Being a professional wrestling referee isn’t rocket science, but it’s not as easy as it looks, either. I learned that firsthand last weekend when I got the opportunity to referee a couple matches at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show in Dundalk. 

As a lifelong wrestling fan, it was exciting to be in the ring in any capacity in front of a live crowd. It was actually the second time that I have participated in an MCW show. In 2006, I accompanied former WCW star Crowbar to the ring as his manager for the night. I ended up turning on him after the match, and he responded by decking me and laying me out with a splash. 

To prepare for the July 18 show, I was given a crash course in refereeing by MCW official Chris Clow the night before at the Eastern Wrestling Alliance training facility in Middle River. Having followed wrestling since I was 6, I had a good grasp of the basics, but I knew that there was more to knowing how to referee than just watching Nick Patrick and Earl Hebner on television.

I don’t want to give away the tricks of the trade (although most have already been given away), but let’s just say that referees have a lot of things going on during the course of a match, such as paying attention to time cues and sometimes having to convey messages from one wrestler to the other. My main concern was making sure that I stayed out of the way. Clow gave me some advice about where to position myself in that regard and also told me that I had to be aware of where the hard camera was so that I did not obstruct the action (MCW records all their shows for DVDs).

The most important responsibility of a referee is to keep a watchful eye on the talent and recognize if someone is legitimately hurt. And if a wrestler does get hurt, the referee has to insure his safety and take control. Knowing that such a situation could arise and that someone’s well-being was in my hands to some degree definitely weighed on my mind. Sure, refereeing was going to be fun, but it wasn’t something to be taken lightly. 

After arriving at The New Green Room for the show, I was informed that I would be refereeing two matches. One of them — Crowbar versus Devon Moore — I had requested. Crowbar, aka Chris Ford, is a friend, and I felt more comfortable being in the ring with someone I knew. The match was slated to go on second.

Clad in a striped shirt that I had borrowed from an MCW referee who simply goes by Nef, I became more and more anxious as showtime approached because Crowbar, who was coming in from New Jersey, was running late. There was no way I wanted to go out there without going over the match with him and Moore. He finally arrived, but he cut it so close that the match was moved down to fourth instead of second. That was a good thing because it gave Crowbar and Moore a chance to discuss the match while I listened in.

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, the backstage area suddenly was enveloped in total darkness. The power had gone out in the building. Yep, I show up to referee and all of the lights go out. That sure seemed like a bad omen. The show must go on, however, and it did, with emergency lights providing just enough illumination. The crowd seemed fine with it and I actually thought the dim lighting gave the show a cool throwback feel. Plus, if I screwed up, maybe it would be too dark for anyone to notice.

Once I got out in front of the crowd, I really wasn’t that nervous and the match seemed to go pretty well. The only anxious moment I had was when Crowbar and Moore were battling outside the ring and I had gotten up to six on my 10-count. When it was clear that they weren’t going to make it back in by 10, I had to break the count, jump out of the ring and admonish them.

The other match that I refereed was a tag team bout that pitted The Holy Rollers against Wesley Mercer and Adam Carelle. The lights had come back on by this time, so I no longer had the cover of darkness as a security blanket. I also figured that handling a match with four guys — all complete strangers — meant there was more of a chance that something could go wrong, but it actually went smoothly.

My final responsibility of the night was to help Clow and Nef in the main event, a ladder match between MCW tag team champions The Ghetto Mafia (Qenaan Creed and 2 Dope) and the team of Ryan McBride and Teddy Stigma. Clow was listed as the referee for the match, but, basically, there was no referee, as the three of us spent most of the match standing outside the ring. Our job was to slide into the ring and hold the ladder steady whenever there was going to be a big move off the ladder.

And there were quite a few big moves. All four guys really worked their butts off and tore the house down. Not only was it a thrill for me to be so close to the action, but it was truly an honor to be out there with such talented workers.

I want to thank MCW owner Dan McDevitt for giving me the opportunity to referee, and Clow for showing me the ropes and answering all my questions. I also appreciated the last-minute tips – as well as the striped shirt – from Nef. Finally, thanks to all the talent at the show who allowed me into their world, especially those I was privileged to work with. It was such a good experience that I just might do it again.

A few other notes from last weekend’s MCW shows:

Because I spent most of the night in the back, the only matches I got to see were the ones I refereed. Looking at the lineup, I think I missed some pretty good ones. … My biggest regret of the evening was that I never was able to hook up with Tammy “Sunny” Sytch. Wait, let me rephrase that. She had agreed to do a video interview, but with me refereeing, the lights going out for well over an hour, her working a match as a valet/manager and then leaving right after intermission, we never had an opportunity to do the interview. … Due to a prior commitment, I wasn’t able to attend MCW’s show the following night, so I missed Derek Frazier winning the Shamrock Cup. Frazier is always fun to watch and is a deserving winner. … It’s taken a bit longer than expected, but video interviews with The Iron Sheik (heavily edited, of course) and Crowbar will be up next week.