A veteran referee has revealed the one thing Vince McMahon didn’t want to see on WWE’s referees.
Vince McMahon is the head of all things creative in WWE. Everything that appears on screen must be run through McMahon, which applies to almost every talent on the roster.
On the latest edition of his “Monday Mailbag” podcast, former WWE referee Mike Chioda revealed that McMahon did not want any of his referees to sport tattoos on television. Chioda mentioned that he overcame McMahon’s ruling with a straightforward fix:
“That’s a no-no. Can’t be wearing sleeves, can’t have tats on the arms. I have one on my arm up here, but my sleeve always covered it.”
Chioda then spoke about McMahon having a visual aversion to the weight of an official. McMahon historically has placed a lot of value on the appearance of his talent. This seemingly also applied to referees.
“I remember him telling me, ‘drop a few pounds’ and stuff like that, and I’m like, ‘I’m working on it, sir!,’”
The company released the 31-year WWE veteran during the early days of the pandemic. He appeared at AEW Double or Nothing to officiate the Owen Hart Tournament Finals. Chioda mentioned that he spoke to Triple H about retiring before ultimately being let go by the company.
H/t – Wrestling Inc.