taken from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/659527-now-entering-the-ring-the-10-best-entrances-in-wrestling
One of the more exciting moments in wrestling is that time before your favorite superstar makes their way to the ring. Sometimes their entrances are the most exciting part of the night. The lights dim, the music blares and the crowd erupts.
We all know that feeling you get when that certain superstar comes through the curtain and makes their way to the ring.
I am going to take a look at 10 of the best entrances in wrestling. The entrance counts as the time from the music hits until the wrestler has made their way into the ring and finished all of their pre-match posturing to the crowd.
All things are taken into consideration. The lights, the music and just the way the crowd reacts in general. So, that being said, here are my 10 favorite wrestling entrances.
10. Eddie Guerrero
Viva La Raza! In his day, Eddie Guerrero was one of the most talented superstars on the WWE roster. At the same time, he was one of the most loved as well.
While Guerrero left us far too early, he will surely never be forgotten. His ring entrances won't be soon forgotten either. As soon as his music hit Guerrero would ride to the ring in style with one of his low-riders.
He gets the nod over guys like JBL and Alberto Del Rio, because first of all, he brought his car much closer to the ring than those guys are allowed to do. Secondly, the crowd reaction for Guerrero was typically better, and his personality once in the ring is far superior to most anyone in wrestling history.
9. New Age Outlaws
"Oh, you didn't know!" The New Age Outlaws are one of the best tag teams in WWE history, and their entrances always elicited a great crowd reaction. Whether competing as heels or faces, they garnered a loud ovation whenever their music hit.
The Outlaws were comprised of The Road Dogg, Jesse James, and the Bad Ass Billy Gunn. While Gunn was never strong on the microphone, Road Dogg certainly was. This strength was incorporated into their entrances.
Very few people actually called their own entrances on a microphone, but the Outlaws did. While their music played in the background, Road Dogg would always come out doing some sort of narration as the team made their way to the ring.
Once in the ring, the narration would continue. "D-Generation X proudly brings to you it's tag team champions of the world!" All in all, the Outlaws entrance was unique, and more often than not, it was just plain fun.
8. Goldust
Maybe I am being a touch biased on this one, but I have always been a huge Goldust fan. His entrance is just cool. I love the music. It is almost creepy, in that you know who is coming out, and just how bizarre he is.
The whole movie premiere set up is a nice touch, with "A Shattered Dreams Production" appearing on the screen. Couple that with the gold confetti that falls from the sky, and you have a nice entrance going on.
Once he gets in the ring, the mind games continue. The seductive way he always shimmied off his robe and his wig, made opponents and fans alike, cringe. When you can elicit reactions like that, you have something really good going for you.
Like I said, maybe it is a case of me being bias, but I think Goldust has a great entrance, and I have always thought he was one of the better all time gimmicks, especially as the mind game playing heel.
7. SCSA
There is definitely nothing flashy about the entrance of the Texas Rattlesnake, Stone Cold Steve Austin. But, it is by far one of the most exciting entrances in all of sports entertainment. When the WWE was at its peak, and Austin was in his prime, his entrances were always the loudest part of any event.
As soon as the glass shatters, an eruption comes from the crowd, and out comes the toughest S.O.B. in the WWE. Everything about Austin's entrance works, and the crowd ate up every bit of it.
From the music itself, to the scowl that was always on Austin's face, everything he did on his way to the ring worked. Once in the ring, he would always give his signature two finger salute at the top of each of the turnbuckles to get the crowd even more riled up.
While Austin's entrance is by far the least flashy of anyone on the list, it is easily one of the most well recognized, and loved.
6. The Ultimate Warrior
There may not have been a whole lot of flash with the entrance of the Ultimate Warrior, but there was certainly a whole lot of energy.
The Warrior was another superstar who was extremely popular with the fans, and when his music hit, it was nothing but pure adrenaline. The only problem with the Warrior's entrance was that if you blinked you were going to miss it.
Warrior certainly didn't take his time getting to the ring. As soon as he was through the curtain, he was in a full run to the ring. Once in the ring, the energy level didn't subside. He would grab on to the top rope and shake the top rope.
His energy typically always carried on throughout his matches. There is no doubt that at the time, the Ultimate Warrior was one of the most over stars of his era.
5. Kane
Kane is one of the longest tenured superstars currently in the WWE. And for as long as he has been with the company he has had one of the most awe inspiring entrances.
It starts with a thunderous explosion and brief pyro show. Then the music starts and the lights arena lights all turn to red. Kane always employs an evil look on his face which only adds to the entrance. I always like it better when he was wearing the full suit with the black gloves. He would always pull his gloves tight before climbing into the ring.
Either way, once Kane gets into the ring, their is still more to come. He stands in the center of the ring, and directs a second explosion and pyro show with his arms. He raises his arms, and violently throws them down. At that point, fire shoots out of the turnbuckles, and a loud explosion echoes through the arena.
The big red machine definitely has one of the best, and most intimidating entrances in all of sports entertainment.
4. Goldberg
In the final years of World Championship Wrestling, there were very few bright spots. One of those bright spots was Bill Goldberg. His power and dominance captivated audiences and made it easy for management to give him a major push.
His career started on an unbelievable win streak, in which not only did he just beat opponents, he crushed them. One of his defining moments, and a moment that WCW cost themselves a lot of money with by not putting it on pay-per-view, Goldberg beat Hollywood Hogan on Monday Nitro for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Goldberg's entrance was a spectacle in itself. It started long before he got to the ring. His music would start out, and the crowd would begin chanting his name in unison, "Gold-berg, Gold-berg." Then, the cameras would go to the locker rooms where security would knock on his door, and tell him that it was time.
The door would fly open, and out would come Goldberg, flanked by security. Once in to the actual arena, he would stand at the top of the stage, where sparks would fly all around him, and he would stand in the smoke. Once the sparks died down, Goldberg would let out a big puff of smoke, almost giving off the impression that he was breathing fire.
Then he would make his way down to the ring, and let the actual domination of the match begin.
3. The Undertaker
The Undertaker's entrance has to be the most famous in all of wrestling. While some aspects of it change from time to time, the basic concept remains intact, and it continues to be one of the most amazing sights in all of sports entertainment.
It starts with that famous gong. Then all the lights go out, and the arena is dark. The gongs continue one by one. Then the purple lights come on. The smoke begins to fill the entryway, and then the phenom appears.
Clad in a long black trench coat, and his customary black hat, his presence alone is enough to send chills down your spine. Then he begins his long descent down to the ring. The Undertaker's walk to the ring is always very deliberate, and that slow walk only enhances the intimidation factor.
Once at the ring, he climbs the steel steps, and stands in the corner on the ring apron. Once there, he slowly raises his arms, bringing up all of the arena lights. Then his cold dark eyes stare into his opponents, and the Deadman has arrived.
This easily could have been number one on the list, and after I sit down and think about it, I may regret only putting it at number three.
2. Sandman
When The Sandman was one of the top stars in the original ECW, his entrances were always the highlight of the show. There were no special lighting effects, and for that matter, there was no titantron video to enhance the moment. It was nothing but him, and the energy of the crowd.
Truth be told, Sandman's entrances may have been more important to the fans than his actual match. His entrance started off with the opening riff of Metallica's "Enter Sandman." Then the camera would find Sandman somewhere in the stands.
He would then start cracking open beers and pouring them down his throat, all while smoking a cigarette, carrying his traditional kendo stick, and standing in a horde of people. After the beer was empty, most of it having been dumped all over himself, he would smash it multiple times against his own head, typically resulting in a bloody forehead.
All while this was going on, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica continued to play on, as the entire crowd would sing along with the song. Sandman would make his way to the ring, stopping every so often to crack open another beer, sometimes pouring it into the opened mouths of the fans he was passing by.
While Sandman may not have been the most technically sound performer in wrestling history, his entrances were one of the greatest spectacles to ever be a part of.
1. The Brood
For as cool as The Undertaker's entrance was, and for as much of a spectacle as The Sandman's was, the best entrance in history has to belong to The Brood. The original Brood was comprised of its leader Gangrel, and the two future stars of the group, Edge and Christian.
The group was a gothic trio. Gangrel had the fanged teeth, and drank from a goblet. As part of their post match rituals, the lights would go out and the group would give their fallen opponents a "blood bath".
But the highlight of the group was their entrance. It started with music. It had an eerie tone to it to start off. The lights would go out momentarily, then reddish orange lights would come back on. Then, the trio would appear from underneath the stage, surrounded by fire.
All three members were wearing sunglasses, which only added to the mystique of the entrance. When they got to the ring, Edge and Christian would go into the ring, while Gangrel stood in the corner on the ring apron. He would take a sip from his goblet and spit out the red liquid, much the way Triple H does with his water today.
While any of the top three on my list could have easily claimed the number one spot, it has to go to The Brood. Everything about their entrance worked. The music and the lights were great, and coming up from underneath the stage, while surrounded by fire was just the ultimate way to make an entrance.
