Mike Tyson may be considered one of the greatest boxers to ever grace the ring, but his time as a WWE-sanctioned official leaves a lot to be desired.

After being suspended from boxing for biting the ear of Evander Holyfield, Tyson joined the World Wrestling Federation in January 1998.

Tyson aligned himself with D-Generation X, but turned on the group at WrestleMania 14, knocking out Shawn Michaels in the ring.

The Count

Despite WWF implying for weeks that Tyson would be competing at WrestleMania, the boxing legend was the ‘special enforcer’ for the main event between Michaels and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.

Speaking on the latest Mailbag Monday, former WWE referee Mike Chioda revealed that he was tasked with teaching Tyson how to count the pinfall, which was a difficult process.

“Believe me, I tried to teach him how to count. … He counted so fast, I was like ‘Oh sh*t.’ I must have spent like an hour with him, ‘Here, just 1-2-3.’”

Mike Chioda.

After this lengthy lesson, Tyson would count the pinfall for Austin, but despite all of Chioda’s training, the count is noticeably faster than it should be.

Tyson’s count would see Austin win his first WWF Championship and cement the ‘Attitude Era’ in professional wrestling.

Tyson in Pro Wrestling

In January 2010, Tyson would serve as the guest host of Monday Night Raw, before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April 2012.

Tyson was also a playable character as part of downloadable content for WWE ’13.

In April 2021, Tyson once again served as a special enforcer, this time for AEW, and returned to the promotion for an episode of AEW Rampage earlier this month.

WWE Champion Approached About Possible Mike Tyson Fight

h/t – eWrestlingNews

Mike Chioda worked with WWE for over 30 years, before his release came in August 2020.

Chioda, like many at the time, was cut due to budget cuts, reportedly brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reffing the Chairman

Over his 30+ years with WWE, Chioda was often called upon to officiate matches with Vince McMahon.

McMahon had a total 57 sanctioned matches prior to his retirement in July this year, a month after stepping down as CEO and Chairman of WWE.

Speaking on his ‘Monday Mailbag,’ Chioda recalled how stressful it was to have his boss in the ring (via Wrestling Inc.)

“You’re stressed with Vince in the ring, you don’t want to f*** up. If he asks for a spot or asks for something like, ‘Hey, what’s next?’ you better, you better know it, you know what I’m saying? What I like about Vince is when Vince asks you do something, you say I can get it done.”

“”If he asks for a spot… you better, you better know it.”

Mike Chioda on officiating a Vince McMahon match.

Chioda said that his concerns only grew as McMahon got older and more prone to injury.

McMahon’s final WWE match came at this year’s WrestleMania, where he defeated Pat McAfee.

The ‘match’ saw little offense by McMahon himself, but more by Austin Theory who was the on-screen protege of the then-Chairman at the time.

McMahon’s win at WrestleMania marks his only victory at his biggest creation.

Triple H Reveals Vince McMahon’s Advice for Running WWE

One former WWE referee has reflected on a big “no-no” for officials.

Being a referee in the wrestling business can be a thankless job. Officials can often make or break a match.

You’re more likely to be chastised for a botch than praised for a job well done as a referee. There are exceptions such as NJPW’s Red Shoes Unno and AEW’s Aubrey Edwards.

Who could forget former WWE legend Earl Hebner?

Officials also have to follow some strict rules if they work under the WWE banner.

No Visible Tattoos for WWE Refs

During a new edition of his Monday Mailbag podcast, former WWE referee Mike Chioda revealed an important rule all WWE officials had to follow.

“That’s a no-no. Can’t be wearing sleeves, can’t have tats on the arms. I have one on my arm up here, but my sleeve always covered it.”

Mike Chioda on rule for WWE referees

There’s no word on whether or not this is still a rule for WWE officials today. Chioda was released from WWE back in April 2020.

Chioda went on to recall the time Vince McMahon asked him to drop some weight for presentation purposes.

“I remember him telling me, ‘drop a few pounds’ and stuff like that, and I’m like, ‘I’m working on it, sir!,’

“I mean, they’re working out more than they’re learning how to referee down there,” Chioda jokes. “These kids come in good shape nowadays, man. Vince has got on me about certain things and it’s exactly how he says it: ‘Hey, pal!’”

Quotes via Wrestling Inc.

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Vince McMahon is known for egging others on to do ribs but this one, in particular, was quite scary.

Ribbing was quite common behind the scenes in the wrestling business. To this day, wrestlers still get ribbed although it doesn’t appear to be as intense as it used to be.

This one rib that was backed by McMahon ended up going south when the person getting pranked suffered an injury.

Vince McMahon Rib Causes Concussion

During an edition of AdFreeShows.com’s Monday Mailbag, former WWE referee Mike Chioda reflected on the time he was egged on by Vince McMahon to prank a cameraman.

Things went awry in a hurry (h/t WrestlingInc.com).

“Vince used to hate to see people sleep. This one camera guy, I love him, he was a great guy and I remember he said, ‘hey, cut him down.’

“I remember I climbed all the way up this thing cause he had his hammock on something, and I cut it by his head and he went straight down into the steel. He had a concussion.

“I felt so bad, it backfired on me so much. We stopped in Ramstine Germany because we always did, and I remember, he had to go to the hospital there and he went back home.

“I remember apologizing and calling him and everything. I couldn’t say ‘Vince and them made me do it.’ I didn’t want to say that, I had to do it.

“I shouldn’t have listened to [Vince] but it was Vince and them guys, but the f***ing rib backfired.”

Surely, current WWE talent will settle for the more harmless ribs today. For example, back in 2009, Drew McIntyre captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

He went out to eat at Applebee’s with some of his fellow performers when Randy Orton told Drew it was tradition for a first-time champion to actually wear the title when eating out. McIntyre did so, which got a big laugh out of the boys.

Drew revealed that story in his book, A Chosen Destiny.

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda recently shed some light on the rocky dynamics within the McMahon family.

During a recent Q&A session on his podcast with AdFreeShows, Chioda was asked if Triple H was ever warned against dating Vince McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie. He revealed that Shane McMahon did exactly that – to the detriment of his relationship with The Game.

“Yes, Shane did,” said Chioda. “Shane McMahon did. That’s why the feud fell out, that’s for sure,” Chioda said. “It was a thing from Vince Sr. that came around many years ago. They didn’t want anybody dating talent, none of the kids and none of their family.”

Chioda continued to say that the falling-out between Shane and Triple H had a negative impact on Shane’s standing in WWE.

“I think Shane really had a big part of that and that’s why Shane and Triple H had a falling out for many years, and that’s why Shane was exiled for 10 years. Shane is still not on top of the list. Where is he at now? Is he in the office? Is he running things?”

Shane McMahon departed WWE in 2009. He announced his resignation from the company in October of that year. Shane would not return to WWE until 2016 when he was named the General Manager of Smackdown.

McMahon Family “Torn Apart”

Chioda continued to say that the McMahon family is torn apart. Perhaps they are not torn apart completely but they are definitely severed to some degree.

“It gets more interesting, believe me. It’s sad because when I started working for this company, there was Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon and now it seems to be all broken apart.”

He continued, “All the money in the world probably can’t fix it. They have all the money in the world, a publicly traded company, which is ok. The family is torn apart at this point I think. Maybe not torn apart all the way, which I hope not, but it’s torn apart.”

When "The Great One" requests you, THAT'S when you know you've arrived.

It's time again to open up the #MondayMailbag with "The Third Man in the Ring" @MjcChioda! Join the legendary ref & @paulybwell as they take YOUR questions.

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— AdFreeShows.com (@adfreeshows) December 13, 2021

In WWE storyline, McMahon has won several titles in the promotion. He is a 1x European Champion and a 1x Hardcore Champion. Upon returning to the WWE in 2016, he won the Smackdown Tag Team Championships along with The Miz once.

At 2018’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia, Shane replaced The Miz in the finals and won the Best in the World tournament.

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcriptions.