"Sir, I'm so sorry" – Ex-WWE referee on his heartfelt apology to Vince McMahon
Former WWE referee Drake Wuertz recently disclosed details about the time he apologized to Vince McMahon backstage.
On May 20, 2019, Wuertz refereed The Revival's victory over The Usos on RAW. The Revival unexpectedly attacked their opponents before the match, meaning Wuertz never signaled for the bell to officially start the contest. Later in the fight, the official got in the way of The Usos' double clothesline spot during a commercial break.
In an interview on the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast, Wuertz said he issued a sincere apology to McMahon when he returned to the back:
"Vince just looked at me and he had the pencil and he was rocking back and forth. You could tell he was so mad. I just said, 'Sir, I'm so sorry.' He goes, 'F**k, don't let it happen again,' and that was it. So, that was terrifying, but everything after that was fine." [41:24 – 41:43]
WWE producer Billy Kidman spoke to Wuertz through a headset during the match. The former WCW star asked the official why he did not ring the bell. Regarding the clothesline botch, Wuertz also received word that McMahon furiously questioned "why the damn referee is running Memphis Wrestling spots."
Vince McMahon is not the only person Drake Wuertz apologized to
Following the match, Drake Wuertz spoke to WWE officials Adam Pearce, John Laurinaitis, and Mike Rotunda backstage.
Like Vince McMahon, Laurinaitis let his frustrations be known before Wuertz owned up to his mistakes:
"Johnny kinda tore into me, which he should have, and I took it, and he said, 'What do you have to say for yourself?' I said, 'Sir, it was absolutely my mistake. I'm so sorry I embarrassed our business. You have my word it'll never happen again. I'm very sorry.' His face went from angry to, 'Okay, all right.' It was cool." [40:46 – 41:10]
Wuertz added that The Revival's Scott Dawson, aka FTR's Dax Harwood, defended him for failing to ring the bell. The former RAW Tag Team Champion went to McMahon and took responsibility for causing confusion at the start of the match.
Do you think Vince McMahon was right to be so annoyed? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.