WWE: Wrestling and Hip-Hop Combine on New Record

Professional wrestling and hip-hop have always had an uneasy, yet familiar relationship.

Wrestlers in the past have embraced hip-hop culture and music. Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan have put out their own rap records, although neither “Hulk Rules” nor “Be a Man” have really stood the test of time (although Macho’s stirring lyrical tribute to the late Mr. Perfect is still pretty great).

In wrestling’s new era, both R Truth and John Cena have put out their own rap records, and while they may not be certified classics, it is evident that the quality of pro-grapplers' rhymes have profoundly improved in the modern age. OK, maybe John Cena’s live battle raps were a little off the mark, but the "doctor of thuganomics" can hold his own on tracks with "Esoteric" and "Jake One."

On the other side of the coin, rappers have often embraced wrestling culture. Nas spits “I freak beats, slam ‘em like the Iron Sheik,” on “It Aint Hard to Tell." “I’m not Triple H, but I’m all about the game,” says Wale on his 2010 hit “The Soup.” Atlanta MC Killer Mike even has an entire song dedicated to "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

And now we have MoPizza. The self-proclaimed “rapping lucha libre” has just released his freshman album titled Dead Wrestler, in which examines his life through the vehicle of pro-wrestling storytelling.

He uses The Macho Man Randy Savage and his troubles with Miss Elizabeth to contextualize his own romantic woes. He uses sound clips from the always passionate Dusty Rhodes to express his struggles with middle-American life. On one of the albums greater moments of braggadocio, MoPizza uses Ric Flair’s famous “to be the man, you gotta beat the man” mantra to celebrate his own inflated ego.

And while there is a lot of fun in the nostalgia of the classic wrestling promos on the album, what really resonates is the life behind the scenes. “What do you have left when they stop cheering your name?” asks a teary eyed Scott Hall at the finish of the albums second track. “I’m not gonna tell you not to drink and do drugs.”

This is where MoPizza connects best with the wrestling world. He, like many pro-grapplers, has his glamorous life under the lights: the music, the fans, the love. And then he has his life behind the scenes; the time on the road, the struggles with alcohol and prescription pain pills and (most notably) the loneliness.

Too many wrestlers have had their lives cut short because of the difficulties of dealing with life outside the ring, and although this record appropriates this lifestyle to fit in the hip-hop world, the message will not be lost on wrestling fans.

For anyone interested MoPizza, Dead Wrestler is available for free download at mopizza.bandcamp.com