Entertainment
WWE WrestleMania: Mark Andrews on writing perfect entrance songs and taking inspiration from The Wonder Years and Bring Me The Horizon
WWE superstar Mark Andrews is in an elite group of wrestlers who have recorded their own entrance theme – and he’d love to spread his talent around.
The former NXT UK Tag Team Champion – who teams up with Flash Morgan Webster on the company’s European brand – is also the bassist and co-vocalist in pop punk band Junior, and walks out to their track Fall To Pieces every time he comes to the ring.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, he said: ‘The guitarist in my band, Matt, he actually writes a lot of entrance music. He’s written music for some of the NXT UK people like Aleah James.
‘I think he’s working on some more for upcoming wrestlers as well. It was so funny to see the writing we did within Junior get better as he was doing more wrestling themes.
‘It’s a mixed bag in wrestling, right? You can have a metal song over here, and then a country song over here, whatever the character is – a blues song like Big Show’s entrance theme.
‘It’s such a mixed bag and when I see him doing it, I’m kinda jealous ’cause I wanna be writing entrance music!’
Music and pro wrestling are in Mark’s blood, and he’d love to combine the two worlds by making his entrance to one of his favourite bands.
He added: ‘I’m biased because I’m friends with a few bands like Holding Absence – I’d love to enter to one of their songs.
‘Or a Bring Me The Horizon song, or a Wonder Years song. That’s a weird mix there, it goes from melodic hardcore to pop punk. Bring Me’s the one I think, Bring Me is the band – all their songs sound like great entrance music.’
The Wonder Years are a great shout, with frontman Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell a big fan of wrestling himself – while both Andrews and on-screen rival Eddie Dennis have opened up on the importance of taking inspiration from other artforms.
‘As I’ve progressed in my wrestling career, I’ve got to meet more of my favourite band people and they’re always massive wrestling fans,’ he explained. ‘Guys like Andy from Every Time I Die, guys like Soupy from The Wonder Years.
‘I remember thinking, is that why you’re so cool on stage because you’re trying to impersonate wrestling? Whereas so often, guys like me or Eddie, we’re trying to impersonate bands. We’re trying to enter PROGRESS to Party Hard and be the punk rock guys and I’m like, are the punk rock guys trying to be the wrestlers?’
For Mark, the connection between music and wrestling – particularly with the likes of Limp Bizkit and Cyndi Lauper having their own history at WrestleMania – is vital, and he’ll always look to bridge the gap.
‘There’s a real culture that comes around with wrestling and music. Whenever I’m backstage at a wrestling show, you know everyone in the room is either a fan or has been a fan in their youth of Limp Bizkit, of Puddle of Mudd, of Creed, of Alter Bridge,’ which he referred to as ‘the wrestling music’.
Of his own influences, he added: ‘I really try to get as many Blink-182 references into my wrestling, with Stomp-182, one my moves.
‘I try to take as much inspiration as possible because I am the happy go lucky, pop punk kid of NXT UK, and I just try to channel that – especially in my entrance.’
Looking to the future, Mark is excited to see where his career goes from here after making waves in NXT UK, and he’d love to follow fellow Brits like Grizzled Young Veterans and Pete Dunne by making the jump to NXT in the United States.
‘I’m dying to get out to Orlando. I think it’s the next natural stage in everyone’s career, especially from the UK. Seeing the Grizzled Young Vets and Pete Dunne out there absolutely smashing it makes me envious,’ he admitted.
‘I consider me and Flash the most exciting team in NXT UK, but I want us to be the most exciting team in all of WWE – and to be that, we’ve gotta prove ourselves against guys on the NXT roster.’
Before that though, their focus is on NXT UK and building that brand at the time the British scene is rebuilding from the impact of both the Covid pandemic and Speaking Out.
An All-Party Parliamentary Group released a report this week detailing what needs to change in the industry, and Mark agrees that it’s a vital time for the business.
‘It’s important for wrestling to move forward and be better than it ever has been before,’ he added, while pointing to the benefit of a company on WWE’s scale being involved in the scene.
There’s also the matter of getting fans back, and Mark hopes an NXT UK TakeOver event is the next time they’re performing in front of a live crowd.
‘What I’ve been fantasising and dreaming about is the first TakeOver back is the first show with fans. It is just rowdy,’ he laughed. ‘I kinda hope it starts small with that intimate, almost indy wrestling vibe of 200, 300 people in BT Sport. It’s our version of Full Sail!
‘I’m so excited for that moment – just to make my entrance, I’m gonna be so hyped up. I think I’m going to have 10 times more energy just ’cause there’s people in the room.’
*WrestleMania 37 airs tonight at 1am on the WWE Network. NXT UK airs every Thursday at 8pm on WWE Network, and Fridays on BT Sport.
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