Former WWE referee Mike Chioda has provided a bit of insight into the relationship between WWE officials and the company's superstars.
Referees not having personal relationships with players when it comes to regular sports is no surprise. WWE is different; everyone knows the outcome of matches before they take place (unless they're Bret Hart in 1997), so refs being close to the roster wouldn't be out of place.
However, Chioda has revealed that referees don't hang out with wrestlers, for the most part. The 54-year-old, who was the company's longest-tenured official before being released last April, noted he was one of the referees who partied with wrestlers on many an occasion but today's refs "do their own thing."
He added WWE has never considered referees to be talent as they do wrestlers.
"I would probably have to say I am one of the referees that partied with the boys a lot," he said on the newest episode of Monday Mailbag on AdFreeShows (H/T Sportskeeda.com). "Even Joey did back in the day too. But a lot of referees these days they don't party with the boys. They don't hang out with the boys. A lot of them don't.
"They kind of do their own thing, and no, they are not considered the boys and shouldn't be considered the boys. So, I mean, even though we are just referees. Are we talent? And that's the thing too; I really don't feel the company, the WWE, had even considered us as talent being a referee in the business."
Unsung Heroes (Somewhat)
Referees are perhaps the most underappreciated workers in wrestling - there isn't a single one in the WWE Hall of Fame.
As Chioda pointed out, their job entails a whole lot more than simply officiating matches.
"Ughh! Man, setting up the ring, running her, running there," he remarked. "A lot of the other referees, they will always make you go and get talent, you know, try and run for rehearsals and, it's kind of like a gofer job after a while."
Source: Monday Mailbag (H/T Sportskeeda.com)