Ex-WWE Referee Reveals How Much He Made During The Attitude Era

This former WWE ref made an absolute fortune during the famed Attitude era.

by Jamie Kennedy
The Rock Hulk Hogan Mike Chioda
WWE.com

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda made an absolute packet during the company's cherished 'Attitude' era.

Chioda told Chris Van Vliet's 'Insight' podcast that he earned up to $350,000 at the height of his career - the official also had to head up WWE's ring crew on show days as well as donning the stripes to bag that kinda' cash, but it's still a huge amount of money.

In addition, Mike was on staff payroll, so he could run expenses. Basically, the guy was making quite the tidy sum and got to ref some of WWE's biggest matches to boot. No wonder he loves reminiscing about that period.

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Chioda recently popped up in AEW after WWE released him (due to budget cuts) in April 2020. He's been very open about his career with the organisation in shoot-style interviews since, but this is one of the the first times he's openly discussed how much money he made during his pomp.

It'd be cool to learn how much other referees, like Earl Hebner, made during that time. Comparing their figures to Chioda's could be eye-opening, because Hebner probably earned more.

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.