Mike Chioda Recalls Being Told To Cut WrestleMania Match Short Before It Began
At WrestleMania 35, Samoa Joe destroyed Rey Mysterio in just over a minute in a match all fans were stunned by. At the time, it was reported the match was simply cut short due to timing issues despite the show lasting over seven hours.
Former WWE referee Mike Chioda spoke about the match on the latest episode of the Monday Mailbag, revealing that he was told the match was going to be cut during the two stars' entrances.
"We had 15 to 18 or 22 minutes, originally, got knocked down to like 12 minutes," Chioda said. "I remember Rey had this badass cosplay, his gear was made and he spends a lot of money on his gear. Samoa Joe had a different style. I remember it got knocked down to 12-15 minutes and then when I got in the ring, Billy Kidman said, 'Go home,' like, right away. Rey's in the ring already, did his entrance, Samoa Joe is coming down and I'm like, 'Rey, they're saying go home right away.' He's like, 'What?' I'm like, 'I swear to god.' He's like, '[Chioda] are you f***ing with me?' I'm like, 'No, I swear to god he's telling me you've got to.'
After 31 years with the company, WrestleMania 35 was unfortunately the last 'Mania Mike Chioda worked. Continuing to talk about the match involving Rey and Joe, Chioda mentioned how upset he was about their match being cut given that their match was the only one to get time cuts.
"I couldn't believe they did that to Rey because I don't think they cut anybody else's match that night," Chioda said. "They didn't cut anybody else's matches or anything, it was just Joe and Rey's match. I felt bad. He just goes in there and kind of demolishes Rey and beats him. I felt bad for Rey, I really did. He was coming back, they had made some promises to him but they're taking care of him now, him and Dom, which is cool. I think he was going through a little bit of stuff with the company but he's totally rebounded. Rey is such a professional and such a great person, man, a great guy, and he's one of my best friends. That was just a bad weekend that weekend, and that was my last WrestleMania."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Monday Mailbag with Mike Chioda with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.