10 Times A Special Guest Referee Actually Improved A Wrestling Match

8. Hulk Hogan & Mr. T Vs. Paul Orndorff & Roddy Piper (WrestleMania I) - Ref: Muhammad Ali w/ Pat Patterson

This was a much more efficient use of an "enforcer" as a referee. Not only did his involvement make sense from a practical standpoint (two referees in a tag team match that promised this much anarchy seems like a no-brainer), but if you're going to go all-in with the Rocky tie-ins, you might as well have the real-life Apollo Creed there, as well. The crowd was almost as pumped for Ali's entrance to the ring as they were for Mr. T and Hogan. But unlike the Tyson example, Ali was truly a "guest" star here, used primarily just to watch the outside of the ring and make sure nothing got out of hand. The first WrestleMania main event had animosity oozing out of its pores, with Piper and Orndorff raising the stakes of how much heat two guys could possibly get from a crowd, doing so by causing chaos and breaking the rules at every opportunity. WWE really wanted to sell just how insane this match could get, and that's where Ali's mere presence is appreciated. They told fans right from the top that this would be too hectic for Pat Patterson alone to keep order, and proved Ali's usefulness right out of the gate. Once both teams started going at each other (with added outside interference from Bob Orton and Jimmy Snuka), Ali stepped right into the mix, breaking things up with a couple of jabs to Piper, and the promise of a knockout punch to Orton if he got out of line again.