Legendary WWE Referee Mike Chioda Says He Was Making $325,000 During Attitude Era

Mike Chioda talks about referee pay in WWE.

Mike Chioda is a legendary referee in WWE history. He was part of WWE from the Hulk Hogan era to the John Cena era, playing a significant role in many matches featuring the top WWE stars of the last four decades. But how much do referees get paid?

That is the question that Maven asked Mike Chioda during a recent video for his YouTube channel. Chioda explained that when he first started, he was making $75,000 yearly as a WWE referee and a member of the ring crew.

“Referees, I believe, don’t get paid enough when I first started, like in ’87 and made my debut on TV in 1989 with refereeing, I was probably making maybe anywhere from $50,000 to $75,000 on the referee part, okay, okay, but I was making crew, too.”

When discussing the Attitude Era, Chioda revealed that he made up to $325,000 for his work as a referee and a member of the ring crew.

“Yes, it did,” he said when asked if his pay had increased over the years. “The Attitude Era was one of the phenomenal eras. So at some point, I was making probably between referee and crew. I would say $325,000.”

He went on to say that for the last 12 years of his WWE career, he was making anywhere between $235,000 $240,000.

Fans can learn how much Maven made during his WWE career here.

In Fightful’s resources section, fans can find a breakdown of what various wrestlers have disclosed about their pay over the years.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Maven’s YouTube channel in addition to linking back to this article and giving Fightful credit for transcription.