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Referees have been a vital aspect of WWE since its inception. Simply put, there's no pro wrestling without them. From officiating the matches to taking commands and conveying them to the Superstars in the ring, they have numerous jobs to do. They can also sometimes be the most reliable critic of a match since they witness it right in front of them.
WWE has had countless referees over the years, and here we take a look at some of the most famous ones.
#5 John Cone (WWE, 2006-present)
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A former aspiring wrestler turned referee, John Cone signed with WWE in 2006 and has since then officiated countless TV and as well as pay-per-view matches for the company. Apart from this, Cone also runs his eatery, Donut King, with his wife in Kansas City.
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His son, Nicholas, is a former RAW Tag Team Champion with Braun Strowman as they successfully defeated The Bar at WrestleMania 34. He vacated the title on the very next day.
#4 Jessika Carr (WWE, 2017-present)
Jessika Heiser, better known as Jessika Carr in WWE, joined the company in 2017. The first female referee to come up through the Performance Center, Carr officiated several matches in NXT until 2019, after which she was moved to SmackDown.
Carr received one of a kind farewell after she graduated from NXT, with Triple H himself coming out to congratulate her. Since then, she has been a staple of SmackDown's programming on TV as well as on the pay-per-views.
#3 Earl Hebner (WWE, 1988-2005)
Earl Hebner has been a part of some of the greatest and most infamous moments in WWE and wrestling history in general. From his involvement in the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997 to officiating countless classics from the Attitude Era, Hebner has done it all.
Having been fired from WWE in 2005 for selling the company's merchandise without the knowledge of his employers, he rendered his services for IMPACT Wrestling from 2006 to 2017, and currently works for AEW.
#2 Charles Robinson (WWE, 2001-present)
Charles Robinson has been a part of WWE for nearly 20 years now. Joining the company in 2001, after WCW went defunct, Robinson has been one of the most recognizable and reliable referees in WWE.
He became SmackDown's senior referee in 2020 after Mike Chioda was released from the company in April. He recently won the 2020 'Referee of the Year' SLAMMY Award for his work in the pandemic struck year.
#1 Mike Chioda (WWE, 1989-2020)
The longest-tenured WWE referee of all time, Mike Chioda, worked for a mighty 31 years from 1989 to 2020, until he was released in April owing to COVID-19 related budget cuts. His departure came as a surprise to the WWE Universe, as nobody expected a senior official like him would be shown the doors.
He has officiated multiple WrestleMania events during his time in WWE and was the senior RAW referee for almost 15 years. Since his release from WWE, he has been working for AEW on a part-time basis.
