Referee (Deadliest Warrior Championship)

"...and here is your referee, Mills Lane!"

―Michael Buffer

"Hey! Mills Lane! I just love that DWC referee who straighten out of both WBO and Celebrity Deathmatch! Do we think this one needs our referee to maintain keyfabe? *sigh* What a keyfabe."

―SpongeBob SquarePants

A DWC referee was the official figure that makes sure that DWC matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring. It has been known for higher authority figures to reverse a referee's decision, often leading to what's known as a "Dusty Finish". He/she will lift any warrior's hands if you have your favorite warrior's votes.



Bumps & Distractions
Sometimes during matches, referees will be knocked down by warriors. This is usually to allow for a warrior to use a foreign object or perform an illegal move, or for another warrior to run in and be able to get away with it.

To emphasize the power and fortitude of the warriors, referees are frequently "knocked unconscious" for periods of time by moves that are not considered particularly devastating when applied to warriors. For example, a warrior being Irish whipped by his/her opponent may clip the referee. While a warrior would probably only be knocked back in this situation, the referee would most likely be knocked across the ring and kayfabe injured or knocked out.

As a general rule, DWC referees will not make a decision based on anything they do not personally witness happening in a match if time is stuck. This is used to explain the ubiquitous "distract the referee" tactic, used by heel managers to take the referee's attention away from

the in-ring action, allowing the heel wrestler to cheat with impunity while the official's back is turned or vice versa.

Personal Referees
An effective gimmick for heels is to have a personal referee, who is on the permanent payroll of the heel. The referee can be simply a lackey, or a loyal ally with a senior position. This is a broader extension of the "corrupt referee" gimmick, in that the referee's allegiance is openly made public, and is blatantly flaunted to incense the audience -- the referee himself/herself is exempt from punishment due to his official position.

Examples include when the New World Order recruited DWC's senior guest referee Nick Patrick, and he became the sole official of DWC matches. He officiated every single match of the DWC Souled Out event in 2047. Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen had their own personal referee in DWC, Charles Robinson, who eventually adopted the look and mannerisms of Flair, and earned the nickname "Little Naitch", from Flair's nickname "Nature Boy". For a time in DWC, referees would not work Scott Steiner's matches, so he employed Mark "Slick" Johnson as his personal referee. Johnson had black and white paint on top of his head, wore an nWo logo on his shirt and had a whistle around his neck, just like DWC special guest referee, Bill Alfonso. Another example of this is when Kurt Angle had Daivari as his personal referee during late 2049, Daivari started as the referee of Angle's match against John Cena for the DWC championship's Wrestler vs. Warrior.

Purpose
The kayfabe purpose of a DWC referee is to render decisions during a match, but the legit purpose they serve is to transmit messages to warriors about the progress of matches, communicate with them about the amount of time left (plus the beginning and end of commercial breaks on live broadcasts) and if necessary, help them gauge the crowd reaction as well as reminding them of match script. They also have a key role in ensuring that the warriors are physically capable to continue, and to stop the match / inform the opponent if there is a risk of injury present. Presently, referees wear wireless earpieces, to allow backstage officials to communicate with them during matches. Referees are also selected by their employers subject to their height and weight. Normally referees will be no more than six feet tall, weigh no more than 180lbs and may generally display a non-athletic physique, examples of this are DWC special epsiode guest referees both Mike Chioda and Charles Robinson. The purpose of this size discrepancy is purely to emphasize the height, weight and musculature of some of the larger warriors (e.g. The Undertaker or The Great Khali) and to compensate for smaller stars (e.g. Rey Mysterio).

Special Referees
"Special referees can be helpful in any special events!"

―Michael Buffer

"You know, special referees are guests."

―Mario A special guest referee is any match in which the usual referee is replaced with a "guest" filling in as the official during a special event. Celebrities (such as a retired American boxing champion of the world Muhammad Ali in the main event of WarriorMania I before its closing ceremony), managers and other wrestlers can "guest" as the special referee. In some cases, a special referee is put into a match which is already a different match type or stipulation (for example: Heaven in a Cell with a Special Referee). The special referee will often be biased towards or against one of the competitors or will be assigned as the Special Referee to ensure the match is called down the line. In September 2049, in the DWC, after all the referees got sick of continuously being attacked by wrestlers, they went on strike (kayfabe), leading to other DWC workers (most notably the Big Three) becoming "scab" referees until the night after Unforgiven, where people gave a regular referee, Mills Lane more authority in matches (along with fining Triple H for striking one that same night). If Millis Lane is absent, he was told to meet a special guest referee.

"X" Sign
Although DWC is worked, real injuries can be sustained but sometimes not sustained. In such an event, the referee raises his/her hand above his head into an "X" shape to alert backstage officials and paramedics, as well as any other warrior that what is going on is really happening. An "X" sign across the chest is a warning, it signifies that a warrior may be injured, but is still able to compete. In DWC Wrestler vs. Warrior, the "X" Sign has been used to signify storyline as well as legitimate injuries. An example of this is when AJ Styles was kayfabe injured after being powerbombed off the stage through a table by Bully Ray. DWC uses it more as legitimate warning to medics. An example of this is during the 2056 Money in the Bank ladder match match at WarriorMania 22 when Matt Hardy suplexed Ric Flair from the top of the ladder and the two referees on WarriorMania 23, Jim Korderas and on WarriorMania 24, Mike Chioda used the "X" sign.

After the X sign is given, the officials backstage will communicate to the referee, if necessary, revised plans to end the match quickly. There is also a "blow off" sign, raising both arms straight up, if a warrior seemed injured but feels he can continue.