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Former WWE referee Mike Chioda has revealed that AEW's Cody Rhodes contacted him recently about joining the company. Chioda said that he still has more to offer as a referee.
Mike Chioda was a part of WWE for three decades as a referee and officiated several high-profile matches over the years. Chioda was let go by WWE last year as part of WWE's COVID budget cuts, which ended his 31-year run with the company. Since being released by WWE, Chioda has officiated in a few matches on AEW television.
Chioda was a recent guest on Chris Van Vliet's podcast, where he stated that he has a few years more remaining as a referee and that he could potentially go to AEW.
"Actually, Cody [Rhodes] got in touch with me a few weeks ago so I’m waiting to hear something. So, there’s still hope and I got a good two, three more years left in me, you know?" (H/T Post Wrestling)
The former WWE referee said that he doesn't want to officiate at 60-65 years of age like legendary referee Earl Hebner. AEW have signed several former WWE Superstars over the last year, with the likes of The Revival, Rusev, Sting, and more recently, The Big Show.
WWE's releases in 2020
WWE let go of numerous Superstars and backstage personnel last year due to COVID-19.
Superstars like Rusev, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Zack Ryder, Curtis Axel, EC3, Lio Rush, Heath Slater, Rowan, and Aiden English, to name a few.
WWE also let go of backstage personnel like Kurt Angle, Gerald Brisco, Mike Rotunda, as well as referee Mike Chioda. The company also furloughed a few backstage producers, who later returned to the company, like Gregory Helms, Scott Armstrong, and Billy Kidman.
