5 things learned from former WWE referee Marty Elias' Sportskeeda interview

Former WWE referee Marty Elias has refereed some of the biggest and best matches in WWE history.

The veteran referee is perhaps best remembered for being the official in arguably the greatest WrestleMania match in WWE history between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXV in 2009.

Elias also refereed in promotions such as Lucha Underground after being released by the company in 2009.

Sportskeeda Wrestling's Dr. Chris Featherstone recently interviewed Marty Elias for another episode of UnSKripted.

A variety of topics were discussed, including Elias' time as a WWE referee, his wrestling career in promotions such as Lucha Underground, and much more.

Let's take a closer look at five things we learned from former WWE referee Marty Elias' Sportskeeda interview.

---

#5. Marty Elias reveals how WWE referees are selected for matches

A professional wrestling referee is arguably the least discussed topic when it comes to putting together a match.

It has been said that you don't even notice the greatest referees in wrestling. Whereas you certainly notice the bad referees in certain matches.

When asked how referees are selected in WWE, Marty Elias revealed that it was previously done by senior officials. However, Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis eventually took over this role:

"When I first got there [the selection] was done by the senior officials, and, at the time, there was a couple. We had Mike Chioda, and we had Nick Patrick. Mike Chioda was the RAW referee, and Nick Patrick was the SmackDown referee. When ECW was there, it was Scott Armstrong. They would be the ones who would make all the assignments and stuff and give you either a dark match, or give you the main event. If you were in your home town, you always got the main event. That was always something that was cool. Prior to me leaving, I know that [the selection for referees] was done by John Laurinaitis who actually took that and made assignments," said Marty Elias.

#4. Details on working with former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio in Lucha Underground

After WWE parted ways with Marty Elias in 2009, the former WWE referee went on to work for promotions such as Lucha Underground.

It was in Lucha Underground that Elias worked with former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio.

When recalling working with the former World Heavyweight Champion, Elias had nothing but praise for Del Rio. He said that Del Rio knows what he wants in a referee and will tell you exactly what he's looking for. This makes it really enjoyable to work with someone like him.

Elias further added:

"I remember the first time that I worked with him, I really didn't know who he was. I got in that first match, and I remember it was with Texano and there were some things that he came back and he says 'Look, next time you work with me, I'd like you to do this, this and this with me.' So when I did that the next time I worked with him, he just went, 'You're my guy'. One of the things that he liked in a referee, and a lot of referees don't do this, he wants you to treat it as a shoot." said Elias

---

#3. Marty Elias' was shocked to see veteran WWE referee Mike Chioda released

The WWE Universe was shocked when WWE released veteran referee Mike Chioda in April 2020.

With budget cuts associated with the global pandemic cited as the reason behind Chioda's departure, many were surprised to see the veteran referee leave the company due to his tenure.

When asked about his thoughts about Chioda's release, Marty Elias revealed that he was just as shocked as everybody else his departure:

"I was very surprised by that, I really was, because Mike had been there for over 25 years, and Mike had seen it all in WWE. He started with Gorilla Monsoon's son Joey Marella. Mike and Joey are the guys that took Shane McMahon on the road and trained him how to set up rings. Showed him everything, showed him how to be a referee, all this stuff. So I was very surprised and shocked by it."

#2. Which WWE Superstars requested him to referee their matches

Former WWE referee Marty Elias shared the ring with some of the biggest superstars in WWE during his tenure with the company.

When asked if any names specifically requested that he referee their matches, Elias pointed out that WWE Hall of Famers such as Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Ricky Steamboat all wanted him to referee their matches due to his work rate:

"Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Ricky Steamboat, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Jeff Hardy. So the list goes on and on. Tommy Dreamer. A lot of guys loved my work and they loved working with me and they loved having me in there because they knew that I was going to work just as hard as they were and I wasn't going to mess up anything and they knew that I was a very reliable referee," stated Elias.

---

#1. Refereeing Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at WWE WrestleMania XXV

Marty Elias' most famous moment in WWE came at WrestleMania XXV when he refereed the match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.

The match was critically acclaimed and is still discussed to this day.

When asked about his experience being the official in the match, Elias stated that it was the greatest moment of his life:

"To be honest with you, it was a pinch myself moment, and I still pinch myself to this day and still am humbled that I was actually asked to be the referee for that match and be in that match. I still get jittery and really just, like I said, I pinch myself because it was something going into that match that we didn't know what it was going to turn out to be, and here it is all these years later that people are still asking questions about it. It was the greatest moment in my life, I'll never forget it," said Elias.