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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →AEW entrance music is chosen collaboratively, not from a single public rulebook. Interviews with AEW president Tony Khan, music producer Mikey Rukus and wrestlers show a case-by-case process: a performer or creative lead proposes an idea, Khan and Rukus shape it, the team decides whether to create an original theme or license an existing song, and rights clearance determines whether an outside track can be used. Character, lyrics, the wrestler’s own taste and the desired emotional effect all matter.
That evidence comes from individual examples rather than a complete company policy. It explains why one AEW wrestler may receive a custom composition while another walks out to a commercially released song, and why a proposed theme can change or fail to arrive in time.
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What is known about AEW’s entrance-music process?
The clearest description comes from Mikey Rukus, AEW’s music producer. In comments reported by 411MANIA on April 1, 2022, he said, “It all depends on what their idea is for their entrance theme and what Tony has in mind.” That places the wrestler’s concept and Tony Khan’s creative direction at the start of the process, with Rukus involved in developing or sourcing the music.
Khan has separately emphasized performer approval. In a March 5, 2022 Fightful media-call report about AEW’s Who We Are compilation, he said, “One of the most important things is that the wrestlers themselves feel good about what they’re walking out to.” His wording supports meaningful talent input, but it does not establish that every wrestler has unlimited control or a formal right to veto every proposal.
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The documented picture is therefore collaborative and flexible. Some themes begin with a wrestler’s favorite song, some with a character brief from Khan, and some with an original composition built around an established identity. The interviews do not describe a universal approval chain, a standard budget or a company-wide timetable.
Who can start the idea?
The wrestler’s concept or personal taste
A performer can bring a specific song, genre or feeling to the conversation. Hook told Pitchfork on December 10, 2021, “I’ve been an Action Bronson fan since I was in sixth grade,” explaining why he proposed Action Bronson’s “The Chairman’s Intent.” The choice was not a random music-library selection: it came from a long-standing personal preference, and Hook said his father, Taz, also liked it.
This route gives the entrance an authentic connection to the performer. It can also create a practical problem if the song is owned by outside writers, publishers or labels, because AEW must obtain permission before using it for the intended broadcasts and appearances.
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Khan can define the dramatic goal even when the wrestler is not supplying a finished song. Rukus’s account of Sting’s AEW theme, reported by Wrestling Inc. on May 20, 2021, describes Khan asking for music that would “reignite The Crow style, The Crow theme and the gimmick and everything like that.” The brief referenced Sting’s earlier presentation while asking for a theme that could represent a new AEW chapter.
Khan also explained that music can reinforce a character through its words. Wrestling Inc.’s January 24, 2022 report quoted him discussing Orange Cassidy’s use of “Where Is My Mind?” and its lyrical connection to the character’s inscrutability. In the same report, he described Hook’s track as fitting the wrestler and energizing the presentation.
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Mikey Rukus as the musical developer
Rukus translates a concept into a usable theme, whether that means composing from scratch, adapting a direction supplied by Khan or investigating an outside recording. His public comments describe involvement that can begin with the initial conversation, rather than a role limited to delivering a finished track after all creative decisions have been made.
The two main routes: original themes and licensed songs
| Route | What it offers | Main constraint | Documented example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original composition | Music can be tailored to a character, era, mood and planned AEW presentation. | The creative team must develop and approve a new piece; the sources do not state a standard production time or cost. | Sting’s theme, shaped around the Crow identity and a new AEW chapter. |
| Licensed commercial song | The performer can use a recording with an existing identity, lyrics and personal meaning. | AEW must secure permission for the intended use, and timing or availability can prevent the choice from being used immediately. | Hook’s “The Chairman’s Intent,” Jon Moxley’s “Wild Thing” and the short-notice clearance discussed for A$AP Ferg’s “New Level.” |
How an original theme is built
An original track allows the team to control the musical details instead of adapting an existing recording. Sting’s example shows the creative balancing act: Khan wanted the recognizable Crow atmosphere, but Rukus’s account presents the result as a theme for Sting’s AEW era rather than a simple copy of an earlier entrance.
That approach is useful when a wrestler’s presentation needs a specific transition, motif or tone that a pre-existing song cannot provide. It also avoids negotiating a license for someone else’s recording, although the sources do not provide a universal statement about ownership, publishing administration or internal approval for every original theme.
How a licensed song is selected
A licensed track can arrive with an audience-ready identity. Hook’s Action Bronson choice demonstrates the personal route: Hook proposed a song he had liked for years, Bronson agreed to its use, and Khan said AEW negotiated with the publishers and paid a fee. Khan summarized that step as, “We reached out to the publishers and we worked something out.”
Jon Moxley’s “Wild Thing” illustrates a different path. Wrestling Inc. reported on August 2, 2021 that the song was first considered for a one-off appearance, but the rights did not arrive in time. AEW later used X’s version. Moxley’s explanation was pragmatic: “But if the people like it, I like it. So that’s all that matters.” The account shows that a familiar song can become a lasting theme, but it may begin as a temporary or uncertain experiment.
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How character, lyrics and emotion shape the choice
Character fit
Music communicates who a wrestler is before the person reaches the ring. Sting’s theme was designed to connect the established Crow persona with a new AEW setting. Orange Cassidy’s “Where Is My Mind?” was discussed in terms of lyrics that match his inscrutable, detached character. These examples show creative fit being evaluated alongside musical quality.
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Lyrics and recognizable identity
A song’s words can add meaning that an instrumental theme cannot. Hook’s track carried a tone Khan said fit the wrestler, while the title and lyrical attitude of Orange Cassidy’s song supported the character’s presentation. The evidence does not quantify audience reaction, so these should be understood as creative judgments described by the people involved, not measured performance results.
Emotional effect at the entrance
Khan’s comments about Hook’s music focused partly on energy. An entrance theme has to work in the seconds before a match, when the recording’s opening, rhythm and vocal impact establish momentum. AEW’s reported examples show the team asking whether the music makes the performer feel confident and whether it creates the intended atmosphere, but they do not document a standard checklist for tempo, length or arena volume.
How AEW gets rights to popular entrance songs
Outside music must be cleared for the use AEW intends to make of it. Rukus told 411MANIA that the team checks who produced an outside track and works to clear it for television. Hook’s case involved contacting publishers and reaching a paid arrangement. The exact fee, contract terms and duration were not disclosed.
Why clearance can change the plan
Rights work can be the limiting step even when everyone likes the song. Moxley’s “Wild Thing” was not available for the first planned use because permission did not arrive in time. In a September 18, 2026 Wrestling Inc. account, Austin Creed described a short clearance window for A$AP Ferg’s “New Level” for an AEW entrance. That example demonstrates urgency, not a universal deadline or cost formula.
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Clearance can involve more than the artist. Publishers, producers and other rights holders may need to approve the recording or composition, and the permission must cover the relevant broadcast or event context. The cited interviews do not spell out every legal party in every deal, so it would be inaccurate to present one fixed checklist as AEW policy.
Do AEW wrestlers get to pick their own theme songs?
They can have substantial input, but the public examples do not prove that every wrestler makes the final decision alone. Hook proposed his song. Khan said wrestlers should feel good about what they walk out to. At the same time, the final choice depends on creative direction, whether an original theme can be made and whether a commercial recording can be cleared.
When an experiment does not replace the established theme
Will Hobbs’s experience, described by Khan in Fightful’s March 5, 2022 report, shows how preference can settle an otherwise open question. Hobbs experimented with a track from the Who We Are compilation, then preferred his established original theme for arena and match entrances. The available account does not claim that one song generated a measurable crowd response; it says the performer favored the established music.
The compilation itself was reported as telling the stories of more than twenty Black AEW wrestlers through music by established hip-hop and R&B artists. That description comes from Fightful’s report and should not be treated as an independently verified count of every AEW theme or a complete company database.
A practical reconstruction of the reported workflow
The interviews support the following sequence, while leaving room for variations from one wrestler to another:
- Define the entrance idea. The wrestler or creative lead identifies a character, mood, song, artist, era or dramatic moment. Rukus said the process depends on the wrestler’s idea and Khan’s plans.
- Decide whether the concept needs an original or existing track. A custom composition offers control over the character brief; a licensed song supplies a ready-made identity and personal association.
- Develop the music. Rukus and the creative team shape an original theme or evaluate the proposed recording. Sting’s theme shows how an older identity can be reframed rather than simply copied.
- Test the character fit. The team considers sound, lyrics and emotional effect. Khan’s comments about Orange Cassidy and Hook show those factors being discussed explicitly.
- Check practical rights requirements. For an outside recording, AEW investigates the relevant producers, publishers and other rights holders and seeks permission for the intended use.
- Resolve timing and availability. If clearance does not arrive for the planned appearance, the song may be delayed, replaced or used only later. Moxley’s first “Wild Thing” plan is the clearest example.
- Confirm performer acceptance. Khan’s statement about wrestlers feeling good about their music indicates that talent comfort is an important final consideration, even though the sources do not define a formal sign-off procedure.
What “building the walkout” means—and what is not documented
The entrance song is one part of a walkout’s identity. The cited examples show music being paired with a character moment: Hook’s song accompanied his in-ring debut, and Sting’s theme connected the Crow identity to his AEW arrival. Those cases support designing the song around the wrestler’s story rather than selecting it in isolation.
However, the reviewed interviews do not explain AEW’s complete coordination of lighting, entrance video, camera cues, stage movement or exact timing. They also do not establish a universal rehearsal process. It is safer to say that the music is intended to support the presentation than to claim a documented production sequence for every visual or technical element.
Choosing between a custom theme and a licensed song
| Decision question | Original composition is stronger when… | Licensed song is stronger when… |
|---|---|---|
| What does the character need? | The performer needs a sound built specifically around a persona, transformation or new chapter. | An existing recording already expresses the persona’s attitude or history. |
| How much control is required? | The team needs control over structure, motifs and presentation-specific details. | The emotional effect comes from a recognizable recording, lyrics or artist identity. |
| What does the performer prefer? | The wrestler wants a distinctive theme made for the current AEW role. | The wrestler has a long-standing attachment to a particular song, as Hook did. |
| What can be delivered in time? | The creative team can produce and approve a new track for the planned appearance. | Rights holders can clear the recording quickly enough; otherwise the song may be postponed or changed. |
What the available accounts do not establish
- They do not state how often AEW uses original themes versus licensed songs.
- They do not disclose typical licensing fees, production budgets or clearance durations.
- They do not provide a complete list of AEW wrestlers who choose their own music.
- They do not show a universal approval form, committee structure or mandatory number of revisions.
- They do not prove that a particular song increases television ratings, merchandise sales or crowd volume.
Those limits matter because the examples are interviews about specific wrestlers and songs. They are strong evidence that several routes exist, but they are not a statistical survey of every AEW entrance.
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AEW wrestlers generally appear to choose entrance music through collaboration with Tony Khan and Mikey Rukus. A performer’s taste can supply the song, Khan can define the character or emotional brief, and Rukus can create or develop the music. The final walkout has to fit the persona, feel right to the wrestler and, when it uses someone else’s recording, clear the necessary rights in time. Original themes provide custom creative control; licensed songs provide an existing identity but introduce permission and timing constraints. The public record supports that flexible model, not a single rule that governs every AEW entrance.
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