Colt Cabana: A Wrestler Grapples With His Entrance Music

But the right music can make a big difference to a career, even when it's the wrong music. "I was using 'Calling Out' by [Chicago rapper] Presence on a burnt CD, and the second track I put on there as a joke was [Barry Manilow's] 'Copacabana.' In one of the better matches I had early in my career, by mistake the sound person had played track two and I came out to 'Copacabana.' That was such a good match, I used to give [the footage of it] to other promoters and at the time [independent wrestling promotion IWA-Mid South's promoter] Ian Rotten was such a big Barry Manilow fan that he told me the only reason he put me on [his] shows was because he loved that I came out to 'Copacabana.' From that point on, I knew that was my song."

Unfortunately, during his time in the WWE under the name Scotty Goldman, he wasn't given as memorable of an anthem. "I didn't even think about [the music] but as I turned the corner on the ramp way [to debut on WWE television] I remember thinking 'Oh my God, why would they pick that for me?' It wasn't fitting, it was stock rock, and I had later asked politely if I could come out to 'Jive Soul Bro,' but that was laid upon deaf ears."

But back on the independent circuit, it helps to have talented friends to enhance a wrestler's soundtrack, even if it means remixing some Manilow. "I'd been coming out to 'Copacabana' for a while and wanted to freshen it up, and while I didn't want to go away from the theme, all I did was say [to longtime friend Kidd Russell] 'Hey, here are some things about me,' and creatively that was all Kidd and Matt Jenkins [who put] that together."

But along with his own tunes, Cabana's a big proponent of other wrestlers' music. On his weekly "Art of Wrestling" podcast (an hour-long one-on-one sit-down interview show which has become the wrestling equivalent of comedy's "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast), he spotlights a different song written by/for/about grappling's biggest stars on each episode. "I wanted to share as many wrestling theme songs as I could and I'm at episode 115 now, which is 115 songs for the most part." It's been a mutually beneficial endeavor as fans have shared some great bands and interesting wrestling-related novelty records Cabana himself wasn't aware existed.

Tonight's match comes in the middle of an already busy week. After performing comedy with WWE champion CM Punk at a benefit for the Sam Thompson Memorial Fund at Lakeville, IL's ComedySportz theater on Wednesday and last night taking part in a Q&A for Punk's Best in the World documentary in Chicago, Cabana's match tonight is the first of three appearances this weekend, with a convention appearance and a match tomorrow in East Elmhurst and Long Island respectively. With such a hectic schedule as well as his weekly "Creative Has Nothing For You" web series and "Art of Wrestling" Podcast, at least we know he'll be accompanied by quite the playlist.