Referee (professional wrestling)
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A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring. Although depending it has been known for current owners/general managers/commissioners (e.g. Vince McMahon) to reverse the referee's decision.
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[edit] Purpose
The purpose of a pro wrestling referee is not only to count pinfalls, rule on submissions, etc. within the storyline of the wrestling match, but also to keep order in the ring, communicate with the wrestlers, and, perhaps most importantly, to make sure no real injury is sustained during a wrestling match. Professional wrestling is dangerous and real injuries can be sustained; if a real injury occurs in the ring, the referee raises his/her hands above the head into an "X" shape. After this, the officials backstage will try to end the match quickly (only if injury is bad) and prepare paramedics. If a wrestler seems injured but turns out to be okay the referee will raise his right arm in the air to tell the officials that the wrestler isn't injured.
[edit] Knocks
Sometimes during matches, referees will get knocked down "accidentally" by the wrestlers. The referees get knocked out most of the time by a small tap. This is usually to allow for a wrestler to use a foreign object, perform an illegal move or for another wrestler to run-in and be able to get away with it. In the game WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 , SmackDown turned ECW color commentator Tazz exclaims when a referee gets knocked out: "They really need to find sturdier refs! This kind of thing seems to happen all the time!" However, referees get some sort of cue telling them when to get up. This can sometimes be straight away or after several minutes. This cue can be a certain move that a wrestler executes, or a cue in the referee's earpiece.
[edit] "Special referees"
As a result of the above, some wrestlers are hired (in kayfabe) to serve as special referees for specific matches. The illusion is that the special referee is sturdy enough not to get knocked down easily; it's often done as part of an angle to determine if the special referee favors one wrestler over the other, or as part of an unexpected turn on the referee's part. Active wrestlers who have served as special referees include Gene Kiniski, Nikita Koloff, Guardian Angel, Funaki, Curt Hennig, Roddy Piper and Bret Hart. Larry Young, the American League umpire, also was a guest referee for a match at Wrestlemania XI, but was treated like (and officiated as) a regular referee.
[edit] Injuries
Referees can sometimes sustain injuries themselves. An example of this is former referee Tim White hurting himself in a Hell in a Cell match between Chris Jericho and Triple H at WWE Judgment Day 2002. Tim White was sent crashing into the cell wall, and after extensive surgery, was told he would be no longer able to officiate in pro wrestling.
[edit] Attire
Wrestling referees have had a series of different uniforms throughout the years, especially in World Wrestling Entertainment. From the 1970s until 1983, still operating under the "World-Wide Wrestling Federation" banner, referees wore black and white striped shirts, comparable to referees in other sports, such as hockey, basketball, and football. In the mid-1980s until 1995, a WWF referee's attire now consisted of a blue collared shirt, black trousers, black wrestling boots, and a black bow tie, similar to that of a boxing referee. In 1995, the uniform reverted back to the black and white striped shirt. With the WWE Brand Extension in 2002, referees appearing on WWE SmackDown! began wearing blue striped polo shirts, differentiating themselves from the WWE RAW referees who continued to make use of the black and white shirts. With the reintroduction of ECW in 2006, ECW referees wore black shirts. In Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, referees switch between the striped shirts and the "boxing referee" attire on occasion.
