PCW Episode 3: Referee Authority
The importance of a good referee can not be overstated in Platinum Championship Wrestling. Stephen Platinum explains why he thinks his top ref, Duke Korey, is the best in the business and why his organization uses officials in ways that are different than WWE, TNA, and others.
Full story transcript below:
Stephen Platinum, PCW Promoter (post show in ring):
- Guess what? The whole f---ing show was good. It was fantastic top to bottom.
Austin "Consequences Creed" Watson (in-show promo):
- I don't need you to cheer for me, I know I'm good.
Platinum (post show speech in ring):
- But all I found myself doing in every single match is looking at Duke and going, "Holy f---!" This is the best pro wrestling referee I've ever been around. And you can tell by looking at him, he doesn't work out a single minute of the day.
Duke Korey (interview):
- I can add to the drama of the match.
Platinum (interview):
- He brings a sort of authority.
Korey (interview):
- Getting down there and slapping the mat and counting... and then "No, two!"
Platinum (interview):
- He was born to be a pro wrestling referee.
Korey (interview):
- Steve can be a hard ass...
Platinum (post show speech in locker room):
- You guys memorized your match and then you got lost and you looked like dog s---.
Korey (interview):
- And he expects you to perform at a very high level.
Platinum (interview):
- He sells what's going on in the ring as ably as the performers themselves do. If the match isn't going well or if I feel like it's a good time to wrap it up, through Duke I will signal them to "take the match home" which means to finish it quickly.
Platinum (watching show on monitor):
- Oh, God! F---! Do something!
Korey (interview):
- I worry that Steve thinks I didn't tell them, you know? So sometimes I'll tell them like 3 times and finally one of them's like, 'Yeah, I know, we're getting there.' So it's just like. I feel like there's some responsibility on my shoulders.
Platinum (interview):
- We don't do what are called "ref bumps" where our referees don't get knocked down and our referees don't get put in ridiculous situations where they accidentally get hit. 'Oh, we don't know who we want to win' or 'we don't really want either one of these guys to look bad so the referee will get knocked down.' I think it's so silly and I think it's one of those things that makes pro wrestling look really stupid and embarrasses pro wrestling fans. I think, too, if we establish the fact that we don't do it, that it will force the business at large to change. It's one of the things I really want to change and I just kind of want to stick it to the other wrestling companies and be like, "You know what? You don't have to knock your referees down in order to have a finish that works.
Platinum (post show speech in ring):
- This is a f---ing war, I've told you again. We are fighting a war against a pro wrestling business that hates itself and we're going to teach it to love itself again. I don't want to promise anything but this story's gotta end. It's gotta end big.
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