Buffalo rapper and wrestling aficionado Westside Gunn has dropped his latest project today, Heels Have Eyes 2, and it is absolutely overflowing with nods to the world of professional wrestling. From the album’s title and cover art to individual track names and lyrical content, Gunn continues to seamlessly blend the cultures of hip-hop and the squared circle.

The Cover, Title, and a Million Dollar Connection

Even before you press play, the wrestling references are front and center. The album’s title, Heels Have Eyes 2, is a direct callback to the wrestling term “heel,” used to describe a villainous character. The cover art continues the theme established by its predecessor, featuring the late Virgil. This is a direct sequel to the cover of the first Heels Have Eyes, which featured his former associate, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. On both covers, the artists are seen holding a modified version of the iconic Million Dollar Belt.

A Track-by-Track Breakdown

The references don’t stop at the cover. Several tracks are dedicated to or contain clever lines about wrestling figures past and present.

The track “Heel Cena” is an obvious nod to John Cena‘s shocking heel turn that took the wrestling world by storm earlier this year. Gunn drops bars like, “White bricks, sniffed it one time, turned to Heel Cena,” and later references another icon with, “Spot Hogan leg drop, quarter block, bet not (Woo).”

AEW gets a major shout-out with the song “Power House Hobbs,” named directly after the dominant star Will “Powerhouse” Hobbs. The lyrics within the track also pay homage to other modern stars, with lines such as, “The bag flip like Will Ospreay,” and the hard-hitting bar, “Desert Eagle so big, I nicknamed it Power House Hobbs (Woah).”

Gunn also dips into wrestling’s past with the track “Brickolai Volkoff,” a clever play on the name of the legendary 1980s WWE villain, Nikolai Volkoff. Another track, “BLOW HENDRY,” features a fantastic sample of a viral news clip where a Buffalo reporter for WKBW asks Hulk Hogan to cut a promo on his boss to help him get a raise. On “GLOWREALAH,” he even gives a shout-out to his own wrestling venture, Fourth Rope.

A Genuine Passion

Westside Gunn‘s love for professional wrestling is well-documented. He is featured on the entrance theme of AEW’s Hurt Syndicate. He performed Daniel Garcia’s theme live. He is frequently seen in the front row at major events for WWE, AEW, TNA, and various independent promotions. His passion culminated in the creation of his own league, Fourth Rope, which aims to merge the worlds of hip-hop and wrestling. This album serves as yet another powerful testament to his deep-rooted appreciation for the sport.

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