8. The Importance Of The Referees
Something I never realised until this weekend is just how important WWE referees are to what's shown on TV, specifically at the end of a match. At SummerSlam, I spotted them telling the WWE Superstars when to look at the Titantron at the replay and when it was ok for them to then start celebrating again (when the cameras are back on, obviously). This happened from both inside and outside of the ring, but their involvement with this show actually pales in comparison to how they handled things at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn the night before. There, I spotted them telling the Superstars when they should smile and do their signature poses after a match, with one referee in particular using his hands in a bizarre miming fashion to get Apollo Crews to smile more after his victor over Tye Dillinger. The WWE Superstars are perhaps trusted a little more with handling what the do when a match comes to an end, but make no mistake about it, the referees play a key role in directing the action out there.