Mike Chioda Reflects On Refereeing Mick Foley vs. Randy Orton At WWE Backlash 2004

Mike Chioda discusses refereeing the classic Hardcore Match between Randy Orton and Mick Foley at WWE Backlash 2004.

Mike Chioda has refereed many classic matches in his career. One of those matches was the WWE Intercontinental Championship No Holds Barred Match between Mick Foley and Randy Orton at WWE Backlash in 2004. The match was extreme, featuring barbed wire, thumbtacks, a lot of blood, and even a hint of fire.

During the recent interview with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Chioda reflected on refereeing the gruesome encounter. He also reflected on having a couple of thumbtacks stuck in his hand as he was counting pinfalls

“So that match, hardcore match all the way. Randy’s kind of been in the business for a while, so he’s got this big match with Mick Foley. I don’t think Randy, at that time, has never done those type of matches, like those straight out hardcore matches. So we’re just full-blown. I remember all the thumbtacks and Randy’s back. It was like, 50 or 75 maybe 100 thumbtacks in his back,” he said. “I had one or two thumbtacks and it stung like a son of a, because I count really hard, right? I remember, boom. I was like, oh shit. I’m thinking Orton has got like 75 of these things in his back, I can’t be complaining here.”

Mick Foley has called the match one of his favorites on many occasions. Learn more about that here.