''The Wrestling Album'' is the debut

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

released by the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(WWF, now WWE) on November 9, 1985, at the height of the

Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection The 1980s professional wrestling boom, more commonly referred to as the Golden Era or the Rock 'n' Wrestling Era, was a surge in the popularity of professional wrestling in the United States and elsewhere throughout the 1980s. The expansion of ca ...

era. It featured mostly

theme music Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

of wrestlers on the roster at the time. ''The Wrestling Album'' peaked at No. 84 on the ''Billboard'' album sales chart. None of the singles received any heavy radio airplay nor did they crack the Top 100.

Production

Most of the songs were produced by

Rick Derringer Richard Dean Zehringer (August 5, 1947 – May 26, 2025), known professionally as Rick Derringer, was an American musician, producer and songwriter. He gained success in the 1960s with his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, " Hang On Sloopy", ...

. David Wolff, at the time

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

's manager and boyfriend, was executive producer. The album was basically Wolff's concept.

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

composed and produced "Hulk Hogan's Theme", which was used on the '' Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling'' cartoon. Lauper participated on the album as a backing vocalist on

U.S. Express The U.S. Express was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham in the World Wrestling Federation. Windham was later replaced by Dan Spivey and the team was renamed the American Express. History Champions ...

entrance theme "Real American" (which would eventually become

Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...

's entrance theme) and "For Everybody" as well as producer of "Captain" Lou Albano's track under the pseudonym "Mona Flambé." The album was reissued in 1998 on CD by

Koch Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

, who licensed the master rights from Epic/Sony. A 30th-anniversary version was released in June 2015 on Sony's Legacy

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

. The album's tracks are bridged with commentary from

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...

, "Mean Gene" Okerlund, and Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Three singles were issued from the album: "

Land of a Thousand Dances "Land of a Thousand Dances" or "Land of 1000 Dances" is a song written and first recorded by the American rhythm and blues singer Chris Kenner in 1962. It later became a bigger hit in versions by Cannibal & the Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. ...

?!!?" (in a shortened version with overdubbed saxophones), "Grab Them Cakes," and "Don't Go Messin' with a Country Boy." All three singles were issued in picture sleeves, and featured "Captain Lou's History of Music/Captain Lou" as the B-side. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's track, "For Everybody," was a cover of the Mike Angelo & The Idols song "Fuck Everybody", with all of the profanity removed. A year after the album's release, Jim Steinman wrote lyrics to "Hulk Hogan's Theme" and re-released it as "Ravishing," the opening track of

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer. Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' and its ...

's 1986 album ''

Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire ''Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire'' is the sixth studio album by the Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, released in April 1986 by CBS/Columbia Records. The album was executive-produced by Jim Steinman, who had produced Tyler's previous album, ''Faster T ...

''.

Meatloaf Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat that has been combined with other ingredients, formed into the shape of a loaf, then baked or smoked. The final shape is either hand-formed on a baking tray or pan-formed by cooking it in a loaf pan. It is ...

can be seen briefly playing the drums in the music video for "

?!!?". The

gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for gramophone record, LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½-inch 2.7-centimetresquare). ...

cover features the majority of the WWF's 1985 roster posing in a recording studio, with McMahon, Okerlund and Ventura in the foreground and ring announcer

Howard Finkel Howard Finkel (June 7, 1950 – April 16, 2020) was an American professional wrestling ring announcer, backstage worker, and occasional professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in WWE. He began working for Vincent J. McMahon's World ...

in the center. Lauper can be seen on the back cover wearing a black wig and holding a

Rickenbacker guitar Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. Rickenbacker is the first known maker of electric guitars, with a steel guitar in 1932, and produces a range of electric guitars and bass ...

Track listing

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wrestling Album, The WWE albums Albums produced by Jim Steinman Albums produced by Rick Derringer 1985 compilation albums 1985 soundtrack albums Rock compilation albums E1 Music soundtracks Epic Records compilation albums E1 Music compilation albums Epic Records soundtracks

Production

Track listing

See also

References

External links