Brian Hebner—the son of Earl Hebner—has refereed almost everywhere in his 20-plus year career but he says that working in WWE was far from the best time he’s had in wrestling.
Referee Brian Hebner “Don’t Wanna F***king Go Back” to WWE – Says It Wasn’t the Best Time in His Career
Also known as “Baby Hebner”, Brian Hebner was known as the beatboxing referee during John Cena’s rap battles on SmackDown in the 2000s and for his blue sneakers in TNA/IMPACT. At one point, Stephanie McMahon—who loved Hebner’s beatboxing as she enjoyed Cena’s freestyles—wanted the second-generation referee as The Doctor of Thugnomics’ manager.
Of course, that idea was scrapped after Hebner spoke with The Undertaker who felt it was a bad idea and shared the tale of former referee Danny Davis. During an appearance for Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore podcast, Hebner’s career was discussed and he touched on WWE. In no minced terms, Brian Hebner expressed no interest in returning WWE noting that it wasn’t a good time for him.
“Most people would say, ‘Why don’t you go back to WWE?’ I’ll be honest with you, because I don’t wanna f***king go back there. It wasn’t the best time in my life. It wasn’t.” (h/t: POST Wrestling)
It really makes you wonder about what he experienced that turned him off on working for WWE in the future. The interview wasn’t all WWE-induced trauma as he started that IMPACT Wrestling president Scott D’Amore was his best boss. Hebner explained that the road agents or producers in WWE were unapproachable, describing an “intimidation factor” when speaking with them.
He also said that no one really asked if there were problems with the matches he officiated. The seasoned referee went on to say that the owners–Vince McMahon in WWE and Dixie Carter during the TNA years–certainly didn’t ask him if everything was okay with the bouts. However, Scott D’Amore checked with him on everything and that went a long way.
Are you surprised to hear that WWE’s producers were unapproachable in the 2000s? What do you think made WWE unbearable for Brian Hebner besides the lack of help? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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