WWE’s first “Taylor’s Version” is here with Aleister Black’s re-recorded entrance song

In a first-of-its-kind move, WWE re-records one of its CFO$-made entrance themes to secure back musical ownership

Image credit: WWE.com

In a move that mirrors Taylor Swift’s headline-making re-recordings, WWE has reimagined Aleister Black’s iconic entrance theme, marking the first time the company has revisited and re-recorded a previously released song.

Originally composed by CFO$, Black’s original theme became a fan favorite, but now WWE’s in-house team, def rebel, has crafted a new version, signaling a subtle but significant shift: the company is beginning to reclaim full ownership over the soundtracks from its previous music team.

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Since def rebel’s arrival in the scene in 2019, WWE began to phase out the catalogue previously made by the New York-based duo with new compositions for their superstars and events.

While a few characters were able to keep their entrance songs, like AJ Styles, Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch, to name a few, most had their hand forced to receive these new tracks, leaving online fans scratching their heads.

WWE would seldom retain some of the memorable leitmotifs from the duo, most evidently seen on Johnny Gargano’s “Bet On Yourself”, which was released with songwriting credits attributed to John Alicastro, Mike Lauri and their ex-manager, Gregg Wattenberg.

Unexpectedly, however, last Friday would see the return of Aleister Black to the federation after a 5-year absence, as Black was under contract with competitors AEW, with the song that etched a mark with the audience prior to his departure.

But this is not the same recording made by CFO$ back in 2017 - instead, this is a new version with the same arrangement and vocals, provided at the time by band Incendiary, now made by def rebel.

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At first glance, re-recording Aleister Black’s theme might seem minor - looking closer, it signals a much bigger shift inside WWE’s music presentation.

While CFO$ crafted many of the company's most popular entrance themes during their tenure, the reality is that, unlike the music created under longtime WWE composer Jim Johnston — which they fully own — songs made by CFO$ came with strings attached.

Each track CFO$ produced is 50% administered by a third-party publisher, Arcade Songs, meaning WWE doesn’t have full control over how the music is used, licensed, or distributed.

That means also that, from 2012 to 2019, each individual song distributed on digital streaming platforms was co-published by WWE and Arcade Songs, so when this partnership ended, the future use of these tracks was in dire straits.

Adding another layer of complication, the "CFO$" name itself is owned by Gregg Wattenberg, the group’s previous manager, preventing WWE from re-releasing old themes under the CFO$ banner even if they wanted to.

Separately, this explains the reason why Sasha Banks’s “Sky’s The Limit (Remix)” took almost a year to be available online back in 2020, as they had to set agreements after the chaotic divorce.

def rebel, had already created a completely new theme for him before his release in 2020, “No Man’s Land”, and in fact, fans expected to hear it on Black’s recent return, instead being surprised with “Root of All Evil”.

By having def rebel produce a new version, WWE sidesteps those legal and administrative hurdles, gaining full ownership and flexibility, mirroring Taylor Swift’s strategy of re-recording her early albums to regain control of her catalogue.

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One of the most striking aspects of this new version is its blend of familiarity and reinvention. Interestingly, the vocals remain unchanged, it appears they’re sourced directly from the original studio session with CFO$ and Incendiary.

However, the instrumental backing has been completely overhauled. def rebel introduced a fresh set of guitars and drums, giving the song a noticeably different texture.

Audio comparison between CFO$’s original and def rebel’s rework

The guitars, in particular, stand out for their distinctly digital feel, they sound like they were produced using virtual instruments, most likely from the Kontakt sound library, rather than recorded live.

This fits def rebel’s production style, as the team rarely uses real, recorded guitars nowadays, favoring the consistency and flexibility of VST instruments.

True to their signature style, the vocals are heavily compressed, creating a polished but somewhat dense sound that contrasts with the more organic feel of the original.

Meanwhile, the drum kit used on this new version is unmistakably familiar to those who follow WWE music closely — it’s a staple of def rebel’s production arsenal, heard in many of their other productions in this genre.

Fans can now expect to hear this newly reimagined version of Aleister Black’s theme return to digital streaming platforms after the original track was quietly removed a couple of years ago.

With this release, WWE may also begin to reveal more about its evolving songwriting and publishing system involving CFO$ tracks, potentially ushering in a new era of greater creative and rights control over its music library.