5 greatest musical performances at WrestleMania in WWE history
While they don't always go without problems, WWE's live performances on the grand stage are sure to leave people buzzing for better or for worse.
From Ice T playing The Godfather and D'Lo Brown down the aisle to Seth Rollins' own personal choir, it's safe to say that we've seen just about anything and everything in regards to live performances at WrestleMania.
Here are (arguably) five of the greatest WrestleMania performances in no particular order.
#5. Joan Jett - Bad Reputation (Ronda Rousey/WrestleMania 35)
.@RondaRousey is a girl that does what she wants to do #WrestleMania35 #SeeYouThere https://t.co/s08w1kDvro
Say what you will about Ronda Rousey's current run, but let's not take anything away from her stellar choice of theme song.
It's not every day that a WWE Superstar gets to use a walk-out song from a non-in-house entity, but in Ronda's case, the sky's the limit (more on that in another entry).
Just moments before the historic Women's Championship main event at WrestleMania 35, Rousey was played to the ring by Joan Jett herself with a live performance of Bad Reputation.
If you saw the live performance as it happened, you don't need to be told that the Rock 'n' Roll legend was spot on with her vocals. Something you may not have known was that Jett was 60 years old at the time. No kidding.
#4. WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg - Sky's The Limit (Sasha Banks/WrestleMania 32)
A little help from cousin @SnoopDogg as @SashaBanksWWE makes her #WrestleMania debut! https://t.co/rxDj2LTdfX
If 2016 seems like so long ago, that's probably because seven years have gone by since then. At the time, WWE's Women's division was in the beginning stages of what we've now come to know as a revolution.
If you ever find yourself in a precarious sitch with a non-wrestling fan and you're asked what made this period of time so special, advise them to watch the triple threat match between Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 32.
In terms of match quality, this one ticks all the right boxes for a timeless classic. In terms of entrances, well, Flair had the pyro, Lynch had the steam, and Banks had Snoop Dogg.
The WWE Hall of Famer spit a verse dedicated to his cousin over the original instrumental to Sky's the Limit that night. Snoop's vocals were used yet again for the remix.
#3. The Texas Southern Marching Band - Watch Me Shine (Bianca Belair/WrestleMania 38)
What a #WrestleMania entrance for @BiancaBelairWWE! https://t.co/Ou1iJszFrD
As you may recall, Becky Lynch's most recent WrestleMania entrance featured a pretty sporty-looking SUV. If you thought The EST was going to be outdone, you'd be sadly mistaken.
Belair took a musical approach as the current WWE Raw Women's Champion was played to the ring by The Texas Southern Marching Band.
It's long been suggested that if someone is being played to the ring by a band/musician at WrestleMania, chances are they're losing. Looking at the record books, this seems to be backed up by some pretty staggering statistics.
From Triple H (more on him later) to Shawn Michaels to Randy Orton to Bray Wyatt all the way down to Big Match John (Cena), this belief isn't too hard to ship.
Regardless, that was not the case here. Belair picked up the win and won the WWE Raw Women's Championship, avenging her title loss at SummerSlam the previous year where she was defeated in an infamous 26 seconds.
#2. Motörhead - The Game (WrestleMania 21/Triple H)
There is only one Lemmy...and he IS rock and roll. @myMotorhead
metalhammer.teamrock.com/features/2015-… https://t.co/YbWw4cFDOf
It was a night that many considered to be the end of an era, as Triple H was defeated by his former protege, Batista, for the World Heavyweight Championship.
During this time, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise to see The Game lose the title only to regain it a month or two later. However, as history shows, that didn't happen this time around.
Despite how one may have felt about Triple H's booking in the early 2000s, can we all agree that The Game's WrestleMania 21 entrance was epic?
A live performance before any form of combat sport can be used for more than just cool points. It can also serve as a way to further your adrenaline and get you all the more amped up to kick the (can't write that word) out of your opposition. If a live performance from Motörhead couldn't do that for you, then you're lost.
#1. Nita Strauss - The Rising Sun (WrestleMania 34/Shinsuke Nakamura)
I guess the secret is out!!! Crazy to think that I took this picture months ago when @thejoshv and I went to Smackdown... and now here we are in New Orleans and tonight I get to play on the grandest stage of them all. Living proof that pointing at the sign works!!! https://t.co/r7VRrQ21iG
Though WrestleMania 34 marked the first time AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura crossed paths in WWE, the two are far from strangers, as their history dates all the way back to their time in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
You might recall their Mania bout as a highly anticipated affair – one that many fans expected would steal the show.
What some may not have been expecting was Strauss' unforgettable electric guitar lead rendition of The Rising Sun.
As the violins started strumming away and Nita's guitar kicked in, goosebumps were pretty much a given, even if you weren't in the arena.
Many feel The King of Strong Style should have won that night. Unfortunately, that isn't how it went down... but Shinsuke certainly did.
Following a false show of respect to AJ after his loss, Nakamura gave Styles a swift uppercut in the (can't write that word), thus turning heel for the first time during his stint in WWE.