After the new guy took his best shot, the veteran wrestlers would sell the hit as if it was quite painful. To be honest, you do feel the spoon, but you can’t really hit that hard when it’s hanging out of your mouth. Then the spoon gets passed to the seasoned pro. The rookie then lowers his head, preparing for the impact, and that’s exactly what he gets. While this unsuspecting newbie has his head down, another vet uses a much larger spoon or in some cases a ladle, and cracks the kid on his head. You can only imagine how much pain the young man would be in. The funny part is that the victim of the game never wants to quit after only one shot to the head and continues to “play.”
This process is repeated, sometimes for several rounds. Eventually the first-time player would give in as those of us who watched the festivities busted a gut with laughter. After questioning the “professional spoon player” about how he could hit so hard, he was let in on the secret. The reaction was always priceless but they were always good sports and the boys would buy him a few rounds. It really is one of the funniest things I had ever seen. Thankfully, I was never asked to play. I was only a spectator and much preferred it that way. The Big Show’s chop was bad enough, but at least it was only a one-time thing. Trust me, one time was more than enough.
Even the boss likes to have a little fun now and then. At some TV tapings, the WWE hierarchy holds talent meetings. These meetings are on a variety of subjects and last about a half-hour or so. On days when there is a meeting, someone puts up signs all around the backstage area from catering to every locker room so all the talent knows about the meeting, its time and location. On this particular day, I was helping hang the signs backstage. I thought hanging the signs a little higher would make them easier to spot so I jumped up on a road case to hang it high. As I reached up while standing on the wheeled case, somebody thought it would be funny to shove me from behind into the wall. Almost taking a huge bump off the platform, I quickly collected myself and turned to give the culprit an earful.
Who did I see staring at me but the Chairman himself, Vince McMahon. Instead of the outburst of profanity I was planning, I fell silent. Then Vince said to me in a stern voice, “You were saying?”
Almost mimicking his very own hard oh my god gulping swallow, I followed that up with the immortal words, “Good to see ya, boss. How’s it going?”
He laughed and replied, “I’m doing good, pal. Carry on.” I could hear laughing as he walked down the hallway. There are times when I think, What if I had said what I was going to say? What if I had turned around and pushed the person back? It’s a good thing flying off the handle is not one of my trademarks. I rarely get angry. If I had been really angry that day, this scene may have turned out much differently. Instead, I got another tale to tell the youngsters.
Chapter 16
The Referee’s Role & My Colleagues
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say, “What’s the big deal? All you have to do is just stand there and wait until the end of the match and count one, two, three.” That is how many view the job of a pro wrestling referee. Those who have never been in the ring will never understand how involved the referee is in a wrestling match. There are even some within the industry who do not totally grasp the concept of being a ref.
When I first started refereeing matches, I had no idea there was so much to learn. I, like most people, was not aware of all the little things that came with the job. Unlike many of the refs today who learned their craft on the independent circuit or a developmental system, my training was on the job. I’m not saying one way is better than the other; it’s just a different time and era. That was how things were done when I started.
Trying to define the role of a wrestling referee may be a good place to start. Obviously, he is not like a referee in any of the major sports you watch on television. The biggest question is how much of a presence he should have in a match. Some say he should be invisible in a match. While this is partially true, there is a fine line a referee has to walk while working in the ring. The focal point in any match is the wrestlers, the superstars that the fans pay to see. The referee is more of a supporting actor. His main role is to enhance the match and the story the wrestlers are trying to tell in the ring. He should not be invisible but at the same time, he should not be a distraction. I believe that the referee should act naturally in the ring and treat each match as if it was a true contest. Be a referee! Don’t act like one because then you will not appear genuine. Fans can tell the difference.
Squared Circle Training, which is a wrestling school in Toronto run by head trainer Rob Etcheverria, better known as El Fuego, asked me if I was interested in running a referee camp for those who wanted to learn the craft. In May 2010, I, along with fellow veteran referee Harry Dee, held a month-long camp teaching the finer points of reffing. To my knowledge, they were the first classes dedicated to refereeing taught by referees. One of the things I did when preparing for the classes was make a list of what pro wrestling referees should know and learn. Here’s what I came up with. This is in no particular order but rather a guide or outline of dos and don’ts.
Always conduct yourself in a professional manner, whether at work or in public, especially if you are working for one of the major companies. How you are perceived by others is very important because in this business, perception becomes reality. If you come off as arrogant, even if you are not, you will be labelled that way and it will affect your relationships with the talent. So, in a nutshell, be respectful of everyone — don’t be a dick!
When you are in the ring, you must appear confident at all times. If you are officiating a match and appear to be tentative or hesitant, no one will buy you as an official. Again, perception is reality. If you look in command and authoritative in the ring, people will believe it.
When enforcing the rules, treat both the heels and babyfaces the same. You don’t want to seem to favour one or the other. You should be impartial at all times, unless of course they are planning to use you in a storyline or angle. Otherwise, play it straight.
During a wrestling match, there will be certain counts that the referee will have to make, not only pinning attempts, but also other instances where a count is utilized. A five count will be administered when the wrestlers are on the ropes, in the corner, or when an illegal hold is being used. A ten count will be used when one or more participants are outside the ring. Regardless of which count the ref is making, the counts should be rhythmic and consistent. Any variation in the cadence of the count is noticeable by the fans. This really applies when counting a pin attempt. Nothing bothers me more than when a referee has a different cadence for near-falls and the actual finish. Slowing down or speeding up the counts is a common problem with many referees I watch. I’m sure I’ve been guilty of doing this also but I make a conscious effort not to do it. This is one of my biggest pet peeves.
I always treated every match as if it was an actual contest. Treat it like a shoot. Always look as if you are doing your job. Stay busy in the ring without being a distraction. Don’t be distracted by fans at ringside. Your focus should be on the action in the ring.
Your movements as well as your facial expressions in the ring will help tell the story. Your movements in the ring should be natural. That goes for facial expressions as well. No over-the-top motions or looks will help. If the ref portrays his role correctly, his involvement is mostly subtle, but very important in order to help the wrestlers get across what is going on in the ring. This also goes for body language. Exaggerated motions and movements in the ring are not only distracting, they look ridiculous. You are the authority figure in the ring, not trying out for Dancing with the Stars.
This may sound contradictory, but when enforcing the rules, be vocal and use body language to show what rules you are enforcing. Be vocal so the fans close enough to hear you as well as the TV cameras can pick up what you are admonishing the wrestler for. Also, by pantomiming at the same time, those who c
annot hear your admonishment will know what rule you are enforcing. This can be done subtly while at the same time visibly to those in the farthest areas of the arena.
Ring positioning is one of the most important aspects of being a pro wrestling referee. This does not only mean staying out of the way, it also includes being in the right spot at the right time throughout the match. A good referee will talk to the guys he’s working with and find out what the game plan is, and ask questions if he doesn’t understand something. Never go into a match blind. Know what is expected of you.
Again, positioning is important when TV cameras are involved. Always be aware of them and do your best not to get in the cameraman’s way. This includes blocking the wrestler’s face when they are selling a move or a hold. Do not position yourself where the talent’s face cannot be seen by the fans or TV viewers. Stay to the side but not so far away that you look like you are not doing your job. This also comes into play when you have to relay messages from one talent to the other. Know how and when to assist the wrestlers in communicating with each other and how to make it appear to be something else you are doing. You can simply pass on something while appearing to enforce the rules. Of course you will not be as vocal in this case. The last thing you want is for the first two rows in the audience to know what you’re going to do next.
There are so many other things that could be listed here, but most are things learned through experience and over time. The most important thing to know as a wrestling referee is that you never stop learning and that the business continues to evolve which means the role of the referee will evolve with it. If he portrays his role correctly, his involvement will help the wrestlers get across their story in the ring.
During my time in the WWF/E I have had the privilege to work with some of the best referees and the greatest wrestlers in the world, all of whom have contributed in helping me become confident in my abilities. I feel my body of work through the years has consistently improved. It is said that you can have a good match without a good referee but a good referee can make a good match so much better. This is very true and I believe that I fit into that category. Those who know can tell you it takes three to tell a good story in the ring.
I get asked a lot of questions by many fans about my time in the WWF /E. Questions such as how has refereeing a match changed over the years, especially with the addition of the earpiece? What’s the difference between working on TV versus non-televised events? What is the pay like? What is it like to referee the different types of matches and their unique challenges, as well as the dangers that may be present?
Let me start with how things were when I began refereeing. For me it was more about not making any mistakes and getting the finish of the match right. It was a long and slow process to get comfortable enough to not overthink my every move in the ring. I was very critical of my work in the ring and constantly asked my peers for advice. With their help and guidance, I developed and improved into a very confident and competent referee. That is not conceit; it is confidence. Once I gained valuable experience, I began to understand the storytelling aspect of a wrestling match. I understood there was psychology in putting a match together that made logical sense to the fans watching. Also very important in my opinion is how the babyfaces and heels react to the official. The referee is to be respected as he would be in any other sport and treated that way. Most every talent knew how to toe the line regarding how they dealt with a referee. They respected the referee.
Fast-forward a decade or two and things have changed to a certain degree. The way I look at it is referees are not being utilized correctly at times these days. I don’t know if it’s so much that the referees aren’t being trained properly, or a lot of the newer, younger guys in the business aren’t utilizing the referees properly. Heels nowadays just blatantly do things in front of the referee, for example, something as simple as choking. The way I see it, putting a count on someone while he’s choking doesn’t get any heat on the heel. If you do it behind the referee’s back, and everybody in the building sees it, and the heel does it in a creative way where the referee doesn’t look like a total buffoon by not seeing it, then it makes sense and it gets some heat. But to just blatantly do it in front of the referee, that’s not heat. Heels cleverly cheating out of sight of the official is a lost art and rarely done in today’s pro wrestling. I always enjoyed working with guys like William Regal and Dave “Fit” Finlay. They knew how to best incorporate the referee in their matches. No matter how much they broke and/or bent the rules, they always had respect for the referee and made it very apparent to the audience. There were others but those two were the masters.
Speaking of pet peeves, another one that I have is in tag-team matches. Referees are often getting buried and made to look a little dumb in these types of matches. I have had this happen to me many times. Sometimes you just have to do what you are told but that is no excuse for making the ref look bad. I recall a tag match I refereed that featured Paul London and Brian Kendrick taking on Deuce and Domino on an episode of SmackDown. As often happens in a tag-team match, the heels (Deuce and Domino) were cheating and at one point drew my attention away from Paul London who was being choked on the ropes by the illegal man behind my back. As this was going on, Brian Kendrick entered the ring, also illegally, and drew my attention away from his partner. It was my job to get him out of the ring before I could turn my attention back to the match. All of this may sound like it took a long time to occur, but in reality the whole scenario was fairly quick. Not quick enough for the boss. Vince McMahon apparently blew a gasket. I say apparently because it was John Laurinaitis who came to us after the match and gave us all an earful. He said Vince was angry that they buried the referee and that the referee was to blame as well for letting it happen. He was so pissed off that he fined all of us. I was fined $250 while the boys were fined $500 each. We were all stunned. I wanted to protest but sometimes it’s just best to suck it up.
The following Sunday at a pay-per-view in St. Louis, the other referees, led by Jack Doan and Charles Robinson, got a copy of the tape from SmackDown with the match I was fined for. They asked Johnny if we could have a meeting with all the refs to discuss the fine and what was done wrong in the match. The main reason given for the fine was that I was distracted for far too long and made to look bad. When we reviewed the tape, we counted how long I was distracted and it was less than five seconds. Johnny finally agreed that it wasn’t as bad as they thought the previous Tuesday night, but there was nothing he could do about the fine because Vince was the one who apparently called for it. Even though I paid the fine, I felt somewhat vindicated. That’s not the end of the story. The other WWE referees all chipped in and paid the fine for me. I tried not to accept the money but I was outvoted. That really shows how much of a brotherhood we really were.
Now this may or may not have anything to do with the fine I received, but I did get a bonus once. At the Unforgiven PPV in 2007, the SmackDown main event was a triple threat match for the world heavyweight championship. The champ, the Great Khali, was to defend the title against Rey Mysterio and Dave Batista. There was a problem getting Khali to agree to the finish of the match. He did not want to take a Batista Bomb off the second rope in the corner. He was not comfortable climbing the ropes in the first place, which I can understand given his lack of mobility. He didn’t say so but it was believed he didn’t want to take that finish. He didn’t mind losing the match but not with such a big bump. I was at ringside and was fully aware of the situation, watching as the agents were brainstorming to come up with a suitable finish that would work for everyone.
Then it hit me. Sometimes I would get ideas for finishes. I was comfortable enough to pitch my ideas to the agents. I went to Finlay, whom I felt most comfortable with, and laid out my idea. Mysterio would hit two 619s, first on Batista then on Khali. Khali would land in a seated position on the mat. Rey would springboard off the top rope, landing on Khali in a pinning position. B
atista would not only break up the pin attempt, he would Batista Bomb Rey right on top of Khali. Then Batista would wait for both men to get to their feet, push Rey out of the ring, and hit Khali with a Spinebuster for the one, two, three, and become the new champ. Finlay liked the finish and had me explain it to the guys in the match as well as the other agents. They all agreed that my idea would work, and they used it for the PPV match that night. Arn Anderson, who is one of the most respected men in the business and one of the lead agents, came to me afterwards and told me, “Jimmy, you saved the day. Thank you for helping out.”
I was so flattered that Double A would say something like that to me. After the match that evening, John Laurinaitis stopped me as I walked by and said, “Good job tonight, Jimmy.” I wasn’t sure if he meant the tag match I refereed earlier or the finish I came up with. I assume he meant the finish as I received a bonus in my pay that John said was for coming up with that finish. I don’t know for sure, but I think it was John’s way of making up for the $250 fine I got a few weeks prior. Either way, it was nice to get some props from your boss sometimes. And, by the way, the bonus was for exactly $250.
Refereeing different types of matches is all part of the job. The one that may surprise people as being the most involved are the tables, ladders, and chairs matches. I have been a part of many of them and the referee is very important. Not so much in relaying the time to the boys; it’s more being constantly aware of what is happening in the match and making sure the ring is clear of debris so the guys can work more safely. There are usually huge bumps and big high spots and that is when the ref has to check on the talent and make sure they are not hurt. If you watch the TLC match from WrestleMania X-Seven in Houston’s Astrodome, you can see many times during the match when I am moving ladders or tables or chairs to clear the playing surface, so to speak. You can also see yours truly check on the guys several times after big bumps. No one ever explained to me what to do during those matches. I would sit in when the boys talked over the match and reacted accordingly. I took it upon myself to be proactive in the TLC match. There was no standard set for these matches so we learned on the fly. I just did what came naturally, and it seemed to work. As always, my number one priority was the safety of the boys. I feel I kind of set a standard on how to officiate TLC or ladder matches as I was generally assigned those matches. On occasion, it was requested by the participants in the match that I be assigned. For me there is no bigger compliment than that.
The Three Count Page 17