Wwe Box Set

If you can't get enough of that wrestling stuff, this is the box set for you. Four CDs include music by wrestling's old-school 1980s stars (Hulk Hogan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Captain Lou Albano), heavy-metal hits (on Full Metal: The Album) and volumes 2 and 3 of the WWF: The Music compilations. WWF fans will recognise the entrance themes for most of the turn-of-the-millennium's hottest stars, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Val Venis, D-Generation X and, of course, The Rock. Full Metal is actually not all metal: both Gold Rush and Undertaker's swelling orchestral themes sound more like soundtracks to vintage black-and-white vampire movies than metal. (This particular CD also has the dubious distinction of having the worst song in the collection: Shawn Michaels' "Sexy Boy".)

If you really want to rock, change the disc to volume 2 and listen to Ahmed Johnson's "Pearl River Rip". For a glimpse into the twisted terrain of Mankind's mind, check out the same CD's "Ode to Freud". Somehow, this three-minute song is almost as revealing as his autobiography, Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. Volume 3 has also got some choice cuts, specifically Edge's sexy techno-rock theme, Dude Love's hysterical self-titled song (what is it about someone crooning their own name in falsetto that is so funny?), and Oddities' cheerfully infectious "Greatest Show". This box set is a must-have for die-hard wrestling fans. True, there are some bad songs in the set, but there are many more surprisingly good ones. It's amazing that so many of the wrestlers can actually carry a tune. As Mankind says in his theme song, and as surely many fans will agree, in the world of wrestling, sometimes destruction can indeed be beautiful. --Michelle Riggen

Label: Unknown
Studio: Koch International
Released: 1999-10-01
Format: Audio CD

Extras/Features:
Box set