Mikey Rukus Talks About His AEW Music Strategy

Music and pro wrestling go hand-in-hand and have for many years, as theme music can often set the tone for a wrestler and audience. In AEW, some wrestlers are granted licensed music, such as The Elite using "Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas and the current AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy using "Jane" by Jefferson Starship. However, for most of the AEW roster, their music is created and played by Mikey Rukus, the in-house musician for the Tony Khan-led company.

In a recent interview with Soundsphere, Rukus discussed his legacy as a part of AEW and his current body of work as it stands. "I've been doing music for 10-12 years, I've been with AEW for the last three," Ruckus clarified, "I'm still building... I'm not gonna think about legacy until years down the line."

Rukus then discusses how important the expansion of wrestling music and how important that is to his creative process. "I'm always thinking of different ways to connect AEW music [to things] outside of professional wrestling." Rukus then brought up cases of wrestlers' music being used at hockey and soccer events and how that can help visibility for AEW. "Taking AEW music outside [of pro wrestling] where people can listen to this, not just in the wrestling context, but in other outlets of entertainment [as well]."

One case of AEW music becoming popular outside of pro wrestling has been Adam Cole's theme song "All About Tha (Boom!)". Rukus spoke about the song's reach, saying, "We just had Adam Cole's music get transcribed into sheet music for symphonic and concert bands in middle schools and high schools... It's a completely different form of marketing and a completely different form of storytelling."