"That boy he don't know how to lose
He's out to win
He got the lot to call the last shot
Shaker, he's a breaker, he's a maker
He's a landslide, landslide
Walking, talking, rocking landslide"

AC/DC - "Landslide"

That song could fit just about anybody on the UWF's 1986 roster. Hello, I am Charles Laffere and I am back for another edition of theme music and its place in the UWF. Unlike today's pre-programmed assembly line intros for WWF (sorry, I'm not going to call it WWE) Superstars, music in the UWF and World Class often fit the personalities of the wrestlers. I would ask anybody to come up with one WWF theme-aside from Hulk Hogan's use of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile"-that causes a connection to an image, a feeling, an attitude, or any other visceral reaction that music is supposed to produce. But heck, today's wrestling does not produce any emotions like the UWF would provoke. I never, ever remember being bored by Bill Watts and company.

This time, we will look at the music that accompanied the UWF's stars entrances during 1986 and 1987. Previously, rock and roll had been utilized by Mid-South to a very effective degree. The Junkyard Dog and Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" were synonymous for many fans.  Jim Duggan and Ted DiBiase had one of Mid-South's most memorable feuds over who was the promotion's "Sharp Dressed Man," while the Fantastics used ZZ Top's classic for their entrance. Much of the credit goes to Joel Watts, who put much time and effort into the UWF's top-notch yet not slick visual and audio production values.

So, when's the music start? How about now... Big Bubba Rogers used the song from the original "Spy Hunter" video game for his entrance. This racing game was a mall arcade fixture throughout America in the '80s. You would be a secret agent driving along a vertically scrolling highway to "The Peter Gunn Theme." The bad guys drove '57 Chevys and tried to shoot you while helicopters dropped bombs and tried to blow you up. The game was unique in that it was one of the first to combine driving and shooting at the same time during play. All of this and a car that turns into a boat. Fun stuff, huh? Anyway, the "Peter Gunn Theme" was a grooving tune composed by Henry Mancini from some long-forgotten 1960s spy television show. It shows up on the soundtrack for "The Blues Brothers" movie. I guess Big Bubba may have fit the image of the bad fellows driving the Chevys, or maybe he could be identified as a burly, shade-wearing tough guy a la Jake and Elwood Blues. Wait a minute. Big Bubba, Blues Brother. You don't suppose there was some alliteration at work there, do you? The Art of Noise had a hit with it in 1987, tying in perfectly with Big Bubba's UWF Heavyweight Championship reign. The song has been recorded at least a hundred times and is a marching band/barroom rock staple throughout the country. In any event, the theme is cool and portended trouble for whoever the ominous Mr. Rogers was facing.  More...