Special guest referees. How necessary are they?

[SD619]

You have two guys facing each other in a match. You want to make it even more interesting. What do you do? Throw in a special guest referee. While on paper this idea seems to be good, in reality, it may backfire. Let me give an example each of the good, the OK and the bad of Special guest referees.


Umaga vs Bobby Lashley (Wrestlemania 23): Perhaps the best use of the guest referee concept. They wanted to hype this match as much as possible and adding one of the biggest names in professional wrestling seemed like a good idea. Austin (along with Trump and Vince) did help in making this match between two not-so-over guys seem like a main event.

Cena vs Punk (SummerSlam 2011): Two WWE champions fighting for the right to be called the undisputed champion in a rematch of perhaps the best title match in years. Much hyped match and especially after the whole ‘Summer of Punk’ seemed like a dream main event. But wait, the COO will be the referee. While the build was focussed a bit on the friction between HHH and Punk and whether HHH will screw Punk, the chemistry between Cena and Punk (and the fact that it was Cena) kept the match from being overshadowed. In the end HHH counted Cena despite his foot being on the rope, a mistake that would not have made much difference coming from a regular referee.

HHH vs Undertaker (Wrestlemania 28): HHH vs Undertaker. Hell in a Cell. 20-0/19-1. End of an era. If the above terms don’t excite you much, I don’t know what will. Then it all changed. HBK was announced as the special referee. While I get that he is Mr. Wrestlemania and has had history with both of the competitors, having him involved seems like overkill. The build to this match has been more about HBK that HHH vs Undertaker or the Cell. At the end of the day, all a referee needs to do in a HIAC match is count. It is not that difficult a job that you need Mr. Wresltemania to do it.


To cut a long story short, I believe that special referees should only be added in cases where the audience doesn’t really care about the match or to further a story (HBK vs Y2J). For matches that sell themselves, there is no need for special referees. Warrior-Hulk/Rock-Austin didn’t need special referees (and neither do HHH-Undertaker).

What are your thoughts on special referees?

Mod Note:

Do not discuss the Taker/HHH WM28 match in this thread otherwise you'll be infracted for spamming, since that subject would be off-topic here.

 

[Mustang Sally]

HHH vs Undertaker (Wrestlemania 28): HHH vs Undertaker. Hell in a Cell. 20-0/19-1. End of an era. If the above terms don’t excite you much, I don’t know what will. Then it all changed. HBK was announced as the special referee.

Your premise that a special referee is necessary only in a match in which the two participants don't inspire sufficient interest is valid. In this match, if the two wrestlers involved, the Hell-in-a-Cell venue, and the possibility of Undertaker's streak ending doesn't earn your interest, I doubt the appearance of a special referee will.

Of course, we understand the extra spice being thrown in with the appearance of HBK. We wonder if he'll favor his old friend, Triple H......or, we wonder if the recent animosity between those two will cause him to favor 'Taker.

IMO, either scenario would be a disservice to the match-up. A Hell-in-a-Cell should be about the fighting and nothing else. The two participants should determine the winner and loser; a referee should be there for nothing more than to indicate a pin or submission.

In the end, that's probably exactly what HBK will do. Doing something to affect the result of this match would complete destroy all it was built up to be......and given the honor of the three men in the ring, I doubt HBK will do anything to taint it. If he wants to issue Sweet Chin Music to one of them after the match is over, that's fine. Even Mike Tyson as a guest referee belted someone after it was over, and it made for good theater.....but nothing else. Leave it alone, Shawn.

In other contests, like the one you cite with Umaga vs Lashley, the special ref is a good idea because you know darn well the match is going to be about the official and he'll usually play a fateful part in the proceedings. With Steve Austin, we can forgive it. In fact, we want him to interfere.

In contrast, it's what makes the Triple H-Undertaker match unique. Unexpectedly, we have a guest referee. We love seeing HBK at WM, we know he's high-profile enough to have a major effect on the match.......yet we hope he does nothing but call it straight.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The concept of a special ref carries with it the same sort of novelty that we find in most gimmick matches, namely an additional little something designed to generate more interest than usual in a match. It's not always a good idea as, sometimes, the special ref stipulation and the presence of the person playing the role, depending upon who it is, can wind up detracting attention from the match & the actual wrestlers.

If done correctly, however, the appearance of a special ref can generate some genuine intrigue as to how they're going to officiate their match. In the Taker vs. Trips match at WM for instance, we have a lot to draw on that helps make the story interesting. For one, we have the fact that HBK's history as a special ref is spotty as far as impartiality goes. His inability to remain impartial when confronted by Bret Hart at SummerSlam '97 wound up costing The Undertaker the WWF Championship, which is probably the most famous example among a good deal of others.

Secondly, we have the long friendship & partnership between Triple H & HBK. They were part of DX together. They were the two original founders of DX and have been part of some of the most talked about & controversial moments in WWE history. While friends, there's also something of a competition between the two. It's kind of unspoken and all, but it's been brought to light during the build for this match. I think most people would say that HBK is "better" than Triple H. If WWE actually conducted some sort of poll, a legit poll, then I think fans would vote HBK the "better" of the two by a considerable margin. Trips knows this, HBK knows this & is a little happy about it and that gets under Trips' skin. The resulting professional & pesonal tension that this has caused, thanks to Taker merely making a couple of statements, has led to fans wondering really if HBK would show any favoritism to Triple H right now.

Couple all of this in with the common knowledge that Undertaker is getting older, he turns 47 later this week I believe, the wear & tear of his injuries have caught up with him and the fact that The Streak is really all he has left, and you've got intrigue built in which you have to wonder if The Streak will end. Even though the logical part of you probably says no, there's always that inkling of doubt that WWE might pull off some major shocker. All in all, it's helped to make a highly anticipated match even more anticipated.

However, the VAST majority of the time, the special ref tends to come off as little more than just another gimmick. A useful gimmick and one that can lead to potential feuds and generate "controversy", but usually nothing truly irreplacable.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Special Guest Referees are an insult to the most difficult noble profession in the world: Professional Wrestling Referee. These guys spend 7 years earning PhDs in Special Refereeing Colleges across the world taking the most difficult courses in academia such as:

- Counting to 3
- Lifting an arm
- Having a soft head
- Wearing pants
- Being able to completely ignore things that don't happen directly in front of their faces
- Pointing

They are the true heroes.

Sally and Hammer pretty much covered it but Special Guest Referees and Special Enforcers (value added) are far from necessary. They may add interest and value to a match but they could also become a distraction just as easily.

It's all in the sales and execution but the one thing it does is at least adds another question to the story.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

A special guest referee can be great when used right.

It can really add something extra to a match, where a heel referee who is aligned to one of the participants is constantly trying to screw the face out of the victory with slow counts, refusal to count etc. It can really get the crowd going and increase the emotion in the match if the face finally manages to get the win somehow.

However, sometimes they do feel unneccesary. I don't personally like Shawn Michaels being involved at WM this year. Its Undertaker v HHH again, thats good enough for me. Add a Hell In A Cell? Even better? Add HBK as ref? Not a fan. I think it takes away too much attention from the match and the Cell, which isn't a good thing.