Lee Moriarty isn’t a household name like the Rock or CM Punk just yet, but over the last few years, the 27-year-old has established a reputation as a must-watch pro wrestling workhorse. He’s easy to root for—the kind of performer who kicks dudes hard in the face, flies gracefully off the top rope, and ties up an arm or a leg in an advanced submission hold, all while looking like he’s having the time of his life. After proving himself with instant-classic matches on the independent wrestling circuit, he recently signed with All Elite Wrestling, the exciting new company that’s challenging WWE’s monopoly as wrestling’s sole cable-TV powerhouse.
Music is a big inspiration for his overall presentation as a wrestler. Moriarty defines his hybrid wrestling style as “TAIGASTYLE”—a reference to Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” presented in all-caps in tribute to MF DOOM. For every match, he walks to the ring listening to his favorite tracks on noise-canceling headphones. The music in his ears is carefully curated—often featuring rap heavyweights like Drake and Tyler amid newer artists like Smino and PinkPantheress—in order to switch his mindset into wrestling mode.
“I really need to quiet out all of the sounds around me,” he says over the phone from his home in Pittsburgh, almost sounding shy. “I have stage fright, so being around a lot of people makes me nervous. When I can just listen to music and chill, it helps a lot. It also helps to transform me into TAIGASTYLE Lee Moriarty as opposed to Lee Moriarty, the guy you see at a grocery store.”
Here, he talks about some of the songs that get him in the zone.
Mac Miller: Faces
Lee Moriarty: Mac Miller is a big influence on me—the way he was this positive person, always trying to have fun. That’s why I try to look like I’m having fun in the ring, even though I’m fighting and it’s a competition. It’s cool seeing someone succeed from the area where I lived too. I remember hearing his music for the first time in my dad’s car, then watching his show Most Dope on MTV and seeing a guy from Pittsburgh succeeding and living a dream life. Even with all the stuff he went through personally, he was always trying to lift others up. The thing I was taught when I got into professional wrestling by my trainers was “leave professional wrestling better than how you found it.” I want to help as much as I can, especially in Pittsburgh.
Lute: Gold Mouf
The first time I heard Lute was on a song called “Sleep Deprived” from the Dreamville album, and I wanted to see if that sound carried over to his album, and it did. I really like jazz funk mixed with hip-hop. I’ve been putting this on in the car or on an airplane because it’s very mellow. It’s easy listening while I’m drawing or painting or just want to relax.
Westside Gunn: Hitler Wear Hermes 8: Side B
The first time I heard a Westside Gunn song was because it had a wrestling-inspired title: “Lucha Bros.” I’m a big fan of the Lucha Bros, and that song came up on YouTube when I was looking for them. I like both of his new albums, but I like Side B a little more. I’ve been listening to it when I’m getting ready to do something; it’s like a warm-up for me. There’s one track that’s just talking about how you finish how you start, and it’s stories like that that make me think about what the music means to me personally. I’m hoping that his next album has the Arn Anderson glock promo, it would fit so perfectly.
$NOT: “Sangria” [ft. Denzel Curry]
Denzel Curry is probably my favorite active artist right now. I really like his creative approach. He released that Unlocked project with Kenny Beats, and they did that video about it leaking and having to find the files, which was really cool. I was looking for Denzel Curry music and found this song “Sangria,” and that’s the song that made me a $NOT fan.
Hip-hop and professional wrestling work so perfectly together, but wrestling usually features rock music. Or if it’s hip-hop, it’s Pitbull or Flo Rida, which I get because it’s a party vibe. But there’s this whole other world that could bring in new wrestling fans. There’s people my age who don’t necessarily listen to this rock’n’roll stuff. What they gravitate to is Denzel Curry or Lil Uzi, and seeing these guys on a wrestling TV show might make them stop and become a wrestling fan. I’ve met people who became fans of me because of the MF DOOM, Denzel Curry, and Wu-Tang Clan references. There’s a place for that music in mainstream professional wrestling. I want to invite those fans to start watching.
