Mike Chioda talks about who released him from WWE

Mike Chioda was released by WWE in April alongside a number of other WWE Superstars who were released at the same time from the company. The release came as a shock to the WWE Universe as Mike Chioda was one of the most experienced WWE referees in the company, who has been around forever.

Mike Chioda was recently on Chris Jericho's podcast, Talk is Jericho, where he talked about how surprised he was after being released from WWE after all these years.

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Mike Chioda on being surprised to be released from WWE

Mike Chioda had been part of WWE for a long time when the news came that he was among the people who were being released from the company. WWE releasing him took Chioda by surprise, especially as he had just come back to the company from an injury.

I Want To Say Thanks To the WWE & To All My AMAZING WWE FANS & Universe! 35yrs & 31yrs Refereeing Working for the WWE has been a FANTASTIC RUN!! I Am So PROUD to have Worked with So Many ICONS & AMAZING TALENT IN THIS INDUSTRY!! I THANK YOU ALL!! 1Luv! Mike Chioda @WWE

— Mike Chioda (@MjcChioda) April 22, 2020

Mike Chioda had a torn rotator cuff and a torn bicep and had to go get surgery in October of last year. When he came back and healed up, he was in time for WrestleMania. Chioda's contract with WWE was coming up at the time, but they did not release him then. Instead, they gave him a new contract and even a bump in pay, but then the release came and it took Mike Chioda by surprise.

"It took me by complete surprise. I had surgery in October first in Alabama. I had a torn rotator cuff and a torn bicep. The surgery went great, I'm healed up great. I was ready for WrestleMania. I actually signed a new contract in March. My contract was up. I actually got a bump in pay. Then I get a phone call on tax day, April 15th. So yeah, it took me by complete surprise."

Mike Chioda went on to talk about how he was not being released by Vince McMahon or Stephanie, but that was not the case at all. While he was not clear on how the decision was made to release him from WWE, the entire situation took him by surprise.

Mike Chioda, WWE's longest-tenured referee, looks back on officiating some of the most legendary matches in WWE history. #MakingWWE pic.twitter.com/3JtDPrHjiI

— WWE (@WWE) June 28, 2019

"There was no reason. I asked if it came from certain people like Vince and Stephanie. He said no, it didn't. It's not like they pulled me out of a hat and said okay we have the company and Mike Chioda's salary... I think it was something completely different. I don't know if it's heat, but how can you have heat if you've been off six months rehabbing. I hadn't even been on Twitter or Facebook since 2016. So yeah, it took me by complete surprise, Chris."