Mike Chioda Recalls Talking With Triple H About Retirement Two Years Before WWE

[Liz]

Mike Chioda recently recalled having a conversation with Triple H about his retirement a couple years before his WWE release. The former WWE referee discussed the conversation and his future plans on last week's Monday Mailbag on AdFreeShows, and you can check out some highlights below (per Wrestling Inc):

Mike Chioda on talking with Triple H before his WWE release: "I had talked to Triple H, we had talked about it, it was a couple of years prior [to my release]. That's why [me and my wife] made the move to Florida and he said to me, 'I don't want to see you refereeing when you're 60-something years old.' [I said], 'I don't want that s**t either, I definitely want to go out strong.' At that point, the pandemic hit and everything. That blindsided me getting released by WWE. With the pandemic, I was still rehabbing my shoulder and I was not cleared to go back to work, so I got released."

On his future as a referee: "Making the move closer to Orlando, and if I had to work at the PC and do stuff down there or on the road with WWE, it didn't matter. I told them too, 'I don't want to be refereeing till I'm 60-something years old. I got a good few more years.' At this point, I definitely got a couple more good years in me. I still go with the good, young kids and can still move around in that ring. I've got a couple more years but I want to be training or doing something else at that point [at 60]."