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WWE legend Teddy Long recently spilled the beans on how referees got instructions about when to end a match before earpieces were introduced.
While many assume a referee's job in a wrestling match is to keep track of things and do the three-count when required, they have a much more significant role. The officials pass the instructions to wrestlers, if any, from backstage. Furthermore, they also ensure the athletes perform moves as per the script.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Time Machine podcast, Teddy Long revealed how referees managed things when there were no earpieces. The Hall of Famer mentioned that former manager JJ Dillon used to raise a pencil upon seeing which referees would instruct the wrestlers to wrap up a match.
He added that over in WWE, Jack Lanza came out with a newspaper, which served as an indication that it was time to finish the bout.
"JJ Dillon was always the guy. Like when it was time to go home, JJ would always come out, and he would have a pencil in his hand, and he would hold that pencil up. And you'd look for JJ, and when you saw JJ, you would tell the guys that it was time to go home. WWE, when I first got there, they had the pieces, but I remember some of the referees, like Tim White, were telling me that Jack Lanza used to be the guy. He would always walk out with a newspaper in his hand, and when you Jack, you knew it was time to go home," said Teddy Long. [5:20 - 5:55]
Check out the full video below:
WWE legend Teddy Long didn't have it easy as a referee
Last month on Wrestling Time Machine podcast, Teddy Long spoke about how underpaid he was while working as a referee.
The WWE Hall of Famer also revealed that he once traveled as much as 245 miles only to collect a cheque for $600 from Jim Crockett Promotions, which he didn't receive in his mail.
"I never did get to that point, because my money never got that good. I remember one time I think I had a $600 cheque that they [Jim Crockett] were supposed to send me in the mail. I never got it in the mail and all my bills were due and stuff. I had to drive all the way from Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina, and wait in Jim Crockett's office for two hours and collect a $600 cheque and then get in my car and drive all the way back to Atlanta," said Teddy Long.
Long would see better times when he signed with WWE in 1998 and became one of its most memorable on-screen managers.
Do you want to see Teddy Long become a regular on WWE's programming again? Let us know in the comments section below.
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