"I hate to say this" – WWE Hall of Famer says Brian Hebner was a better referee than father Earl Hebner
Kurt Angle has claimed that former WWE referee Brian Hebner was a better official than his legendary father Earl. The Olympic hero even explained why during the latest episode of his podcast.
While Kurt Angle had a lot of respect for Earl Hebner, the WWE Hall of Famer felt that Brian was a complete referee as he could wrestle a full-fledged match.
Angle recalled Brian often talking to WWE stars, wanting to know every little detail before their matches. Brian was involved in the bout as he chipped in to remind the stars about any forgotten spots in the ring.
Angle has worked with several iconic referees during his career, but he put Brian Hebner over as the best official he'd seen throughout professional wrestling:
"Yes (one of the best of all time), but I will tell you this, and I hate to say this because I have a lot of respect for Earl. His son Brian was a little bit better. Brian could actually wrestle in the ring if he wanted to. He wanted to know the psychology. He wanted to know the whole entire match. He just didn't want to know when the pinfall was. He wanted to know everything, so if we forgot the match, he could tell and remind us what the next spot was. Brian was the ultimate professional as a referee and I believe he was the best one that I have ever worked with, and I worked with some great ones. Mike Chioda, Charles Robinson, Earl Hebner, they are all great referees, but Brian was just a tad bit better." (14:54 - 15:37)
I thought Earl was a top-notch referee: WWE Legend Kurt Angle
Earl Hebner is widely considered the greatest referee of all time. He has been in wrestling since the 1970s, much before the rise of WWE as a global phenomenon.
Kurt Angle was appreciative of Earl's work and said Hebner mastered the art of refereeing in WWE:
"He was great. He knew his way around the ring. He was very knowledgeable, and he had a lot of experience. I thought Earl was a top-notch referee." (14:40 - 14:50)
Earl Hebner has not officiated a match in over a year as the 72-year-old referee was last seen working for AEW. He can also be found at various wrestling conventions.
I can’t even put into words how proud I am of @IMPACTWRESTLING Women’s Champion @MickieJames !! Girl I love and respect you so much. You did a amazing job. So freakin proud. You are #hardcorecountry #123
As for his son, Brian Hebner can be regularly seen at the IMPACT zone as he's currently one of the top referees in IMPACT Wrestling.
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