Music has been an intrinsic part of professional wrestling. In Break The Song Down, we review the theme songs that have echoed throughout the squared circle, from the five-star classics to underrated gems.

Hanukkah begins tonight, so it’s fitting that Break The Song Down’s first foray into All Elite Wrestling would be spotlighting the generational talent and arguably the preeminent Jewish performer in wrestling history, Maxwell Jacob Friedman.

When I saw MJF wrestle Matt “M-Dogg 20” Cross in the first match of 2018’s All In, I thought it was the Being The Elite guys giving Cross his flowers for all the years he spent on the road as an independent wrestler. I didn’t know that I was watching a symbolic moment, with Cross—the spirit of independent wrestling’s past—facing that spirit’s future.

Since then, AEW debuted, with MJF among its foundational stars. And I can only imagine how all the Jewish wrestling fans have felt watching MJF’s success.

I’m not Jewish. I am the type of person who has never not been represented on television, especially in pro-wrestling. So I can only empathize with those kids who wanted to see themselves in the person holding up championship gold.

Bill Goldberg is often No. 1 on listicles of famous Jewish professional wrestlers (and there are a lot, including Chris Adonis/Masters, Jisa Marie Varon/Victoria, Simon Gotch, Matt Sydal, Jack Cartwheel, Chelsea Durden, Royce Isaacs, and, of course, Colt Cabana).

But outside of a 2000 episode of The Man Show, I cannot remember Goldberg being as open about his heritage as MJF is.

MJF, on the other hand, has made his Judaism a fundamental aspect of his in-ring persona. One of the most significant AEW moments in 2023 was when MJF held a re-Bar Mitzvah, celebrating him becoming an “Iron Man” after defeating Bryan Danielson (“Clap along or you’re antisemitic,” he taunted the crowd. Brilliant.)

MJF has also been phenomenal in crafting his multilayered persona (one part due to his refusal to break character, another part because Maxwell Friedman is not a character). He has made it clear that his heritage is not a gimmick, but who he is.

In doing so, the audience has to confront its own prejudices. In a now-famous promo, MJF recalled the antisemitism he faced as a youth, when bullies threw quarters at him and demanded that he “pick it up, Jew Boy.” By sharing this all-too-real evil, fans had to wonder whenever they jeered him: Am I booing MJF because he’s a scumbag, or because he’s Jewish?

After being inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2023 (a remarkable feat since he was 27 at the time), MJF told the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast that it was vital for him to show “that Jews are brave. Jews are kind. Jews are funny. Jews can be athletes. Jews can be anything. But most of all, Jews are human, and we should all be treating each other as such.”

As a gentile, I think he’s been successful. But, who am I to say? I’m just here to talk about his theme, and if it matches with his place in wrestling history. So, let’s dig in.

The Song: “Dig Deep”

MJF made his pro-wrestling debut in 2015 at the age of 18. One of the first promotions to book him was Combat Zone Wrestling, where he first began wrestling as Pete Lightning, tagging alongside Hous Blazer (aka Bear Bronson). It seems he realized that the name was a dud and started using MJF as his moniker. Along with the change came a new entrance song.

(There are some claims that MJF used Young Money’s “Trophies” in his early days, but I can’t verify it without giving CZW a lot of money I don’t have.)

As early as 2017, MJF began using “Dig Deep” by RW Smith, a royalty-free song posted to YouTube’s Audio Library three years earlier.

Using non-copyrighted music is a two-sided sword: the song can pop up anywhere, so you risk your song being associated with a comedy vape video (s/o r/SquaredCircle) and whoever. However, the upside is that you can take your theme song wherever you go.

MJF used “Dig Deep” when wrestling for Major League Wrestling from 2017 to 2020, and when he joined AEW in 2019. He even brought it when he wrestled for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. He may even take it with him if he ever goes to the WWE.

Breaking It Down:

“Dig Deep” is a synth-driven, hip-hop-inspired track that aims for the epic. It kicks off with light symbols, before the first playing of the song’s repeating theme(a lovely 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-FOUR arrangement that I could better explain if I had a modicum of music theory knowledge).

Ten seconds in, the minimalist intro gives way to the bombastic swagger. Electrifying keys dance around the thumping beat. It is all about confidence…until the :35 mark, when the energy drops. There’s a sort of pensive moment there, almost sorrowful. Almost.

The song’s theme resumes at 1:00, as does the attitude, which carries through the rest of the song.

I personally don’t enjoy wrestling themes that are one-note. That risks pigeonholing the performer to one emotion—rage, arrogance, etc.—and MJF’s theme, like him, has layers to it.

That lull in the energy at the 0:35 mark mirrors those moments when he opened about his learning disability, enduring antisemitism, being overlooked because he’s not 6’3”, and all the other transgressions he’s suffered. And instead of wallowing in these feelings, this lull motivates the theme (and MJF) to lock in, to “dig deep” and defeat everyone.

The only notable ding against it is that it’s all synth, and there is a strange artificial feeling listening to it. It has that slight generic sheen you find on most non-copyrighted music.

What? The Lyrics:

There are none, which allows the song to be as malleable as MJF’s character. Is he a bombastic heel during a championship run? Is he a wounded face showing his vulnerability by befriending Adam Cole? Is he comedic or is he serious? Whatever MFJ is, “Dig Deep” is.

Plus, if you watch his entrance for 2023’s All In, not only do you get the instrumental version of his theme, but you hear the London fans chant along to the song. Who needs lyrics?

The 1-2-3 Second Rule:

“Dig Deep” nails the 3-second rule for themes: songs have up to 3 seconds to establish who’s coming out.

If this were the Attitude Era WWE, “Dig Deep” would open with a sound byte, perhaps MJF saying his “I’m better than you, and you know it” catchphrase. I don’t think it needs it. The opening synth key makes it clear who it is. Plus, that 13-note theme begins at 0:03. That synth note is not as impactful as, say, The Undertaker’s gong or the screeching tires at the start of Mankind’s latter theme, but it does the trick.

FINAL VERDICT

Imagine it: eight years ago or so, MJF heard this song backstage at a random CZW show or while wrestling at the dojo. Maybe he liked it and picked it. Perhaps someone told him it would be his theme, and he didn’t object. Unbeknownst to MJF at the time, this song would play right before he wrestled in front of tens of thousands of fans in Wembley (and millions more on PPV).

Someday, he might change it. I hope he doesn’t. Call it serendipity, call it MJF turning anything he touches to gold. Either way, “Dig Deep” is great in announcing MJF’s arrival, and reminding everyone: he’s better than you, and you know it.

4.75/5 BAH GAWDS

Read our previous analysis on theme songs for: D-Lo Brown, Batista and Honky Tonk Man.