During a recent appearance on the Oh… You Didn’t Know? podcast, former WWE referee and producer Scott Armstrong commented on his latest release from WWE, his family’s legacy in the pro wrestling business, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On how he got signed to WWE full-time: “In my mind, I was already doomed and there sat Victoria and Nattie as he walked into Laurinaitis’ office after the match. “[John Laurinaitis said], ‘The girls said you were their referee and you helped them out a lot.’ He said, ‘Thank you, ladies. Scott, you stay here with me.’ Man, he doubled my money and made me a SmackDown referee right then and there, and I started into the whole referee gimmick and was very fortunate to be able to do some ‘Mania main event stuff with Triple H and stuff. When people ask me, I think of Umaga, Nattie, and Victoria.
“I’m a believer, so I believe God puts people in your path that he wants in your path. Umaga and those two girls, those two girls changed [my life]. My wife was already saying, ‘Hey, so, I think you’re making as much money at the furniture store as you were at ECW.’ I said, ‘No, the furniture store is great but I love wrestling.’ I don’t care if it wasn’t paying anything, I would’ve done it. I love it and I still do.”
On his one-year release from WWE in 2010: “I was just an idiot running my mouth and acting a fool. You think at the time, I’m the best ref in the history of the business, there’s no way they can get rid of me. Every referee there was sure glad I was gone. I had just become a nuisance, and you’ve got to grow up. I didn’t get hired there until I was 45-years-old. You don’t hire anybody until they’re 45 to put in front of the camera, you hire that guy to be behind the camera. I had just run my course and I had to sit at home for a little while. About 10 and a half months later, I got a phone call saying, ‘Hey, would you be interested? Your names come back up.’
“When they brought me back, I started at the very bottom of the pay scale and had to prove myself like I was a rookie, the first time ever being in the business. I kept my mouth shut and did the very best I could, and you go forward. After a couple of years, I guess I put my name out there and said I’d be interested in producing too if that’s available at any time. It was probably two years after that when I was approached and they said, ‘I’d like you to start sitting in on production meetings, and in the meantime, we’re going to write you off the TV show.’ Referees didn’t get written off the TV show, referees didn’t get written about at all.”
On holding no ill-will towards the WWE following his most recent release: “Look, corporate downsizing, I get it. It’s a multi-billion dollar [company], I get it. At the end of the day, in every lifetime, they find a guy that’s 30 that will do it for a quarter of the money. They realize, oh hey, you had your run and thanks for coming. Hey look, I have nothing but a thank you for everything. For somebody that just loves the business as I do, I got injured early in my career, and me and my new wife sold tickets. I was the ring announcer for Continental for a little while. I wrestled, I refereed, and I was a producer. I was able to do everything in this business that I could ever want to do. At the same time, 35 years in this business, married to the same woman, put two kids through college, and got an awesome four-year-old grandson.
“To the business, I just say thank you. Look at the ups and the downs, that’s just life you’re going to have that with any company, 7-Eleven, the mall, it doesn’t matter. Life hits you hard sometimes and hands you roses sometimes. At least I got to do it when I was young and really enjoyed it. I got to ride camels at the foot of the Egyptian pyramids, man, thanks to wrestling. The places I’ve been and the things I’ve done, I can’t say anything but thank you and I’m totally grateful. It’s been the ride of a lifetime.”
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(h/t – Wrestling Inc)
