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Top 5: Wrestling Referees

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Most people that follow wrestling know that you need more than just wrestlers to have a great match. The third/fifth person in the ring does as much as anybody else to make things work. A good referee can make a good match even better. A bad referee can make a bad match even worse.

The boys running the All In event know this as well as anybody. That’s why they scoured the globe to find the best possible officials to referee the matches that will take place on September 1 in Chicago.

Referees are vital to a successful wrestling show. Who are the best? I’ve got my Top 5 Referees right here…

5. Bryce Remsburg

Bryce has been one of indy wrestling’s top referees for well over a decade, most notably serving as top official in CHIKARA & SHIMMER.Trained by Mike Quackenbush & Reckless Youth, Bryce has been with CHIKARA since the beginning & currently serves as Director of Fun. He’s very excitable on commentary & is always up for some zany in-ring fun.

 

4. Drake Wuertz

Drake’s independent wrestling career was legendary. He won CZW’s Best of the Best & Tournament of Death. He won IWA Mid-South’s King of the Deathmatch & Ted Petty Invitational. He won titles & tournaments everywhere he went…and he made it to WWE as a referee? Kinda weird, but he’s actually really good at it. As somebody that knows how a match works from multiple perspectives, Drake has earned the trust of everyone he’s worked with. He’s worked in NXT since 2014 & got the honor of refereeing the Ronda Rousey/Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon/Triple H match at WrestleMania 34. When you’re working the boss’s matches, you’re doing pretty well for yourself.

 

3. Mark Curtis

Mick Foley has said that Mark Curtis was the most talented trainee at Dominic DeNucci’s wrestling school. At 5’6 & 145 pounds, there wasn’t a place for Curtis as a wrestler in the 80s & 90s. He worked as a manager before settling into the role of referee. He was Smoky Mountain Wrestling’s head official during its existence, and behind the scenes he was owner Jim Cornette’s right-hand man, doing everything possible to help the territory run. He was one of SMW’s top representatives during their inter-promotional feud with the USWA, leading to memorable promos like this one.

After SMW closed he moved on to ECW & WCW, where he became famous after choking out a fan that ran into the ring. Curtis passed away in 1999 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

 

2. Nick Patrick

The son of the Assassin, Patrick wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps as a wrestler but became a referee instead. The Assassin was a great heel, as was Nick Patrick. His stint as the New World Order’s referee added a new dimension to the group. He also got some work as a heel official during the ill-fated Invasion angle, and got to work a feud with the WWF’s lead referee at the time. Patrick remained with WWE until 2008 & was one of SmackDown’s top referees for most of his time there.

There wasn’t a better heel referee, at least in the United States, than Nick Patrick. He cut a better promo than any other official & was great at getting fans to hate him for the right reasons.

 

Honorable Mention: Earl Hebner

Two things really bug me about Earl. His slow counts during main events made the people getting pinned look like crap & told people that it was going to be the finish. Also, once he screwed Bret he got way too full of his own ish. His post-WWE work matches have mostly been all about Earl & it takes away from the workers involved. With all that being said, you can’t have a list like this without mentioning Earl Hebner. Between the Main Event storyline with Earl being Dave Hebner’s evil identical twin helping Andre the Giant & the whole screwing Bret thing, he’s the most famous referee of all time.

Honorable Mention: Todd Sinclair

I was not a big fan of Todd’s for most of my trips to Dayton for ROH events. It seemed like he was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. His near-fall counts were annoying. He looked like Bobby Hill. The fans got on him like crazy. Then I figured out that was his gimmick. He’s awesome at being an incompetent referee that means well.

Honorable Mention: Tommy Young

Everybody from back in the day says that Tommy’s the best ever. They may be right. But the lion’s share of Tommy that I’ve seen is in Ric Flair matches. He always makes the same mistakes & does the same spots & it gets predictable. I feel if I’d seen him with a wider variety of wrestlers I would rate him higher than I do.

 

1. Charles Robinson

Robinson grew up in the heart of Horsemen Country & idolized Ric Flair. The Nature Boy was the reason Robinson wanted to get into the wrestling business, and his dream came true when WCW hired him as a referee. He got to take part in a storyline where he favored Flair & his allies & even earned the nickname of “Little Naitch” when he wrestled Randy Savage’s girlfriend Gorgeous George in a match where he wore a robe & did most of Flair’s moves. He still dyes his hair today like he’s a Nature Boy.

Robinson moved to WWE after WCW went out of business & hasn’t left. He refereed countless women’s matches during the 2000s & was the third man in the ring for Flair’s retirement match at WrestleMania XXIV, along with Shawn Michaels’ retirement match at WrestleMania XXVI. He had another WrestleMania Moment when he had to do a run-in after a referee got bumped during the Undertaker vs. Edge WrestleMania XXIV main event.

When they needed a referee for that spot, Charles was the only one that could do it. He’s the one they call on when they need something extra. He still puts the ring up all these years later, because somebody has to. If Eva Marie needs help winning in NXT, Charles gets the call. He’s reliable, which every referee needs to be more than anything else.

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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

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WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

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FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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