Former WWE Referee Mike Chioda Names His Favorite And Least Favorite Gimmicks Ever

Having officiated matches across four decades for WWE, Mike Chioda has come across his fair share of wrestling gimmicks. While answering fan questions on "Monday Mailbag," Chioda was asked to single out his favorite and least-favorite gimmicks in history, a question that got Chioda nostalgically remembering WWE's early 1990s era, one notorious for featuring outrageous and cartoonish gimmicks. Of course, none were moreso than The Gobbledy Gooker, a turkey mascot — portrayed by Héctor Guerrero — that hatched out of a giant egg at Survivor Series 1990.

In the weeks leading up to Survivor Series, the giant egg was showcased at live events and television shows, causing much speculation among not just fans but even the WWE roster — as revealed by Chioda.  "I remember everybody was wondering what the f–k was going to pop out of that egg," Chioda recalled. "[When it happened], everybody was like, 'What the f–k is that?' It was the worst f–ing gimmick that ever popped out of that thing. That was easily the worst gimmick I have ever experienced."

As for his favorite gimmick ever, Chioda echoed the sentiment of scores of wrestling fans by choosing The Undertaker. "That's a hell of a f—ing gimmick," Chioda said of The Undertaker's "Deadman" persona. "The entrance and everything else used to blow you away every time you had seen it. Because they put so much oomph into it — even on Raw and everything, but especially at SummerSlams, WrestleManias, and the other big pay-per-view events. That has to be, by far, one of the best gimmicks in professional wrestling." Incidentally, both Undertaker and Gobbledy Gooker debuted at Survivor Series 1990, and the latter was brought back for a cameo at Survivor Series 2020, an event that celebrated the 30-year anniversary of The Deadman's debut.