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As seasoned live performers, there is no doubting that professional wrestlers are multi-talented individuals. Beyond being able to pull off stunts in front of a crowd, the majority of wrestlers are able to deliver spoken word performances.
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Keeping the concept that wrestlers are actors -- albeit of varying levels of talent and prior amounts of experience before stepping in a ring -- it may not be surprising that many wrestlers have also had musical aspirations. After all, a wrestling ring is a form of a stage, given that an in-ring performer is standing on an elevated surface under bright lights.
More wrestlers than you may realize have attempted to record an album. Granted not all of these albums proved to be commercially successful, but thanks to the archival nature of the Internet, these recordings continue to live on long after the original vinyl, cassette and/or compact disc releases have gone out of print.
While current WWE fans may easily recall that Chris Jericho -- with the band Fozzy -- and Elias have both released studio albums in recent memory, below are 5 legendary WWE Superstars who have attempted to cross over into the mainstream via musical contributions.
#1: Jerry "The King" Lawler
Even if Jerry "The King" Lawler was never WWE Champion, thanks to his feud with comedian Andy Kaufman and his long-term championship reigns in Memphis, few wrestlers have achieved the mainstream exposure that Lawler has. In turn, it may not be surprising that Lawler attempted to achieve fame within the musical world.
Lawler's first album is named Jerry Lawler Sings. It featured 10 songs, many of which covers, including songs by The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Dr Hook, and Buck Owens. So would a second album, as credited to Jerry Lawler And The Nunnery Brothers Band. Lawler's musical efforts also included a "Ghostbusters" parody, angled at Jimmy Hart, called "Wimpbusters."
While working for the WWE, Lawler also had the distinction of recording a single known as "Puppies," paying homage to what he often called out to female talent during WWE broadcasts. Lawler has not recorded any new music in decades, but he continues to work for WWE as a broadcaster on special events, in addition to wrestling regularly at independent events. He was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2007.
#2: Terry Funk
Terry Funk has had one of the longer careers when it comes to professional wrestlers of the past 50 years. While the documentary Beyond The Mat presented him as retiring over 20 years ago, Funk was part of yet another feud with Jerry "The King" Lawler last year.
In 1984, Funk was the recording artist behind the album Great Texan. Largely aimed at the Japanese market, Great Texan featured creative collaborations with Jimmy Hart. Among the tracks included on Great Texan are "Barbra Streisand's Nose," "We Hate School," and "Touch Your Heart (Sayonara Boku Ienai)."
Funk is not known to be particularly proud of his foray into music, however. As he noted in his autobiography from 2012, the album "contains some of the most godawful singing you've ever heard. Jimmy Hart wrote the songs for me because I was too cheap to pay for the rights to songs that people had already heard. All the songs on that album had one thing in common -- they all sucked."
On the brighter side of things, Terry Funk is still viewed as a pioneer within the world of professional wrestling, and he is one of the few performers to have achieved success within the WWE, WCW and ECW organizations.
#3: Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan stands out from most other professional wrestlers in being one of the few wrestlers that non-wrestling fans can easily recognize. Hogan starred in movies, regularly appeared on television, and was often used to endorse non-wrestling products.
Hogan is further distinct in having been part of multiple musical projects, having done so before, during and after his major WWE run. Interestingly, Hogan was a bass player in Florida bands prior to becoming a professional wrestler. Hulk Hogan & Itch-Band released an EP targeting the Japanese wrestling audience in 1983. Hulk Hogan and The Wrestling Boot Band released the Hulk Rules album in 1995.
Currently, there are rumours of Hogan making a return to WWE as based on backstage rumours of him appearing before a recent pay-per-view to address current WWE talent. Within the past week, Hogan's merchandise store in Orlando, Florida had a camera crew and his NWO teammates Kevin Nash and Scott Hall present for some filming, suggesting that an NWO appearance of some sort within the WWE world is imminent. No matter what lies ahead for Hogan within the wrestling world, his studio albums remain out of print as of this article's writing.
#4: Randy "Macho Man" Savage
It has been over 7 years since Randy "Macho Man" Savage passed away unexpectedly from cardiovascular disease. However, Savage continues to be viewed as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time as he was a multi-time world champion for several companies and the recipient of several Hall Of Fame inductions.
In 2003, Savage released his one and only musical effort, a studio album titled Be A Man. Released by Big3 Records, Be A Man is a hip-hop album featuring Savage on lead vocals. It includes guest appearances from the likes of DJ Kool, Aja, and Prymary Colorz.
Randy Savage in no way hides his wrestling past within the tracks featured on Be A Man. The title track and its accompanying music video specifically call out Hulk Hogan, who Savage seems to be challenging to a one-on-one fight. The album-closer "Perfect Friend" is a tribute to the then-recently-departed "Mr Perfect" Curt Hennig.
Currently, aside from used and promotional copies available for re-sale, Be A Man is out of print in terms of physical product. However, Be A Man is available via Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming-oriented digital music services.
#5: Lita
Widely regarded as one of the best female in-ring performers of all time, Lita was a 4-time WWE Women's Champion. She was also recognized as Woman Of The Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 2001.
Towards the end of her initial WWE run in 2006, Lita began fronting a punk-influenced band known as The Luchagors. The group's first album, as produced by Skid Row's Rachel Bolan, was self-titled and released in 2007. In support of The Luchagors, the group hit the road with the likes of NOFX and Bad Religion.
While a record label signing to Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong's Hellcat Records was announced for a second Luchagors album, that sophomore studio effort never saw the light of day. However, she was part of a recording by the U.K. band JD & the FDCs, as released in 2012. No gigs have been played by The Luchagors since July 2014, hinting that Lita's musical endeavours are permanently on hold.
Over the past few years, Lita has resumed working for WWE as a commentator and host for special events. Based on her surprise return at the 2018 Royal Rumble, an in-ring return at this year's Evolution pay-per-view may not be out of the question for the WWE Hall Of Famer.
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