Long time music composer Jim Johnston, who created most of the iconic WWE entrance music for the past thirty years as well as scoring several WWE Films, has apparently been released from the WWE, according to a Twitter feed that follows news concerning WWE’s theme composers. The news has yet to be confirmed by the WWE.
Jim Johnston has been released by WWE
— ThemeTitan (@ThemeTitan) November 30, 2017
Themers United, another group on Facebook, claims to have a contact at WWE Music Group and posted the following in regards to the reported release, with reports from their “source”.
Statement on the release of Jim Johnston. pic.twitter.com/CbbLkhZJI0
— Themers United (@ThemersUnited) November 30, 2017
Jim Johnston joined the WWE in 1985, when it was still the WWF, and was the company’s principle composer for wrestler’s entrance themes up until 2014, when CFO$ were brought in. Since then, they have composed the bulk of the entrance themes for the WWE. Some reports are suggesting that it was a case of Johnston’s contract expiring and the WWE simply chose not to re-sign the 30+ year WWE employee. There’s always a chance he could be re-hired to a new position, just not at his previous salary.
Johnston was responsible for some of the WWE’s most iconic entrances, including the glass shatter of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the gong of the Undertaker, and hundreds more, from the 1980s through to the 2010s. He scored WWE Films The Chaperone, Knucklehead, Inside Out, The Reunion and Legendary and a music series on iTunes and CD, entitled WWE: Uncaged, featuring unreleased Johnston compositions have been in release since last year, with the fourth installment just hitting shelves on November 20.
While it still hasn’t been confirmed by the WWE, if true, it marks the end of a musical era in the WWE. But until further reports are verified, for the sake of all of Johnston’s fans, take it with a grain of salt for now.
