By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
PWMania interview with guest Mike Chioda
Interview conducted by TJ Stephens
Interview available at PWMania.com
WWE doing things in the past that they wouldn’t get away with today: “They [WWE] did some things back then that I doubt this company would get away with these days. Back then, they used to do certain things, it was just like, ‘Oh my God.’ What we were doing on TV sometimes was just crazy, especially during the Attitude Era. Tits were flying everywhere, and TNA. Triple H or Shawn Michaels or anybody would say, ‘Hey lift them shirts up,’ and I’d be in the ring and all of a sudden you’d see like a dozen girls lifting their shirts up and bras off. I’m like, ‘Oh shit.’ Talk about having control of a crowd. That was amazing. And then going into the Attitude Era and going into The Rock and [Hulk] Hogan match, that was phenomenal.”
Brock Lesnar selling at WrestleMania 31: “Brock sold his ass off, man. I mean, I remember he got gashed open the hard way because he won’t do no other way. He’ll do it the hard way, then anyone will believe it. I’d never seen him f—ing sell like that before. I thought he was actually concussed or he was hurt or dizzy or something like that. I mean, I was sitting there at one point, and I remember I put on the gloves. And next thing you know, I’m looking at him, and I kept asking him, ‘Brock, you alright brother?’ And he’s selling around the ropes and selling around the outside coming back and selling like a son of a gun. I was shocked that he sold so good because I’d never seen him sell like that before. He was always the killer beast monster. And to me, that’s a professional. They were making Roman [Reigns] at that time, and he had to sell to make it believable. That was a hell of a match man, one of the best of my career.”
Whether he considers himself on the Mount Rushmore of referees: “I hope I could be that fourth one on there… I’m so glad Tim White, WWE, and Vince and Hunter, they put Tim White in the Hall of Fame, cause he’s done everything for the company to take care of Andre to doing this to referee and working as an agent. God bless him, I love Timmy White. He was definitely a legend, an icon to me, and a good friend, really good friend, dear friend. Joey (Marella), I would love for them to put in Joey Marella. He’s on my Mount Rushmore because I believe, you know, with the Hogan and Andre match that he had done and so many other matches that he has done in his career before he passed. It was Joey in the beginning.
“Earl [Hebner] should be up in there too. I hope I get a fourth spot in there, but there’s so many other good referees to in there and everything. You can’t take anything away from Charles Robinson. You can take Tommy Young back then and all that other stuff. Nick Patrick as well. It’s just a lot of refs, you know. I just wish they can make that Mount Rushmore out of six people. Plus, these guys started way before I did. He may not have had the longest career that I had with the company with WWF/ WWE. But I mean, these guys go way back to the ’70s into the ’80s. I started in ’87, I didn’t make my TV debut until ’89. I always tried to give it my best out there. I was either pinpointed by the wrestlers, the agents, or Vince and they had these productions meetings. If Earl had this match, I’d have another important match. It was great. Travelled around the world and all over the country. Had a great career. As a referee, who’d think you’d have that career and travel around the world. No sport would give you that, not football, not baseball. It’s been a phenomenal career.”
Chioda also stated that he has a “few good more years” ahead of him, discusses working Ric Flair’s last match, conversations with Randy Savage, Bret Hart not liking where the business was heading, and more.
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