"I hope justice is served" - Controversial former WWE star opens up on Vince McMahon allegations
Former WWE boss Vince McMahon continues to face backlash after recent allegations of sexual misconduct and trafficking. While McMahon has been quiet as he fights the accusations, the world of pro wrestling has been busy chiming in with theor opinions, and now a controversial name has weighed in.
Referee Earl Hebner debuted with WWE in February 1988. Earl was infamously involved in the 1997 Montreal Screwjob, but was subsequently released in 2005. He was reportedly fired for selling WWE merchandise without permission. Earl later worked for TNA and AEW, but returned to TNA in the summer of 2022.
Hebner recently did a virtual signing for K&S WrestleFest, and was asked about the recent allegations against McMahon and John Laurinaitis. He believed his former colleagues are in big trouble, and says the accused behavior goes back years.
The 74-year-old retired referee also commented on how Laurinaitis was trying to distance himself from McMahon. Hebner reiterated he was rooting for justice.
"The only thing I can say is, I hope justice is served. Between Vince and John, they are in a heap of trouble. I think Johnny is trying to jump ship on Vince now. They're both in this thing together. Vince knows what he was doing, Johnny knew about what he was doing, or Johnny knew what he was doing. That's all I can say. I can say more and really bury them, but I'm just going to wait and let justice be served," he said. [H/T - Fightful]
Hebner continued and indicated that he plans to reveal more allegations against people in WWE when he writes his next book. His first book, "Earl Hebner: The Official Story," was just released on November 22, 2023. Hebner says he's going to let it all out with the next book.
"My next book, I'm going to bring everything to that. You're thinking the next book is going to be a jury book. I'm going to let it all out. [Allegations] go back as far as 88 [1988] because that's when I worked there. The BS was going on then, and it's still going on now, probably," he said.
Earl Hebner takes issue with certain WWE Hall of Fame induction
Veteran WWE referee Tim White passed away on June 19, 2022 at the age of 68. He had been dealing with some health issues before his passing.
WWE posthumously inducted White into the 2023 Hall of Fame Class, but as the recipient of the Warrior Award. Some people criticized WWE for not giving White a full induction, but others felt like the Warrior Award was appropriate for White. He became the first referee to be inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame.
Controversial referee Earl Hebner spoke with WrestlingNewsCo's Steve Fall and said WWE should have inducted White before his passing.
"They should have put Tim White in the Hall of Fame way, way before he passed away. I think the Hall of Fame means nothing if you're not alive. You don't get any benefits out of it. What good does it do you, and would it do me if I was dead and they put me in the Hall of Fame? Nothing. What does it mean? Nothing. I don't know it, you know, Timmy didn't know it. So, what the he**? He's not the only one."
He further added:
"There are Macho Man [Randy Savage], all of them. I mean what good does it do you now? But Timmy deserved it way way long before they gave it to him, before he passed. He deserved it probably ten years before that. The way he took care of Andre [the Giant] and kept Andre going, and everything, you know, but, you know, there's a lot of other referees that need to be in the Hall of Fame but I don't know if they're gonna out any referees in or not, no big deal to me either way," Hebner said. [From 7:04 - 8:17]
Some feel Hebner will likely never make it into the WWE Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2015, and then inducted into Ground Xero Wrestling's GXW Hall of Fame in 2016.
Who is your all-time favorite wrestling referee? Sound off in the comments section below!