The Unsung Brilliance Of Wrestling Referees

If there is one aspect of the wrestling performance that I feel goes unjustly overlooked, it is our zebra-striped friend, the referee.

While the referee is one of the most important elements of a wrestling match, they are often ignored simply because they don’t add to the action in the ring. Not only do the best referees in the business keep the wrestlers safe at all times but they are also the ones that enhance the story told in a wrestling match through their own performance, and that is what we’re looking at today. So dust of your pinstripes, warm up your fast-counting hand and get ready to do some overselling as we look at some of the greatest referees currently working in wrestling.

 

Charles Robinson

Arguably the most well-known wrestling official of all time, it would be criminal for me not to mention Charles Robinson, “Lil’ Naitch”, or as I affectionately know him, “The Man with too few nicknames to fulfil a rule of three.” The man is a veteran of officiating, with an almost twenty year career through both WCW and WWE. His enigmatic and dazzling hair is likely the first thing grapple fans think of when they think of referees and for good reason.

Robinson is fantastic for the same reason many wrestlers are: he has a distinct, memorable look. I find it difficult to tell the difference between many of the lesser known WWE referees like Mike Chioda or John Cone. More importantly than this, it’s actually quite hard to not notice when Robinson is the match official due to his glorious golden locks.

Not only this, Robinson has honed his character over nearly two decades of being on television. Ever since his “Lil’ Naitch” run, he’s been subtly entertaining as a loveable (and sometimes hateable) goofball. Character is key to a good referee. This consistently adds an extra layer of complexity to the matches they officiate. Robinson has maintained an entertaining personality for so many years owing to his frankly shocking understanding of physical comedy. Some of my favourite Wrestlemania moments involve him unsafely sprinting down the excessively long ramp to substitute for the unconscious referee, who clearly couldn’t get the job done like the true people’s champ, Charlie Robinson. His physical mannerisms are tremendously entertaining and are due far more credit than they receive.

This may come across as hyperbolic, but Robinson has a palpable and ever present charisma that makes him, in my opinion, the best referee that WWE has ever had.

 

“Red Shoes” Unno

I have recently introduced a friend of mine to New Japan Pro Wrestling and his favourite character isn’t a wrestler, but a referee. The most adorable referee in wrestling for a long time has undoubtedly been Hiroyuki “Red Shoes” Unno from NJPW. If you’ve watched a New Japan main event from the past few years, you have almost certainly been graced by the sight of the best working wrestling official, Red Shoes.

The magic of Red Shoes comes through his character. When he officiates a match, he seems to take the fan’s perspective. Have you ever been watching a fantastic match that you can feel is winding up to the climax, then someone hits their finisher and their opponent miraculously kicks out with next to no time to spare? If you’re anything like me, your reaction would be one of pure shock, joy and disbelief and as both competitors are lying on the ground spent, you can only shake your head. This is exactly how Red Shoes would react to this situation.

Unlike me and Red Shoes, many referees would be right back in, checking on the wrestlers to see if any damage has been done. Red Shoes has been rendered so catatonic by the action that he just has to regroup and regain his faculties in the corner of the ring. In terms of the performance, this is an excellent technique that is used in many other media. Audience surrogates are used all the time in film and TV but often times, the only audience surrogate in wrestling is the audience itself. Having the referee losing his mind over an incredible match greatly improves the effect that the match has on the viewer while at the same time, being hilarious.

On top of this, Shoes could fairly be described as the least impartial judge in the business (except perhaps for the referee that is yet to be mentioned). He always seems heavily invested in the outcome of the match. While most referees would ask a wrestler in a submission, “What do you say? Do you quit?”, Red Shoes prefers to simply yell, “Quit! Quit, Kenny quit! Tap Out,” which could hardly be described as fair refereeing. Once again, this only adds to the effect of the match with the referee yelling exactly what you are yelling in your mind or in my case, out loud… at 4 AM.

In my opinion, Red Shoes is the best referee currently working and perhaps of all time. His ability to sell the impact and gruelling nature of a match is unparalleled and his presence on my TV screen is always absolutely welcome.

 

Rick Knox

If you’re reading this out loud, I’d like to ask you to shift to a more sombre tone at this point because we are about to discuss a touchy subject. Perhaps the most polarising referee in professional wrestling is senior official of Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Rick Knox.

Undoubtedly the least well known referee mentioned here, I feel I must mention just what makes Rick Knox special. PWG is known for its spotfests. High octane matches beamed indirectly from the most famous community centre in Reseda, California. Because of this, no one really takes it too seriously. The fans are there to have fun and bang on the ring apron, the wrestlers are there to seemingly try and kill themselves and referee Rick Knox is there to throw the rule book out the window and directly into a black hole.

This means that Knox is not afraid to whip out a clothesline and try to decapitate a Young Buck or two. This really grinds some people’s gears but to be honest, my gears are left pristine and unground by his shenanigans. Since he doesn’t attack the wrestlers too often, you rarely expect it when he does interfere with the match and it always garners a huge pop from the audience. He also adds a layer of unpredictability to every match, especially when stakes are high and titles are on the line.

While some believe that Knox takes away from matches by interfering, I feel his unpredictability results in far more exciting wrestling.

The common factor amongst these referees is that they have great and recognisable character: Robinson is a goofball, Shoes is a fan and Knox is far, far too invested in the results of matches. I consider referees the unsung heroes of wrestling, that little unidentifiable thing that makes good moments great. So let’s raise a toast to our brothers in black and white and let your new found adoration for the referee free!