Edge and Randy Orton wanted referee Mike Chioda in the ‘Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’
Randy Orton and Edge fought each other at Backlash 2020 in what was promoted by WWE as the ‘Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’.
It was almost a modern tribute to the legacy of the company over the years. The referee was in the tradition get-up and even the late Howard Finkel’s voice was used to announce the wrestler’s entries.
The match turned out to be an hour-long treat for pro wrestling fans, with the two stalwarts of the game putting on a ‘Match of the Year’ display. In the end, ‘The Viper’ prevailed over Edge.
So, with the fight being billed as the ‘Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’, it was natural that the talent wanted the most iconic referee to officiate it too.
And talking to Jon Poz on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast (h/t Wrestling-Edge), referee Mike Chioda revealed that he was contacted by WWE in the build-up to the match.
Edge and Randy Orton wanted Mike Chioda to officiate their match after he was fired
But Chioda stated that he was not nearby and was flying out to Texas. Chioda was, of course, fired by WWE in April 2020 after 31 years with the company.
“They did call me for a match, a month or two later after they released me, for Edge and Randy Orton. But I was on my way to Texas so there was no way I could make it. They thought I was still in Tampa. They [Edge and Orton] wanted me to be the referee of that match. Yeah, I didn’t get it either. The company’s releasing me but the boys still want me to referee their matches…which is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but I thought I might be able to go out strong and retire soon.”
That would have been an uncomfortable phone call to make. WWE fired one of their longest-serving members last year in Chioda.
He had been with the company for over three decades. But Chioda was surprisingly one of the names included in the list of personnel that the company had to let go due to Covid-19.
Since then, he has taken up refereeing again. The stalwart is now working with WWE’s competitors, AEW.
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