Jim Johnston fired by WWE

[slik]

Interesting (if true)


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jim Johnston has been released by WWE</p>&mdash; ThemeTitan (@ThemeTitan_) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThemeTitan_/status/936249553732407296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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[Sixx]

Good thing he's still got the Braves gig.

[Sepholio]

So new music incoming?

[KIRA]

If this is true there are some dark days ahead if all we have left is CFO$

[Destor]

:(

[Cool King]

:(

If this is true there are some dark days ahead if all we have left is CFO$

[Anybody Thrilla]

Seems like a piece of history.

I wonder what happened. "Fired" sounds harsh.

[Danny Electric]

Got to admit I didn't think he was still working for them , what themes has he done lately. Thought most the recent ones had been done by CFO$.

[Emperor Smeat]

Makes some sense considering his output declined a lot in recent years and CFO$ can crank out themes faster than Johnston which WWE needs because of NXT.

[Anybody Thrilla]

You'd think they'd find some job for a tenured guy like that. Just seems like something happened.

[Emperor Smeat]

Similar thing happened with their former longtime timekeeper who got abruptly released the last time WWE did a big batch of cuts.

The guy was there for around 30 years and got rewarded by getting thrown in the pile with the other talents and employees released at the time.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Fuck you, Slik. That definitely said "fired" and not "released" earlier. That doesn't sound as bad.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Oh wait, YOU said fired. Yeah, fuck you.

[Evil Vito]

Dude should be going into the HOF.

[Cool King]

Got to admit I didn't think he was still working for them , what themes has he done lately. Thought most the recent ones had been done by CFO$.

I think his last theme was Baron Corbin's current theme. (which is a shame)

[Shisen Kopf]

Wonder if they made him compose a theme song for his firing before he was let go?

[My Final Heaven]

Wonder if they made him compose a theme song for his firing before he was let go?

They just played this as he walked out the door

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4NBVn6Ns84I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Got to admit I didn't think he was still working for them , what themes has he done lately. Thought most the recent ones had been done by CFO$.

Emma, Corbin and Jinder were the last few, so he certainly wasn't knocking it out of the park.

[slik]

Fuck you, Slik. That definitely said "fired" and not "released" earlier. That doesn't sound as bad.

Fired, Released, Wished Well in Future Endeavors, blah blah blah

[Fignuts]

Didn't he make some really terrible theme recently? Like Emma's new theme that she had for about two weeks before the one she has now. Maybe his magic is gone.

I dunno, CFO$ has a few themes that loop too quickly, but for the most part I really like the majority of his stuff.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

EMMA HAS NO THEME NOW YOU INSENSITIVE PRICK

[Anybody Thrilla]

I'm not gonna make this all about Emma again, but that Jinder Mahal theme is really good.

[Cool King]

It actually is.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Fignuts is the Lio Rush of tpww

[Emperor Smeat]

Nothing definitive yet from the usual sheet sources about Johnston's status but the source of this news updated their claim with more info yesterday.

The source is still really sketchy at best but they are claiming Johnston's departure is entirely CFO$'s fault and it was a deliberate power play by CFO$ to get rid of Johnston in order to have total control over the direction of WWE's music. Claimed CFO$ wants to replace all of Johnston's current themes with their own versions.

[Fignuts]

What are Johnston's themes?

[Fignuts]

Also, that sounds pretty skeezy on CFO$'s part, but ya know, "two sides" and all that.

[Emperor Smeat]

What are Johnston's themes?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWE_Music_Group_discography#Themes_by_Jim_Johnston

He's done a lot more but the list only tracks the themes he's made since WWE went the iTunes route for musical releases.

[Fignuts]

I like Jinder and and Corbin's new themes, but besides that, I don't see anything recent thats noteworthy.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Figured something was up.

[Triple A]

meltzer says it's probably true

https://www.f4wonline.com/daily-updates/daily-update-jim-johnston-no-longer-wwe-tag-league-jacobs-247176

While WWE has not confirmed this, those close to the situation have confirmed stories that Jim Johnston, the longtime WWE musical composer, was released after his contract expired.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I don't imagine it's a hostile release. The dude has been there forever and is probably looking to move in a different direction with his life. He should go into the Hall of Fame.

[Blue Demon]

Nothing has been confirmed by WWE at this point, as far as I could find. "Fired" may be harsh, but it seems they just didn't renew his contract.

[Shadrick]

I think his last theme was Baron Corbin's current theme. (which is a shame)

yup. his last theme was Barons current theme. And that theme is fucking epic. 30 minute version is on my gym playlist.

[Bad News Gertner]

All the people complaining about Jim Johnston being let go so young up and comers with fresh ideas who have been doing great can have their moments are the same ones bitching about Vince being in control and not stepping aside. There's absolutely no difference.

[Evil Vito]

Jim Johnston doesn't have the final say over everything that makes it to TV.

[Evil Vito]

One thing I appreciated about Johnston was that he'd make full-length songs out of a lot of his themes. CFO$ songs are like 60 seconds that just loop over and over.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Yeah but CFO makes songs the fans can chant along with. They are it right now.

[Fignuts]

One thing I appreciated about Johnston was that he'd make full-length songs out of a lot of his themes. CFO$ songs are like 60 seconds that just loop over and over.

How many entrances are over 1:30?

[Juan]

CFO$ aren’t bad, but imo they haven’t made a really “iconic” theme yet. Their themes mostly fit the superstar, but none of them have really blown me away. I guess time will tell if any of them become “iconic”

[Bad News Gertner]

Jim Johnston doesn't have the final say over everything that makes it to TV.

That has nothing to do with what I'm saying

[Cool King]

One thing I appreciated about Johnston was that he'd make full-length songs out of a lot of his themes. CFO$ songs are like 60 seconds that just loop over and over.

This.

I've mentioned it before, but you could tell by listening to Johnston's themes that it was made with care, so to speak.

You could tell that Johnston really studied the character in-depth before creating a theme and it would add so much the character and in some cases, become part of the character.

The first theme that came to my head (pun not intended) was Al Snow's theme. Johnston created a theme that when you first hear it, establishes Al Snow as being a "crazy person", but when you go in a bit deeper, you discover that his theme pretty much explains the Al Snow character. It tells you why Al Snow is the way Al Snow is and it answers a lot of questions about the character.

I remember when I was a kid and seeing Al Snow and wondering, "why does he talk to a female mannequin head?", "why does he treat is with such importance?", "why does he write "HELP ME!" backwards on his head?", then years later being "blown away" when I discovered that the gibberish in Al Snow's theme is a woman's voice (which is Head) that's been backmasked saying "I am the one in control" and all those questions were answered.

That's Jim Johnston for you. He goes that extra mile with his music and the result is a piece of music that is memorable, enjoyable and most importantly, part of the wrestler's character.

CFO$ on the other hand really don't seem to do that. Their stuff just comes across as two guys that jumped on Fruity Loops and threw together something that sounds "cool" and is "current" and then just looped the absolute shit out of the thirty second piece so it lasts over three minutes.

I remember when Dupstep was a thing and a lot of new themes being churned out by those guys were in the dupstep genre, or close to it anywhere. Just because is was the "in thing" at the time. Now, we get no Dubstep because nobody cares about Dubstep these days.

Johnston doesn't do that. He focuses on the gimmick. The character. CFO$ seem to focus on popular culture, which I get is probably a good thing for a company like WWE but it's not really going to get you far and help you when you have to change a wrestler's theme every five or so years because their previous one is not "cool" anymore.

Don't get me wrong though, there as some CFO$ themes that are good but for me, I can probably count those themes on one hand.

[Cool King]

Damn, I didn't realise I typed that much.

[Cool King]

Yeah but CFO makes songs the fans can chant along with. They are it right now.

If you want chanting in a building filled with people as you all watch other people act like their hurt, watch football/soccer.

[Cool King]

How many entrances are over 1:30?

Not a lot but there are a few times that the winner celebrates/stays in front of the crowd for a hell of a long time.

[Destor]

CFO $ themes are so good theyre getting guys over.

[Evil Vito]

How many entrances are over 1:30?

Not a lot. I'm not saying their themes are bad at what they're used for - they're usually catchy and they do what they need to.

It's just I used to be a huge sucker for all of the WWE music albums that would come out because I loved hearing these full versions of themes. That's not the case now because it's only ever a chorus and one verse looped over.

You add a second verse to Bobby Roode, Mike Kanellis, Rich Swann, The Revival, etc. and suddenly I'm probably buying a CFO$ WWE The Music CD because I'd love to hear the full thing and have a clear copy of it.

Maybe they'll do something like that eventually. A lot of their stuff would actually work as proper songs, I feel.

[Fignuts]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the guidelines for how themes are structured is set by WWE, and CFO$ doesn't have any say in it.

[#1-norm-fan]

CFO $ themes are so good theyre getting guys over.

Who?

[KIRA]

CFO $ themes are so good theyre getting guys over.

Nakamura and Roode?

Asuka's music is over but shes over for her body count more than anything else

in a certain light though themes like Owens and Rollins Crews ,Jason Jordan Tye Dillinger all kinda start to run together

[Destor]

Who?

Do you wth the product?

[Destor]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the guidelines for how themes are structured is set by WWE, and CFO$ doesn't have any say in it.

That evil wwe ruins everything

[#1-norm-fan]

Do you wth the product?

Rarely. However, I do know that Nakamura and Bobby Roode are the main guys whose theme songs are considered a BIG part of their character. But you can't mean them since Nakamura seems to be the more "over" of the two and you've flat out said that you think he's irrelevant. You also seem to think none of these new guys are really over.

So I'll ask again. Who are these guys that are over because of their theme?

[Destor]

I think he's irreevent in the scope of bringing in new veiwers. He's still over. Those are mutually exclusive

[Destor]

Not sure youve grasped my past arguments. Maybe i need to word more clearly

[#1-norm-fan]

So you think he would not be over with the people he's over with if it weren't for his music?

[#1-norm-fan]

I think he's irreevent in the scope of bringing in new veiwers. He's still over. Those are mutually exclusive

The context in which you argued he was irrelevant wasn't about whether he could bring in new viewers. It was about whether him being jobbed out and made to look weak would make him less over.

Which it clearly wouldn't if he's over because of his theme song... Is that what you're saying? That would have been a point to make at that time as opposed to "It doesn't matter how bad he looks because he doesn't matter."

[Destor]

He doesnt. These things arent connected like they are in your head

[#1-norm-fan]

So he's over but he doesn't matter. Cool.

[Shisen Kopf]

Who was responsible for Biscuits and Gravy? That's the best entrance song ever.

[#1-norm-fan]

Jesse and Festus certainly would not have been over without it.

Maybe Festus because retarded guy gimmicks always get over.

[Fignuts]

Also convinced that Dillingers theme has gotten him over to some degree. Just one of those themes that's like a shot of adrenaline and gets you pumped.

[Fignuts]

I don't. Know where this black and white thought process came from that there is just "over or not over". There is and always has been different levels of being over.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Some CFO$ themes are good; others aren't as good. The same goes with Johnston's, but his work carries a stronger emotional weight because it's tied into so many memories. I don't really see why you can't use Jim Johnston for some themes and CFO$ for others.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Liked a lot of Jims 90s work but realistically fucking hate verything he has done afterwards

[Bad News Gertner]

Rarely. However, I do know that Nakamura and Bobby Roode are the main guys whose theme songs are considered a BIG part of their character. But you can't mean them since Nakamura seems to be the more "over" of the two and you've flat out said that you think he's irrelevant. You also seem to think none of these new guys are really over.

So I'll ask again. Who are these guys that are over because of their theme?

Roode sucks ass and is only over because of his theme

[#1-norm-fan]

The people he's over with he would be over with regardless of the theme. Same goes for Nakamura. They're good themes. They aren't the REASON they're over.

[Bad News Gertner]

It's 75% of the reason Roode is over. He's so mediocre

[Shisen Kopf]

The robe is the other 25%

[Bad News Gertner]

He looks like a skinny Hugh Morrus

[Cool King]

Roode sucks ass and is only over because of his theme

I have to agree with Mr. Gertner on this one.

Roode is pretty bad and his theme is what's keeping him alive right now.

[Destor]

Bad isa stretch but its def why he's over

[Mr. Nerfect]

Roode I think is over because of the theme, but I don't agree with that assessment on anyone else. Not entirely. With #fan on that. But it's a thought I've had before -- "this person is just an entrance." Triple H loves giving everyone a great entrance. Soon great entrances won't matter.

[#1-norm-fan]

Since when has being mediocre stopped someone from being over? Especially with the IWC. He came in and was instantly over because he was a known "star" elsewhere and hadn't wrestled for WWE. It was that simple. People were creaming their pants about him before his entrance was ever heard. Same with Nakamura. Does a good theme add to the presentation? Sure. Neither of them got over BECAUSE of their theme.

[Destor]

Guys fail to get over thanks to the office, the office does somethign right and it cant possibly be because of that.

[#1-norm-fan]

It can't possibly be because of the theme because they were both "over", for whatever reason, before they even had themes. Like I said right there. In the post above yours.

The "Against-the-grain, pro-office, CyNick-lite Destor" gimmick doesn't work in this situation. I'm not even badmouthing the office at the moment. Wait until I do and THEN you can revert to that.

[KIRA]

It's 75% of the reason Roode is over. He's so mediocre

Yet another person Triple H can see himself in (The other is Adam Cole)

[Fignuts]

Nakamura would have gotten over without the theme, but it definitely helped.

Roode, as others have said, is very dependent on it. I have never seen him as anything other than mediocre.

[Evil Vito]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the guidelines for how themes are structured is set by WWE, and CFO$ doesn't have any say in it.

It wouldn't surprise me. They're largely all structured the same with the chorus being the first thing you hear/the thing WWE want you to remember.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm switching towards #fan's side. Roode was over before the theme hit, and that's largely because everyone who watches is a geek now.

Roode is pretty good, by the way. I enjoyed him in TNA when he was really hitting his stride. Best work he's done though. I've been underwhelmed by NXT Roode, and I think that is largely because I'm kind of over the patterns in NXT. And a large part of that is guy being given "an entrance."

[#1-norm-fan]

I just find Roode to be... unoffensive. He's always come off as a guy who hits the checkmarks but is not remarkable in any way. A lot like Triple H, actually.

[Evil Vito]

Making Roode a face was so fucking dumb.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I just find Roode to be... unoffensive. He's always come off as a guy who hits the checkmarks but is not remarkable in any way. A lot like Triple H, actually.

Aka championship material apparently.

[KIRA]

I just find Roode to be... unoffensive. He's always come off as a guy who hits the checkmarks but is not remarkable in any way. A lot like Triple H, actually.

Theres a reason I was saying fight your clone when Triple H and Roode were in the ring at Survivor Series

There's a reason Roode is called Triple H 2.0

[Emperor Smeat]

Making Roode a face was so fucking dumb.
They should have taken a page from NXT on how his debut face run was handled there. Unlike on Smackdown, he had more hints of arrogance with his character and promos making the switch to being a heel logical.

Right now he comes off as just a typical bland face character except with a really good entrance theme.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Making Roode a face was so fucking dumb.

Eh, people were always going to cheer his entrance. You can run him as a face until it gets boring and then do the heel turn. I think it was a worse decision to put him against Ziggler. But which other heels do they have?

[Mr. Nerfect]

I just find Roode to be... unoffensive. He's always come off as a guy who hits the checkmarks but is not remarkable in any way. A lot like Triple H, actually.

Yeah, he is a lot like Triple H, and it worries me, because the more I think Triple H sees himself in someone the more he is going to push them when he takes over, and Triple H is kind of adverse to charisma, and that's what wrestling is missing.