Former WWE Official Shares Thoughts On The Company Naming Referees

Published: Aug 29, 2025 by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: Aug 29, 2025 by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

WWE

A former WWE official has shared his thoughts on the decision to name referees once again after a period of just being known by their title.

Despite being released by WWE in 2020, it appears Mike Chioda is keeping a close eye on what’s happening in his former company among the officials.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Chioda was asked for his opinion on referees once again being named, replying:

“I like that. I’ve been seeing that lately on TV and stuff. So that’s awesome.

“I think the referee should be recognized. I mean, come on, everybody has a name, and there’s, there’s nothing wrong with that.

“If you don’t want to say all the referees’ name, at least say the major players, Charles Robinson, Chad Patton, Shawn Bennett and certain guys, or whatever they’ve been around for quite a minute.

“I don’t know. I mean, I think all referees, you know, women and men, should be mentioned or recognized.”

Chad Patton is the senior referee on WWE Raw, with his counterparts being Charles Robinson on SmackDown and Adrian Butler on NXT.

Chioda was, at the time of his release, the longest-tenured referee in WWE history, having had run of thirty-one years in the company.

During the interview, he would discuss his current status, noting that he is effectively retired but has been doing seminars among other opportunities.

Transcript from chrisvanvliet.com.