Legendary referee Mike Chioda recently spoke with the such Good Shoots podcast to discuss the officiating in AEW, and how there are things he wishes the promotion would change about their referees. Highlights are below.
Says it’s hard for him to watch the refs because they don’t do basic storytelling motions:
“AEW’s roles with the refs, it’s hard for me to watch it. AEW I think is starting to boom, man, and they’re starting to build a roster, but the referees are just not doing sh-t. I watch it, I watch the show, and it’s just hard to watch as a referee when they’re sitting there and they’re just acknowledging the tag, and you’re not acknowledging the five-count out of a corner, the five-count off the ropes, they’re not even acknowledging the ten counts, pretty much, really. It’s basically ‘count a false finish’ or ‘count the finish and just make the acknowledgment to a tag.’ It’s hard to watch that show with the referees, you know.”
Praises Aubrey Edwards:
“Aubrey [Edwards] does a great job, she does a great job. She sells every little motion, you know what I’m saying? If you watch her, she sells every little spot, every little [thing]. To me now, when I’m watching a match I’m watching Aubrey because she’s so much all over the place and I’m like, ‘God, this girl’s got so much talent,’ she could… just if she didn’t sell every little bit, you know?”
(H/T and transcribed by WrestleZone)