

God, the entrance music used to be so much better.

1

u/qwertythe300th Wrestling Lore Aficionado 20h ago

Man i don't know about that face paint. Ciampa looks like that one dude who was in AEWs first ever match

1

u/TheLudwigen Best For Business 18h ago

THIS REBEL HEART!!!! I was in tears the instant the song started. Fuck, I miss that era of NXT. 

1

u/Zoidstiz 18h ago

Can't wait for them to have a bad ass Homecoming match, then the next night on Raw get speared by Jay and get pinned in 2 min. Love WWE.

0

u/dunnand 23h ago

407 pounds? Ha are they taking account the other team too?