Dangerous D Presents...
Hitting the Buckle: The Great Referees and the Role They Played
#PWHS #Article #DangerousDPresents #HittingTheBuckle #GreatReferees
When we as fans of classic pro wrestling, and some of us who like the current wrestling product, watch a match one worker often gets overlooked and he/she is the most important worker in the ring. That worker is none other than the referee. The role of the referee is to make sure that both the heel and the babyface stay professional in an environment where pride dictates temperament, but that barely scratches the surface on how important of a role the referee plays.
Many great referees have been involved in the wrestling business. Unless they directly involve themselves in the match they are working, they get overlooked by the fans. It is in my humble opinion that this is done by design; a scam perpetrated on the people by the booker. Oh, wait that is not an opinion that is a true statement. Who were the great referees and what exactly does a referee do to get a match over? Well, let Dangerous D try to explain
Great referees such as Peewee Anderson, Joey Marella, Bill Alfonso, and the Hebner Brothers are/were all great referees. Let us not forget Charles Robinson and Tommy Young either. The role of the referee, especially the greats I just mentioned, was to make sure everything ran in the match like clockwork and to keep tempers in check but that’s only scratching the surface as to how important they are to provide you fans with great wrestling matches.
Another fact that should be considered here is that referees are the real reason a match works. If you do not have a referee you do not have a match period (Pat Patterson Vs Sargent Slaughter was an exception to this rule). Every referees’ role is the same no matter what the outcome of the match is. The referee gives instruction and communicates spots to the workers. Ric Flair would say when Tommy Young would work his matches that he didn’t even have to talk half the time because he was so good at calling Flair’s spots to whomever he was working with. Earl Hebner, arguably the best referee ever in the business, worked the territories and of course for WWF/Titan Sports (now WWE). In the famous Iron Man Match between Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Shawn Michaels, you can occasionally see Earl Hebner going between Shawn and Bret. Not even 5 seconds would pass and then Bret and Shawn would go into a high spot. It is the most critical element in a wrestling match.
Bill Alfonso was a great referee long before he was a manager. He used to guide mid-carders and green horns who did not have a clue how to work. He would tell them when to turn up the heat or when to cool it down. Of all the referees, it is my opinion, that Bill Alfonso was the best at setting the work pace of the match. That is another role the referee plays; it is not entirely, if at all, dictated by the workers.
Back in the days of kayfabe when everyone took the wrestling business seriously, (sometimes too seriously) the babyface and heels had separate locker rooms. It was the referees job to give the finish of the match to the workers. Other instruction would be given if it was necessary to the story of the match. Many people would argue that the heels ran the match, and in a sense, this is true but not entirely. It is more accurate to say the heel runs thirty percent of the match. The other seventy percent was totally run by the referee.
We now fast forward to the days where T.V. became the bread and butter of the wrestling business. The role of the referee became doubly important; here is why: When the T.V. era met the wrestling business and started one of the most beautiful relationships for any type of product, the referee's job not only became more difficult, but it became far more important than it had been before. I will give a few examples as to why. One example and one of the most important things the referee must do is to be sure that the workers did not directly walk out of the hard camera's view. This was so important especially to Earl Hebner, and I won’t mention names, but, he tried to tell a worker three separate times to stay facing the hard camera. The worker for a fourth time did not follow his instruction. Can you guess what happened next? “You stupid motherfucker! I told you to stay facing the hard camera now take it home and get out of my ring.” Though I am sure Vince McMahon was not happy with Earl Hebner, Earl kept his job and the stupid worker did not.
The referee also is there to be sure that the workers use what I like to call the three-side rule. The three-side rule goes hand in hand with the line of sight of the camera; while keeping the wrestlers in it's range, he can not get between them and the hard-cam. That is to ensure the producers have an easier time directing and filming the match. You will realize even today when you watch a match on T.V. that the workers only use three sides of the ring to work in. The referee is responsible for all those things. You can see now how this would make the referee the most important worker in the ring.
The next time you go to a show or watch a match on T.V. give the referee a thank you because if you do not have a referee you do not have a wrestling product to enjoy. I hope you liked reading this article as much as I have liked writing it.
Back in the days of kayfabe when everyone took the wrestling business seriously, (sometimes too seriously) the babyface and heels had separate locker rooms. It was the referees job to give the finish of the match to the workers. Other instruction would be given if it was necessary to the story of the match. Many people would argue that the heels ran the match, and in a sense, this is true but not entirely. It is more accurate to say the heel runs thirty percent of the match. The other seventy percent was totally run by the referee.
We now fast forward to the days where T.V. became the bread and butter of the wrestling business. The role of the referee became doubly important; here is why: When the T.V. era met the wrestling business and started one of the most beautiful relationships for any type of product, the referee's job not only became more difficult, but it became far more important than it had been before. I will give a few examples as to why. One example and one of the most important things the referee must do is to be sure that the workers did not directly walk out of the hard camera's view. This was so important especially to Earl Hebner, and I won’t mention names, but, he tried to tell a worker three separate times to stay facing the hard camera. The worker for a fourth time did not follow his instruction. Can you guess what happened next? “You stupid motherfucker! I told you to stay facing the hard camera now take it home and get out of my ring.” Though I am sure Vince McMahon was not happy with Earl Hebner, Earl kept his job and the stupid worker did not.
The referee also is there to be sure that the workers use what I like to call the three-side rule. The three-side rule goes hand in hand with the line of sight of the camera; while keeping the wrestlers in it's range, he can not get between them and the hard-cam. That is to ensure the producers have an easier time directing and filming the match. You will realize even today when you watch a match on T.V. that the workers only use three sides of the ring to work in. The referee is responsible for all those things. You can see now how this would make the referee the most important worker in the ring.
The next time you go to a show or watch a match on T.V. give the referee a thank you because if you do not have a referee you do not have a wrestling product to enjoy. I hope you liked reading this article as much as I have liked writing it.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Presents...Hitting The Buckle: The Great Referees and the Role They Played.
Author: Dangerous D.
Published: July 12, 2018.
Article: #208.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Presents...Hitting The Buckle: The Great Referees and the Role They Played.
Author: Dangerous D.
Published: July 12, 2018.
Article: #208.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.