 Not so long ago, NXT was the pinnacle of WWE programming, having cemented itself as the E's definitive third brand, bringing in polished veterans and top independent talent from around the world. An elite roster of the best men and women wrestlers was assembled and totally geeked to start taking over the business. Now while some folks may consider NXT to be developmental in nature, there's nothing formative about the glorious entrance music created for these superstars. That being said, I'm Kevin Callis, this is Wrestling Behind The Themes, and here are the 20 entrance theme songs that defined NXT. One of the best guitar riff introductions in NXT theme song history, Kevin Owen's entrance music simplistically speaks to his character and delivers a very loud and clear message of intensity, without of course relying on cringy vocal lyrics or annoying sound effects. And sure, it's slightly generic, but the prize fighter has made this entrance theme work for the entirety of his WWE career, which is a huge accomplishment to say the least. Kudos to you KO, kudos to you indeed. The WWE's resident superhero Ricochet should have easily soared to even greater heights to become one of the biggest little main roster stars. However, he soon found himself relegated to episodes of main event and losing on an almost nightly basis, which is a complete 630 turn from when the one and only was tearing it up on the black and gold brand, where his high flying flair added to the weekly fast paced action. Unfortunately, not even a defining NXT theme song like this has been able to make up for Rick's lack of charisma and poor promo skills. Do you remember Tyler Breeze, the self-absorbed cocky narcissist of a character who was head over heels in love with his looks? A modern day HBK in the original sexy boy vein, the self-proclaimed King of Cuteville walked to the ring recording himself with his smartphone, which was connected to a selfie stick and actually broadcasted live on the NXT Titan Drone. Something that wasn't in the wildest dreams of some of his pretty predecessors like Ravishing Rick Roode or Rick the Model Martel, and hashtag MMMM GORGEOUS, his musical ode to himself went along magnificently with this flamboyant gimmick. Bruh. NXT's original bro Matt Riddle has become one of the funniest and most entertaining characters in wrestling, and this track created by CFOs totally fits the sandled wands vibe like a sweet pair of flippy floppies. Hey Bro is very reminiscent of the West Coast G-Funk style of Six Time, Six Time, Six Time, Grammy Award winner Dr. Dre, the piano chords, and the high-pitched synthesizers sound like they were lifted straight from the chronic. And when this blazing beat begins to rattle your speakers, just kick off your shoes and wait for that buzz to kick in, Bro. When Samoa Joe first debuted on NXT, his entrance theme was unfortunately awful. But thankfully, it was changed rather quickly to the song Destroyer, a monstrous musical motif that combined a funk rhythm and heavy percussion to create a sound that's equal parts giant Godzilla rampage and Polynesian war dance. In other words, it's the perfect banger for the Samoan submission machine to stalk his way to the NXT ring. Clearly a nod to Primus's My Name Is Mud, the theme controlled chaos perfectly portrays the weirdness of this group. With that creepy laugh and scattered feel, sanity in NXT truly felt like a groundbreaking faction we'd never seen the likes of before. With two big brutes, Crazy Eric Young and Nikki Cross scratching and clawing at everything in sight, this song definitely depicts the group's unstable mentality quite maniacally if I do say so myself. Ah, Dvorak's powerful Symphony No. 9 Fourth Movement. We've heard it in everything from cartoons to car commercials, but man, does this classical score really slap for Walter and the rest of Imperium? Couple this intimidating piece of symphonic music with the lights out entrance of the Austrian anomaly, and you've got some seriously goosebumps inducing stuff. In an era when generic butt rock seems to dominate wrestling entrances, the ring Generals' NXT UK theme song with all its dark and heavy undertones was a defining moment made all the more special by the European fans chanting along. Arguably the heart and soul of NXT's black and gold boom period from 2015 to 2019 to Maso Champa and Johnny Gargano established themselves as top stars able to put on exciting classic matches that the loyal fanbase were electric for. But their origin story starts in the form of the underrated tag team DIY, whose theme, Chrome Hearts, was a hard charging, spunky underdog vibe that just fit their team so well. Cary and Cross had fans buzzing after his NXT debut, which helped present the Herald of Doomsday as an intimidating monster heel thanks to this powerful theme called Dead Silent by Def Rebel, dressed up further with an ominous AF cinematic introduction which included the generous usage of smoke machines and elaborate lighting effects that practically made Cross's opponents poop their pants. Presentation matters and this theme fits one of the most attention grabbing entrances ever, made all the more unique knowing that Cross's valet and real life wife Scarlett actually recorded the vocals on the track. And speaking of Doomsday, we all should have known that Keith Lee's WWE main roster call up was doomed from the moment he made his debut without his epic limitless entrance music that had helped propel him to the top of the NXT food chain. But unfortunately for the big man, the WWE's working relationship with the CFOs ended, causing the E to begin to move away from the bangers that those boys created, so instead of basking in his glory, this remarkable tune was replaced by a generic remix that didn't even feature the limitless one rapping bars. Nonetheless, the hype that this theme generated truly defined a moment in time which saw Lee crowned as the only simultaneous double NXT champion in wrestling history. Yes, this joke practically writes itself and I'm sure you saw it coming, but aside from another word we'll cover a little later on. I'm not sure there's a single phrase that got people more excited for an NXT wrestler's entrance than 10. Ty Dillinger's infectious energy organically got a number over with the full sale university crowd, but I tend to think that his amazing glowing collar actually had more to do with it. One of CFO's best tunes was Johnny Gargano's Rebel Heart, a tremendous, unmistakably babyface song with its effervescent panic at the disco vibe and rare use of a female singer for a male wrestler, it was the perfect fit for Johnny wrestling's never give up attitude in an age where many NXT superstars are called up to the main roster long before they are ready. Gargano was given the rightful amount of time to slowly and steadily climb the ranks and eventually became the true definition of what an NXT superstar is. Who doesn't need a little ska in their life to shake a leg to every once in a while, right? I know I do, which is why Sami Zayn's Worlds Apart is a peppy bop that the WWE universe has never forgotten about being one of the initial entrance themes that helped define NXT. The honorary ooze's early theme manages to capture the spirit of El Generico's bouncing souls from years gone by because this upbeat song works for either a lovable happy-go-lucky dancing babyface Sami or an obnoxious conspiracy theorist dancing in spite of the hate, Heel Sami. Finn Balor is an athletic, charismatic, occasionally demonic, worldwide pro wrestling legend, but it's his extraordinary entrance theme music that checks off nearly all the boxes on its way to being the perfect song. The meaning behind the three-time NXT champion's catch your breath theme is that something bad is about to happen, so just inhale real deep and hold on tight. Watching the presence of the Irishman controlling an entire arena by himself during this entrance will give you plenty of goosebumps, but this song is truly fit for a king instead of a prince, a demon king that is. The undisputed era had an absolutely remarkable run atop the NXT brand, but their breakup still feels unwarranted because we were unable to hear the once unified unit's undisputed jammy jam of an entrance theme song anymore. With its gritty, rage against the machine-esque playing style of hybrid punk rock guitar riffs and hip hop-inspired record scratches, this tune was truly a defining shock to the overall NXT musical system. And that's not an opinion, boys and girls. That, my friends, is undisputed, Bay Bay. Aleister Black's main roster, WWE Career, left a lot of meat on the bone, you know what I'm saying? But as far as noteworthy time in NXT, the hardcore metal band Incendiary helped establish the Dutch destroyer as a fierce force thanks to this devilish theme that Black himself wrote the lyrics to. And despite repeating just nine lines over and over and over again, this song is hands down one of the most listenable pieces of entrance music of any NXT superstar ever. Granted, it is slightly scary and the angry occult stuff isn't everyone's cup of tea. Sasha Banks' entrance theme music could seriously have been a top 40 pop smash. One of the few NXT tracks produced by CFOs that you could legitimately see getting massive radio play on its own merits, but when you consider the remixed version featuring the legit boss's real-life cousin Snoop Doggy Dog, the sky is certainly the limit. As of this recording, only time will tell what the future holds for Sasha. But the real-life Mercedes-Benz Varnadoz star certainly burns brighter than the WWE, and she could very well be the first female superstar to conquer Hollywood. Speaking of the future, Asuka's theme has everything you could musically want in a wrestling entrance. In the past, it's been standard theme song 101 to pair any superstar hailing from the Far East with overly stereotypical Oriental music. However, this tune embodies a changing attitude, especially towards women's wrestling, and we are all here for it. Opening up with an eclectic piercing sound to get your attention, this vibe just magically fits together to become a masterpiece. And the guitar work in this song honors the Empress of Tomorrow's Japanese culture, mixed with American riffs, to increase the level of energy on an already powerful rocker. Now when it comes to entrance themes that truly defined NXT, Bobby Roods is basically number 1A, titled Glorious Domination. It's a bombastic anthem, bursting with pomposity and a chorus that's physically impossible to not sing along with. Roods overall, WWE presentation has been literally defined by a single adjective and the music that accompanies him to the ring. Very few superstars ever reached that level of symmetry between their character and their entrance, and Bobby was able to gloriously achieve this, thanks to CFOs and the wrestler in our number one spot who passed on using Glorious. From the moment he made his debut against Sami Zayn at NXT's Takeover Dallas, the King of Strong Style has been over like Rover because of his song The Rising Sun. The inspiration for Shinsuke Nakamura's epic entrance theme came from the Japanese soundtracks of video games like The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy. Considering the absolute electric atmosphere this song elicits whenever the WWE universe and specifically Pat McAfee begin to shiver and quiver from the power of its melody, it's safe to say that Nakamura's theme is the NXT definition of perfection.