"He didn't want to deal with Hunter" - WWE veteran wanted contract talks with Vince McMahon instead of Triple H

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda has revealed that Rey Mysterio wanted to deal directly with Vince McMahon when he discussed his latest WWE contract.

Mysterio confirmed to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso in February 2021 that he signed a new contract with WWE last year. Since then, he has gone on to hold the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with his son, Dominik.

Chioda, who is friends with Mysterio, recently appeared on the Such Good Shoot podcast. He said the 46-year-old spoke to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon instead of Triple H during contract negotiations:

“My buddy Rey Mysterio stayed at my house last week when they were in Tampa,” Chioda said. “You know, he went into negotiations with Vince. His stuff almost didn’t work out with Vince, but he convinced Vince. Hunter [Triple H] was going to… he didn’t want to deal with Hunter. He wanted to deal with Vince.”

DIAL IT UP!#SmackDown @reymysterio pic.twitter.com/6QGTAAKOZd

— WWE (@WWE) June 5, 2021

Rey Mysterio teamed up with Dominik in a losing effort against The Usos at Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam event. The father-son duo’s current storyline revolves around Rey teaching Dominik about wrestling psychology.

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Triple H's comment to Mike Chioda before his WWE release

Big props to @reymysterio & @DomMysterio35 on winning the tag titles last night at #WWEBacklash - so proud to see how far you have come Dom! pic.twitter.com/pzqI2PTT3B

— Mike Chioda (@MjcChioda) May 18, 2021

One of WWE’s long-serving referees, Mike Chioda worked for Vince McMahon’s company between 1989 and 2020.

The 55-year-old received his release as a cost-cutting measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite Triple H giving him assurances about his future:

“Hunter told me, ‘Hey, I want to see you go out strong in your career’ a couple years ago, few years ago, and I even moved to Tampa for better living, better beaches,” Chioda said. “And plus, you know, if I had to start working at the PC [Performance Center] in Orlando. I had surgery on my shoulder, rotator cuff and the two bicep tears. And then I get f***ing released during a pandemic.”

Chioda refereed dozens of high-profile matches during his WWE career, including The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania 18) and The Rock vs. John Cena (WrestleMania 28).