Mike Chioda Recalls Backstage Moment With Owen Hart's Son During AEW Event
Veteran referee Mike Chioda has admitted that it "was an honor" to get the opportunity to officiate the men's Owen Hart Cup Final between Adam Cole and Samoa Joe earlier this year.
On the latest episode of "Monday Mailbag With Mike Chioda" on AdFreeShows.com, the former WWE referee thanked AEW and Dean Malenko for thinking of him to take on that opportunity at AEW "Double Or Nothing". Chioda was a surprise on the night for the fans, but he admitted he "didn't really speak to Martha Hart," as she was "pretty busy planning" and "going over a few things with Tony Khan."
"I spoke to his son ... It was nice talking to him and he wasn't too familiar as far as I think updated with the business ... I showed him the picture of Owen, myself, and the 1-2-3 Kid, and Tatanka in Isreal, and he said, 'Oh my God, I've seen that picture before' ... So, we had a really nice conversation for about 15-20 minutes and stuff.
Chioda has been around the wrestling business since 1989 with WWE, and he has reffed many matches of Owen Hart's during that time, and "spent a lot of time with him on the road." That is one of the reasons why adding him to the match helped to honor the wrestling legend, which was a nice touch.
Martha was on hand to give out the trophies to Cole and Britt Baker following their respective wins, but Chioda admitted, "It would have been nice to see Bret Hart there." The Hitman wasn't around for the finals even though he has appeared in AEW previously, as he unveiled the AEW World Championship at AEW's "Double Or Nothing" in 2019.
Chioda was released from WWE back in April 2020 after over 30 years with the company, and following that, he has made sporadic appearances with AEW. This was actually the fourth AEW match that Chioda has officiated as he first appeared in 2020 on an episode of "AEW Dynamite" to work a TNT Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Scorpio Sky.
Since then, he has done a match between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy, and another TNT Championship bout when Rhodes faced Darby Allin at AEW "Full Gear" in 2020. When it comes to his future with the company, Chioda has previously admitted he appreciates AEW keeping him "in mind."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Monday Mailbag With Mike Chioda" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.