8 WWE Secrets You Can Spot Early (If You Really Pay Attention)
5. A Tentative Ref Can See The Future
A good referee should not be seen or heard. The zebras should gracefully flow around the action, keeping everything in line as the two (or more) wrestlers tell their story. A good referee is there to occasionally admonish, count to five or ten, remonstrate towards the time-keeper and ultimately pound the mat three times, bringing this violent dance to a close.
If a referee seems to be getting too close to the action, you can put safe money on some sort of convoluted ref bump coming soon.
Ref bumps rarely make sense, but most promotions seem to have stopped trying altogether. The set-ups of yesteryear have been replaced by a striped official tentatively moving into a spot that makes them uncomfortable as if they can see the brutality (by which I mean ‘glancing blow’) in their future. The twinkle toes of what came before are forgotten in a fit of spot-catching and following the script.
It was infuriating to begin with, having to watch Earl Hebner awkwardly place himself in harm’s way, but most fans are numb to it at this point. Oh, another ref bump after a spot that made next to no sense? Sure, sure...