Before I joined the SOVPRO team, before I knew anything about what goes on behind that thin black curtain, before I knew of the existence of indie wrestling and of the insane amount of work that goes into every aspect of the show, I was just a fan. A fan of guitar riffs, very specific breakdowns and those infamous one-liners that had the power to lift thousands of people from their seats and have them erupt into cheers and clapping and just pure excitement!
From “Weeeeeeeeeell! Well it’s the Big Show!” down to one single note, one beautifully, terrifyingly, hauntingly beautiful single note, the gong. If you know you know. If you don’t, I’m not sure how you got to this page or why you’re here quite frankly.
Flippy shit aside, ladders, steel chairs, stink-face aside (if you know you know. If you don’t, I’m not sure how, why, yada yada, see above…. etc), it’s the entrance theme music for me! As I am sure, for many others too. It’s what grips us from the beginning. It’s how we know who to expect in the ring mid-rumble. It’s how we know who has the audacity to stop the tribal chief mid-speech. It’s how we know who’s going to get a can of whoop-ass when we hear glass shattering!
You don’t just watch wrestling, you hear it too.
Before you start complaining why Shotty Horroh is in the title of this blog post, yet hasn’t been mentioned, calm down, it’s here. Rapper, singer, songwriter, or actor, whatever it is that you know him as, I’m sure we can all agree, we know greatness when we see it! (I’m not just saying that because he’s technically my SOVPRO boss and I am trying to earn brownie points here). In all seriousness though, you know how you have natural-born athletes that seem to get the hang of every bloody sport with ease. Or those gifted pricks that haven’t attended a single lecture at university yet whip out a first class honours degree at the end of it all, natural-born intellectuals. Some among us are natural-born entertainers and creators. Enter Shotty.
It takes an incredibly imaginative individual to create something as euphonious as what we’ve heard at SOVPRO since 1 October 2022.
For our metalhead faction, Joseph Connors entrance music does not disappoint at all! The breakdown that had me moshing at 2nd Reign alongside Ian Skinner (of all people) is *chef’s kiss*. I’ve already said it a thousand times, if ever I become a wrestler, I want a version of this entrance music and Shotty to create it for me. Please and thank you. From start to finish, this song in particular is dark, powerful, and immediately turns you in to that one Malevolence fan who’s throwing kicks and punches and spinning uncontrollably throughout the entire set. I see you pal, I forgive you, for I am now one of you.
Seen as how I have mentioned the troublemaker above, it’s only fair that we now delve into his entrance theme music. I’ll make it quick don’t worry. It’s fun, it’s quirky and while he can be annoying (to put it lightly) you would agree with me here, the minute you hear “Dun, dun dun dun, dun dun…. Can I have a hotdog boss” you’re hooked. And you remain hooked whether you like it or not. And when you’re in a redundancy consultation meeting trying to keep a straight face delivering the bad news to an employee, and you’re bopping along to the fucking earworm that is Ian Skinner’s entrance theme music. Jeez! Shotty, you’ve done it again! *Claps in slow motion like the Leo DiCaprio GIF on WhatsApp*. Bop-worthy musical stylings of Shotty aside, those vocals you all know and all love (stop lying to yourselves, admit it), are from the talented Elliot Stradling. Named our SOVPRO theme song of the year, it is certainly one we’re all very proud of.
Fun fact, a little insider information on the process of creation of SOVPRO’s finest theme music: It’s more or less, all Shotty. And apparently, he locks himself in his studio for days on end and resurfaces every so often for a vegan sausage roll and cuppa tea, before diving back in to the next one, and the next one and the next one. Or so I’ve heard. Frankly speaking if this is true and this is the creative process that has created the likes of “Victoooorrrrryyyyy,” then I’m here for it!
When the music that surrounds a SOVPRO show is loved, welcomed, and accepted by us all, that includes our fans, it is as a direct result of Shotty doing what he does best among others (Zaheer Music, Phaze What and many more). It’s no small feat to be able to produce the guttural, the melodious, the earworms that you hear, that includes vocals on our 1st Reign theme song. It takes a special kind of brilliance to be able to articulate yourself through music and the written word. You need to be able to carefully lay it out in front of you: words, keys, beats and all. And then somehow, you’ve to piece it all together and make damn sure that the end result is fucking phenomenal. And in my humble opinion, I think he’s nailed it, every… damn… time.
I mentioned earlier that we don’t just watch wrestling, we hear it too. Following on from that, anyone can learn to play and create music. But Shotty, loving what he does and having that innate talent and passion for it, he doesn’t just hear the music, he can see it too.
So big up the boss man for one moment more, thank fuck for your musical talent, else we’d be screwed. #FuckYouCopyrightLaws