10 Things You Didn't Know About Teddy Long
8. The Ref
Making his on-screen WWE debut during the 1999 Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View, Teddy spent nearly four years as a WWE referee before returning to the managerial role that had brought him prior success.
Having spent over two years out of the industry following his late-1996 WCW exit, Long was a prominent WWE official during an era where referees were still allowed names and identities.
To long-standing fans, he was an old familiar face amongst the crop of brand new Attitude Era standouts, but to the enormous new section of WWE devotees, he was an authoritative man in the middle alongside Earl Hebner, Tim White, Jimmy Korderas and Mike Chioda, with each providing their own quiet charisma to the matches they officiated.
Unlike his days as a crooked NWA referee, Long never favoured heels nor faces, and remained an impartial figure throughout 2001's 'Invasion' in which several WCW referees were integrated into the product.