“I had a Spice Girls stage…but then I grew up and it became Deftones!” WWE superstars reveal the artists that changed their lives

Features
By ( Metal Hammer ) published

WWE wrestlers including Johnny Gargano, Tiffany Stratton and Carmelo Hayes tell us about the bands and artists that have impacted them the most

Johnny Gargano, Piper Niven and Chelsea Green, Carmelo Hayes and Tiffany Strattopn performing for WWE in 2024
(Image credit: WWE/Getty Images)

The connection between music and pro-wrestling is long-running and vital. What would a superstar grappler be without a badass tune soundtracking their walk to the ring, or underlining their triumph as they lift a title belt?

Since the 1980s, WWE has wielded its theme songs to powerful effect, with the entrance music of Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena and others having crossed over into the mainstream. So, when Metal Hammer attended a recent show at London’s O2 Arena, we knew we had to ask a handful of wrestlers what their first favourite artists and albums were. This is what they told us…

A divider for Metal Hammer

Johnny Gargano

“When WWE used to release the entrance themes [as albums], those were the first real CDs or cassettes that I really had, especially the more heavy metal albums. Later on in my life, and this is horrible to say, but I loved Limp Bizkit. Apparently they’re cool again? I guess I’m not cool then! Ha ha! I must have been cooler in high school when I liked them.

“Nowadays, I listen to a little bit of everything. I think, as the years go on, my playlist has become so eclectic. It’s all over the map, whether it’s Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park or songs from Marvel shows and shows my two-year-old watches.”

Carmelo Hayes

“What’s crazy is I was never a full album guy, but I loved Tupac even when I was a kid. Michael Jackson was another one. He wasn‘t my generation, but his stuff is timeless. It doesn’t matter what time period – 2000s, 90s, 80s, even today – it all stands the test of time!”

Pretty Deadly

Kit Wilson: “I recently did my own Desert Island Discs and number one was Busted. They were the first band I found, and I’m so happy they’re back and doing it again. What are we, five albums deep? They’re better than ever! I can’t wait to see them live again next year.”

Elton Prince: “When I was younger I loved old music, and the famous one for me was The Jackson 5’s Lookin’ Through The Windows. I had an uncle who gave me that album and it was probably the first one I started listening to. I really enjoyed that because, The Jackson 5, they’re just fun, aren’t they?”

Tiffany Stratton

“Justin Bieber. He was my everything in middle school! My favourite song was Baby, I loved the music video. I think it told a really good story. I had Bieber fever! He was over-hated, he was just a young kid.”

Piper Niven and Chelsea Green

Chelsea Green: “For me, this is easy: definitely the Spice Girls! I was born in 1991 and the pinnacle was ’99, so I was just at that age where I could remember their every single song. I wanted to go to every single concert and I dressed up as Posh Spice for my birthday. A band that will just forever be in my heart is the Eagles. My dad used to wake me up with them on the weekends.”

Piper Niven: “I had a big Spice Girls stage, but before the Spice Girls for me it was Steps. Bet you weren’t expecting that! But then I grew up a bit and it became Deftones.”

WWE starts streaming on Netflix in January 2025. Watch these wrestlers give us their gym playlists via the TikTok video below:

Matt Mills
Matt Mills
Online Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.