Mike Chioda Recalls Getting Yelled At By Vince McMahon Over Match

Mike Chioda had a long tenure in WWE, and he recently recalled a time that Vince McMahon chewed him out over how a match went. The former WWE ref was a guest on Busted Open Radio and during the conversation he talked about how he got in trouble with the then-WWE Chairman over a match he officiated between Candice Michelle and Beth Phoenix.

You can see highlights from the discussion below (h/t to Wrestling Inc):

On the match being the one night he wishes he could redo:

“The only night I -probably- I did so wrong was Candice [Michelle] and Beth Phoenix, best out of three falls. We just get off a seventeen-day Europe tour. And I knew Candice, she was hanging tough all week, we were all hanging out, partying. She was a little tired. She got dehydrated in that match, and stuff like that.”

On having to make a judgment call when Michelle took a bad bump:

“She was still awake, and I was like, ‘Alright, just cover Beth, just cover!’ I knew she was hurt, but if I call the match, Beth still wins the title?”.

On his reaction to Phoenix not immediately making the cover:

“I was like ‘oh, s**t!’ I counted 1-2-3. I was so prone, as a referee, to finish the matches with the boys, the girls, everybody, always, the boys. That’s one thing the wrestlers always did. Whether they were hurt or not, man, they would get into a finish right away. The referee, really, just never stops the match unless he talked to the boys. So, I counted three.”

On McMahon’s reaction:

“Man, Vince was hot, she dislocated her shoulder, she was badly concussed, thank God she was okay later on and stuff, but Vince, man? That’s the one time, and only time, he ever f**king reamed me out, man.”