Earl Hebner would like to see some WWE referees be inducted into their Hall of Fame.
Between the late '80s and the mid-2000s, seeing Earl Hebner referee a match provided a subtle undertone of added importance. Shawn Michaels has even stated that he wouldn't wrestle a match unless Earl was the referee.
While the WWE Hall of Fame includes many wrestling managers and even celebrities who have appeared on WWE television over the years, referees are seldom inducted.
Appearing on the Refin' it Up podcast, Earl Hebner says he would like to see some of the names that have helped through the years be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
"I hope someday that they do have (referees inducted). There are a lot of guys, not just myself, but you guys [Brian Hebner, Jimmy Korderas, and Daniel Spencer,] contribute so much of your life and your body and your knowledge in helping the matches to be what they are. We have been, I guess you can say, traffic directors. We took that job to heart to do the best we could do. I have been around a lot of great talent and great refs. It’s not just me. You guys and a few more need to be in there, if they ever have it. If I ever got the honor and opportunity, I would do it. Some day, I hope that they do. I know TNA did it. I got into that Hall of Fame, which was a surprise to me, but it was great. Sometimes, I think that we’re overlooked, and even people in the business don’t know how important we are. I’ve done a lot of things in this business, good and bad, but I did what I was told to do. I’m not saying everything is perfect, but I needed a job, and when you get down to the nitty-gritty and when the big boss tells you he wants this or you can find a job somewhere else, you gotta do what you gotta do. We all do that. We all listen to what we’re told to do and we do it, regardless if it’s right or wrong in our minds, it’s what they want and that’s what we have to do."
WWE has posthumously inducted Tim White into the WWE Hall of Fame. Learn more about that here.
Earl Hebner recently stated that he thought he would be engraved danger when he went to Montreal for TNA Slammiversary. Read more here.
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