History Main / GlassJawReferee

* Averted by the Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerilla referee Rick Knox, who is liable to kick the ass of any wrestler who tries to mess with him.

* Double Subverted during the match between El Gran Armando and El Gigante Nihan on the 6-29-2019 WWC show. It took five of them, [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished including]] lady ref Windy Sáez who usually defies this trope by [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere ducking out of the ring during brawls]], but the referees were able to successfully [[ChainedHeat handcuff]] managers Wizard and Juan Manuel Ortega together in spite of Wizard's active physical protests. However, Wizard was able to escape during the match after Armando knocked one of the referee's out by [[HumanShield pulling into the path]] of a charging Gigante Nihan. A mere four weren't enough to stop him again, so they {{disqualifi|cationInducedVictory}}ed Armando and let Ortega handle Wizard [[DoWithHimAsYouWill his own way.]]

* In a Wrestling/{{TNA}} match, Chris Sabin of the Motor/Murder City Machine Guns inadvertently knocked out the referee in a match against [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Team 3D]]. Sabin then got knocked out and Brother Ray of Team 3D pinned him, at which point another referee came out and counted the three count. AT THE SAME TIME as this was happening, Alex Shelley of the Motor/Murder City Machine Guns pinned Brother Devon of Team 3D, and the original referee woke up in time to make that three count. Cue the two referees arguing over whose count was the real one; eventually it was ruled a no-contest.
** Subverted by Shane Sewell, whose Puerto Rican wrestling background [[HeroOfAnotherStory was noted and well-documented]] throughout his time as a Wrestling/{{TNA}} referee. Especially during Sheik Abdul Bashir's matches as X-Division Champion, when it was almost expected for Sewell to beat the shit out of Bashir after the match, regardless of all the [[{{Kayfabe}} storyline]] reasons against it. Bashir is better known for his time in WWE as Daivari.

* Wrestling/EddieGuerrero loved taking advantage of this trope. When the ref was out he'd often try and get his opponent disqualified by pretending he'd been hit with a foreign object when the ref came to. Occasionally he'd knock the ref out himself and try to get his opponent blamed for it. His match with Wrestling/ChrisBenoit at Vengeance 2003 is a particularly classic instance of this. His final match, against Mr. Kennedy, had this same trope. After Kennedy was disqualified for "using a chair" on Eddie, Kennedy actually did use one -- '''hard''' -- saying [[VerbThis "DISQUALIFY THAT!!"]] It was a bit HarsherInHindsight, but no one knew what was about to happen unfortunately.

* Wrestling/KurtAngle vs the then-[[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] Wrestling/JohnCena at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2005'' was a particularly hilarious instance of this trope. Angle had his own personal referee, [[Wrestling/ShawnDaivari Daivari]], who was determined to make Angle win. Cena, after several pin falls that should have been three counts, realized he could hit the ref and Angle wouldn't allow Daivari to disqualify him because it would cost Angle the belt. Eventually Daivari got inadvertently knocked out of the ring, and another ref came in. This ref was later knocked out by Angle so that he could bring Daivari back into the ring (still unconscious despite a relatively minor fall), but instead another ref came in, who ended up being knocked out as well, and then yet another referee who also only got knocked out, by which time ''Raw'' was out of referees and they sent in one from ''[=SmackDown!=]''. When Daivari finally came back in, he received a DDT from Cena. By the time the match was over the ring was littered with the bodies of four unconscious referees.

* Ended up played for laughs with Tennessee area referee Jingus when a fan randomly started doing push ups during a PGWA title match between Nikki Roxx and Mickie Knuckles and Jingus decided to try but could barely do one.

* In a Wrestling/{{TNA}} match Chris Sabin of the Motor/Murder City Machine Guns inadvertently knocked out the referee in a match against [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Team 3D]]. He then got knocked out and Brother Ray of Team 3D pinned him, as Brother Ray was pinning him another referee came out and counted the three count. AT THE SAME TIME as this was happening Alex Shelley of the Motor/Murder City Machine Guns pinned Brother Devon of Team 3D. The original referee woke up in time to make the three count. Cue the two referees arguing over whose count was the real one, eventually it was ruled a no-contest.

Known as a ref bump in ProfessionalWrestling parlance, it is common in pro wrestling matches for one of the wrestlers to knock over the referee during the course of the match, usually inadvertently. Apparently, this puts the referee in a comatose state of sorts in which he is completely oblivious to his surroundings. This can reach ludicrous extremes; a referee that is barely clipped may be rendered "unconscious" for several minutes at a time. In addition to having the [[EasilyDistractedReferee shortest attention span of all organisms in the known universe]], professional wrestling referees are apparently the weakest as well.

A variation of this, which may have originated as a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], is for a second referee to eventually come rushing out and assume control. In a DoubleSubversion, this second referee may also be knocked out. Just as likely, though, the first ref comes to, and both refs rule the match in favor of a different wrestler/team (which, in particularly rare and hilarious instances, can result in the refs themselves duking it out). In fact, even if a fellow wrestler is performing the referee duties, they can sometimes be knocked out or incapacitated by a move they would shrug off while competing in a match, though most promotions are getting better about this. Still, for the "normal" referees, it's not uncommon for even the show's own announcers to suggest a stiff wind would knock a ref out. While today seldom does a pay per view go by without this trope coming into play at some point, it was a relatively rare occurrence in mainstream American pro wrestling until around the mid-1990's.

-->-- '''Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon''', ''[[Wrestling/{{Wrestlemania}} Wrestlemania IV]]''

It should be noted, however, that in RealLife the refs ''are'' as durable as the wrestlers they are in the ring with, and ref bumping itself is taken with a ''huge'' dose of {{Kayfabe}} as part of the show. Performance or not, these are still 200-pound masses of muscle and adrenaline throwing themselves around, and even a "partial contact" hit can deal some serious damage to you if you're not as durable as they are.

* Wrestling/EddieGuerrero loved taking advantage of this trope. When the ref was out he'd often try and get his opponent disqualified by pretending he'd been hit with a foreign object when the ref came to. Occasionally he'd knock the ref out himself and try to get his opponent blamed for it. His match with Wrestling/ChrisBenoit at Vengeance 2003 is a particularly classic instance of this. His final match, against Mr. Kennedy, had this same trope. After Kennedy was disqualified for "using a chair" on Eddie, Kennedy did -- '''hard''' -- saying "DISQUALIFY THAT!!" It was a bit HarsherInHindsight, but no one knew what was about to happen unfortunately.

It should be noted, however, that in UsefulNotes/RealLife the refs ''are'' as durable as the wrestlers they are in the ring with, and ref bumping itself is taken with a ''huge'' dose of {{Kayfabe}} as part of the show. Performance or not, these are still 200-pound masses of muscle and adrenaline throwing themselves around, and even a "partial contact" hit can deal some serious damage to you if you're not as durable as they are.

* Double Subverted during the match between El Gran Armando and El Gigante Nihan on the 6-29-2019 WWC show. It took five of them, [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished including]] lady ref Windy Sáez who usually defies this trope by [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere ducking out of the ring during brawls]], but the referees were able to successfully [[ChainedHeat handcuff]] managers Wizard and Juan Manuel Ortega together in spite of Wizard's active physical protests. However, Wizard was able to escape during the match after Armando knocked one of the referee's out by [[HumanShield pulling into the path]] of a charging Gigante Nihan. A mere four weren't enough to stop him again, so they {{disqualifi|cationInducedVictory}}ed Armando and let Ortega handle Wizard [[DoWithHimAsYouWill his own way.]]

* Double Subverted during the match between El Gran Armando and El Gigante Nihan on the 6-29-2019 WWC show. It took five of them, [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished including]] the lady ref who usually defies this trope by [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere ducking out of the ring during brawls]], but the referees were able to successfully [[ChainedHeat handcuff]] managers Wizard and Juan Manuel Ortega together in spite of Wizard's active physical protests. However, Wizard was able to escape during the match after Armando knocked one of the referee's out by [[HumanShield pulling into the path]] of a charging Gigante Nihan. A mere four weren't enough to stop him again, so they {{disqualifi|cationInducedVictory}}ed Armando and let Ortega handle Wizard [[DoWithHimAsYouWill his own way.]]

* Double Subverted during the match between El Gran Armando and El Gigante Nihan on the 6-29-2019 WWC show. It took five of them, [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished including]] the lady ref who usually defies this trope by [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere ducking out of the ring during brawls]], but the referees were able to successfully [[ChainedHeat handcuff]] managers Wizard and Juan Manuel Ortega together in spite of Wizard's active physical protests. However, Wizard was able to escape during the match after Armando knocked one of the referee's out by pulling into the path of a charging Gigante Nihan. A mere four weren't enough to stop him again, so they {{disqualifi|cationInducedVictory}}ed Armando and let Ortega handle Wizard [[DoWithHimAsYouWill his own way.]]

* Averted by the Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerilla referee Rick Knox, who is liable to kick the ass of any wrestler who tries to mess with him.

* Wrestling/KurtAngle vs the then-[[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] Wrestling/JohnCena at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2005'' was a particularly hilarious instance of this trope. Angle had his own personal referee, Daivari, who was determined to make Angle win. Cena, after several pin falls that should have been three counts, realized he could hit the ref and Angle wouldn't allow Daivari to disqualify him because it would cost Angle the belt. Eventually Daivari got inadvertently knocked out of the ring, and another ref came in. This ref was later knocked out by Angle so that he could bring Daivari back into the ring (still unconscious despite a relatively minor fall), but instead another ref came in, who ended up being knocked out as well, and then yet another referee who also only got knocked out, by which time ''Raw'' was out of referees and they sent in one from ''[=SmackDown!=]''. When Daivari finally came back in, he received a DDT from Cena. By the time the match was over the ring was littered with the bodies of four unconscious referees.

* Wrestling/KurtAngle vs the then-[[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] Wrestling/JohnCena at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2005'' was a particularly hilarious instance of this trope. Angle had his own personal referee, Daivari, who was determined to make Angle win. Cena, after several pin falls that should have been three counts, realized he could hit the ref and Angle wouldn't allow Daivari to disqualify him because it would cost Angle the belt. Eventually Daivari got inadvertently knocked out of the ring, and another ref came in. This ref was later knocked out by Angle so that he could bring Daivari back into the ring (still unconscious despite a relatively minor fall), but instead another ref came in, who ended up being knocked out as well, and then yet another referee who also only got knocked out, by which time ''Raw'' was out of referees and they sent in one from ''[=SmackDown!=]''. When Daivari finally came back in, he received a clothesline from Cena. By the time the match was over the ring was littered with the bodies of four unconscious referees.

** Subverted by Shane Sewell, whose Puerto Rican wrestling background [[HeroOfAnotherStory was noted and well-documented]] throughout his time as a Wrestling/{{TNA}} referee. Especially during Sheik Abdul Bashir's matches as X-Division Champion, when it was almost expected for Sewell to beat the shit out of Bashir after the match, regardless of all the [[{{Kayfabe}} storyline]] reasons against it. Bashir is better known for his time in WWE as Daivari. See below.

* The original Dusty Finish comes to mind. After being ousted due to an injury by Wrestling/heFourHorsemen, Wrestling/DustyRhodes got his chance at comeuppance against the then-Wrestling/{{N|ationalWrestlingAlliance}}WA [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/nwa/world/nwa-h.html World Heavyweight Champion]], Wrestling/RicFlair, at Starrcade 1985, The Gathering's main event. Late in the match, referee Tommy Young was knocked clear out of the ring with two referee bumps. The Horsemen used this opportunity to jump Dusty, sending both Ole and Wrestling/ArnAnderson to attack Rhodes' injury. Rhodes persevered, and a second referee counted a small-package pin on Dusty, ''apparently'' (and to the appearance of all watching the show) making Rhodes NWA Champion for the third time. This was reversed (and the trope subverted) when Young noted on the next week's television that he had seen the interference, thereby disqualifying Flair, Flair retaining the title through the Champion's Advantage.

* The original Dusty Finish comes to mind. After being ousted due to an injury by the Four Horsemen, Wrestling/DustyRhodes got his chance at comeuppance against the then-Wrestling/{{N|ationalWrestlingAlliance}}WA [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/nwa/world/nwa-h.html World Heavyweight Champion]], Wrestling/RicFlair, at Starrcade 1985, The Gathering's main event. Late in the match, referee Tommy Young was knocked clear out of the ring with two referee bumps. The Horsemen used this opportunity to jump Dusty, sending both Ole and Wrestling/ArnAnderson to attack Rhodes' injury. Rhodes persevered, and a second referee counted a small-package pin on Dusty, ''apparently'' (and to the appearance of all watching the show) making Rhodes NWA Champion for the third time. This was reversed (and the trope subverted) when Young noted on the next week's television that he had seen the interference, thereby disqualifying Flair, Flair retaining the title through the Champion's Advantage.

* In a most absurd case, decorated amateur athlete, mixed martial artist for the UFC and Wrestling/{{N|ationalWrestlingAlliance}}WA World Heavyweight Champion Dan Severn was portrayed this way during Wrestling/OwenHart's feud with Wrestling/KenShamrock. Whether Severn [[FaceHeelTurn turning heel]] and becoming Owen's personal trainer makes up for it or not is a matter of opinion.

** Subverted by Shane Sewell, whose Puerto Rican wrestling background was noted and well-documented throughout his time as a Wrestling/{{TNA}} referee. Especially during Sheik Abdul Bashir's matches as X-Division Champion, when it was almost expected for Sewell to beat the shit out of Bashir after the match, regardless of all the [[{{Kayfabe}} storyline]] reasons against it. Bashir is better known for his time in WWE as Daivari. See below.

* {{Enforced|Trope}} at the World Wrestling League's ''Navidad Corporativa'' 2014 event, where referee Joe Bravo was ejected by a bunch of other referees for trying to assert himself against Laredo Kid and “El Fenomeno” BJ.

* Wrestling/KurtAngle vs the then-[[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] Wrestling/JohnCena at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2005'' was a particularly hilarious instance of this trope. Angle had his own personal referee, Daivari, who was determined to make Angle win. Cena, slowly becoming GenreSavvy after several pin falls that should have been three counts, realized he could hit the ref and Angle wouldn't allow Daivari to disqualify him because it would cost Angle the belt. Eventually Daivari got inadvertently knocked out of the ring, and another ref came in. This ref was later knocked out by Angle so that he could bring Daivari back into the ring (still unconscious despite a relatively minor fall), but instead another ref came in, who ended up being knocked out as well, and then yet another referee who also only got knocked out, by which time ''Raw'' was out of referees and they sent in one from ''[=SmackDown!=]''. When Daivari finally came back in, he received a clothesline from Cena. By the time the match was over the ring was littered with the bodies of four unconscious referees.

Since pro wrestling referees do not rule on anything they don't personally witness (remember, [[NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught if the ref didn't see it, it didn't happen]]), this gives the {{Heel}} ample opportunity to call out his cronies or locate a foreign object. Alternatively, the referee may be knocked out just as the {{Face}} pins the heel. In either scenario, bonus points are awarded if the referee "awakens" just as the heel begins pinning the face. More if he wakes in time to see the face turning the tables with a foreign object on the heel. While today seldom does a pay per view go by without this trope coming into play at some point, it was a relatively rare occurrence in mainstream American pro wrestling until around the mid-1990's.

A variation of this, which may have originated as a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], is for a second referee to eventually come rushing out and assume control. In a DoubleSubversion, this second referee may also be knocked out. Just as likely, though, the first ref comes to, and both refs rule the match in favor of a different wrestler/team (which, in particularly rare and hilarious instances, can result in the refs themselves duking it out). In fact, even if a fellow wrestler is performing the referee duties, they can sometimes be knocked out or incapacitated by a move they would shrug off while competing in a match, though most promotions are getting better about this. Still, for the "normal" referees, it's not uncommon for even the show's own announcers to suggest a stiff wind would knock a ref out.

Since pro wrestling referees do not rule on anything they don't personally witness (remember, [[NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught if the ref didn't see it, it didn't happen]]), this gives the {{Heel}} ample opportunity to call out his cronies or locate a foreign object. Alternatively, the referee may be knocked out just as the {{Face}} pins the heel. In either scenario, bonus points are awarded if the referee "awakens" just as the heel begins pinning the face. More if he wakes in time to see the face turning the tables with a foreign object on the heel. While today rarely does a pay per view go by without this trope coming into play at some point, it was a relatively rare occurrence in mainstream American pro wrestling until around the mid-1990's.

Since pro wrestling referees do not rule on anything they don't personally witness (remember, [[NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught if the ref didn't see it, it didn't happen]]), this gives the {{Heel}} ample opportunity to call out his cronies or locate a foreign object. Alternatively, the referee may be knocked out just as the {{Face}} pins the heel. In either scenario, bonus points are awarded if the referee "awakens" just as the heel begins pinning the face. More if he wakes in time to see the face turning the tables with a foreign object on the heel.

* Averted by the Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerilla referee Rick Knox, who is liable to kick the ass of any wrestler who tries to mess with him.
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<<|ProfessionalWrestling|>>

* Averted by the Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerrila referee Rick Knox, who is liable to kick the ass of any wrestler who tries to mess with him.

* The original Dusty Finish comes to mind. After being ousted due to an injury by the Four Horsemen, Wrestling/DustyRhodes got his chance at comeuppance against the then-[[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/nwa/world/nwa-h.html NWA World Heavyweight Champion]], Wrestling/RicFlair, at Starrcade 1985, The Gathering's main event. Late in the match, referee Tommy Young was knocked clear out of the ring with two referee bumps. The Horsemen used this opportunity to jump Dusty, sending both Ole and Wrestling/ArnAnderson to attack Rhodes' injury. Rhodes persevered, and a second referee counted a small-package pin on Dusty, ''apparently'' (and to the appearance of all watching the show) making Rhodes NWA Champion for the third time. This was reversed (and the trope subverted) when Young noted on the next week's television that he had seen the interference, thereby disqualifying Flair, Flair retaining the title through the Champion's Advantage.

* In a recent Wrestling/{{TNA}} match Chris Sabin of the Motor/Murder City Machine Guns inadvertently knocked out the referee in a match against [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Team 3D]]. He then got knocked out and Brother Ray of Team 3D pinned him, as Brother Ray was pinning him another referee came out and counted the three count. AT THE SAME TIME as this was happening Alex Shelley of the Motor/Murder City Machine Guns pinned Brother Devon of Team 3D. The original referee woke up in time to make the three count. Cue the two referees arguing over whose count was the real one, eventually it was ruled a no-contest.

* Wrestling/EddieGuerrero loved taking advantage of this trope. When the ref was out he'd often try and get his opponent disqualified by pretending he'd been hit with a foreign object when the ref came to. Occasionally he'd knock the ref out himself and try to get his opponent blamed for it. His match with Wrestling/ChrisBenoit at Vengeance 2003 is a particularly classic instance of this.
** His final match, against Mr. Kennedy, had this same trope. After Kennedy was disqualified for "using a chair" on Eddie, Kennedy did -- '''hard''' -- saying "DISQUALIFY THAT!!" It was a bit HarsherInHindsight, but no one knew what was about to happen unfortunately.
* Wrestling/TripleH vs. Wrestling/TheUndertaker at ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} 17'' was very over the top about this as well. The referee got knocked down early on in the match. The two spent at least ten minutes brawling all over the arena. This included doing things that should have gotten them disqualified (not to mention counted out). By the time they returned to the ring, the ref still took a while to recover.
* Wrestling/KurtAngle vs the then-[[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] Wrestling/JohnCena at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2005'' was a particularly hilarious instance of this trope. Angle had his own personal referee, Daivari, who was determined to make Angle win. Cena, slowly becoming GenreSavvy after several pin falls that should have been three counts, realized he could hit the ref and Angle wouldn't allow Daivari to disqualify him because it would cost Angle the belt. Eventually Daivari got inadvertently knocked out of the ring, and another ref came in. This ref was later knocked out by Angle so that he could bring Daivari back into the ring (still unconscious despite a relatively minor fall), but instead another ref came in, who ended up being knocked out as well, and then yet another referee who also only got knocked out, by which time ''Raw'' was out of referees and they sent in one from ''[=SmackDown!=]''. When Daivari finally came back in, he received a clothesline from Cena. By the time the match was over the ring was littered with the bodies of four unconscious referees.
* The main event of ''Wrestling/{{SummerSlam}} 91'' featured a notable aversion. It was Wrestling/HulkHogan and [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior the Ultimate Warrior]] vs. the Triangle of Terror (Wrestling/SgtSlaughter[=/=][[Wrestling/TheIronSheik Col. Mustafa (The Iron Sheik)]][=/=]Gen. Adnan [Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie]), with [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sid Justice (Sid [=Vicious=][=/=]Sycho Sid]]) as special referee. Meaning, wrestlers would collide with Sid and he wouldn't actually move.

* Wrestling/{{SHIMMER}} referees have been known to be knocked off their feet simply by being shouted at.