Interview: Nita Strauss on WWE Evolution, WrestleMania, Triple H and Mick Foley
31 years ago, Alice Cooper was in the corner of Jake "The Snake" Roberts in an iconic WrestleMania moment. Over three decades later and - step aside, Alice - because WWE has a new rock icon who's made the squared circle her very own stage. Quite literally.
When Nita Strauss performed the entrance theme of WWE's very own Rockstar, Shinsuke Nakamura, during WrestleMania 34, she took the world by storm. A few months later, she's now becoming somewhat of a fan favourite among the WWE Universe, opening WWE's first ever all-women's pay-per-view by becoming the first ever guitarist to perform inside the ring to open the show.
While Strauss may be a fresh face, though, to the WWE Universe, she's definitely a veteran of the music business - honing her craft playing with the Iron Maidens, Femme Fatale and LA Kiss before joining up with Alice Cooper and, subsequently, becoming a huge artist in her own right.
Strauss has been playing alongside Alice Cooper since 2014 and was ranked #1 on the list ofย Guitar World'sย 10 Female Guitar Players You Should Know.
WWE has a long history with rock music, not just with the obvious numerous iconic theme songs over the years, but with Lemmy and Motorhead playing Triple H to the ring, Limp Bizkit doing likewise with The Undertaker and Ozzy Osbourne even guest-hosting RAW - and Strauss looks to be adding to that legacy while creating a whole new one of her own.
We caught up with Nita recently to ask about WrestleMania, Evolution, and all about her connection with WWE.
Fans can order a signed copy of her album here.
So, let's start off where a lot of the WWE Universe may have with regards to exposure to yourself. WrestleMania - that must have been crazy! How did it feel to join such an elite list of rockstars who have performed to a wrestling audience?
It was absolutely incredible. Playing at WrestleMania was absolutely a dream come true - especially with all the artists that have performed before me. It was just really a dream come true to add my name to that list.
Coming up...
But next: Nita talks NXT and the possibility of getting involved in the action!