WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long believes referees no longer play the significant role they once did in professional wrestling, calling their current role little more than “dressing.”
Before becoming a manager and later the General Manager of SmackDown, Teddy Long worked as a referee for Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW. Speaking on Wrestling’s Road Trip After Hours with Mac Davis, Long was asked about legendary referee Tommy Young and how officials from that era compare with those working today.
“I’m not so sure of the referees today… I want to remember who the referees were,” Long said. “Where back in the past, you did, because the referees played a significant role in those matches back at that time, more so than they do now. Right now, I think they’re just for, it’s just dressing, you know. It’s just you need a referee.”
Teddy Long Explains Problem Facing WWE Referees
Davis raised the issue of referees appearing to ignore incidents happening directly in front of them or being in position for a pinfall but stopping their count before three. Teddy Long believes the problem can happen because referees know the predetermined finish of a match and have to protect it.
“They know that they can’t go to three because they know that’s not the finish,” Long said. “So that kind of puts you in a bad spot when the guys do something in the ring there, and you know you’re not supposed to count that because that’s not the finish. But you got to go down, so you really caught in a bad place there.”
Long was then asked how many opportunities Vince McMahon would have given a referee who made that type of mistake during his time running WWE.
“One time,” Long responded. “Probably the front guys would get fired right then, that first time. You didn’t have no second chance.”
Long also suggested WWE could benefit from bringing back some of the referees from his era to help train the company’s current and future officials.
