Earl Hebner On If He Would Return To WWE, Impact Cutting Referees Pay, Local Refs At Bound For Glory

Earl Hebner spoke with Sports Illustrated's Extra Mustard section on a number of pro wrestling topics. Hebner parted ways from Impact Wrestling in early November. Here are some of the highlights:

Leaving after Impact Wrestling cut his pay:

"We thought the new company had it all worked out when they bought it, but they've been having financial problems. I feel like I've been paying them. It's been pay cut after pay cut, so I asked for my release. Some of the wrestlers were only getting paid $100 a day. That's a slap in the face to the wrestlers. My son, Brian, also wanted his release, and then they asked Brian Stiffler to be the senior ref. But the money he'd have made there would have been spent on expenses on the road, so he quit, too."

Impact using local referees at the Bound for Glory PPV in Ottawa, Canada:

"They wanted local refs because it was cheaper. But that's a risk, especially when it's live. They wanted to take a cheap route, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for."

Returning to WWE for a final run:

"I would love to go back to WWE and finish my life in this business right there. Vince McMahon was always good to me, and he gave me the opportunity to be who I am and what I am. I would love to go back and, if nothing else, do one more match to say thank you very much for what you've done for me."

Source: Sports Illustrated