It can’t be understated how crucial referees are to the pro wrestling performance, even though their names are rarely displayed on the card. But many referees themselves become as iconic and recognizable as the wrestlers themselves. While old-school fans know names like Earl Hebner and Danny Davis, there are also modern guys of note, like WWE veteran referee Charles Robinson.
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Robinson has been a presence on wrestling fans’ screens since his days in WCW, but fans likely don’t know much about him. Let’s take a look at Charles Robinson’s life and career, and see what fans should know about this living legend.
10 Huge Fan Of Ric Flair
Charles Robinson was a big fan of pro wrestling growing up, and in particular was huge into Ric Flair, who was wrestling for the National Wrestling Alliance in Robinson’s youth. Notably, at one point before entering the business Robinson visited Flair’s home to talk about starting a Ric Flair fan club. After becoming a referee, Robinson ended up becoming a part of several iconic Flair moments, refereeing not only the Sting vs. Ric Flair match that headlined the final WCW Monday Nitro, but also Flair’s classic retirement match with Shawn Mcihaels at WrestleMania 24.
9 Becoming “Li’l Naitch”
Charles Robinson joined WCW as a referee in 1997, and by 1999, ended up working directly with his idol by refereeing matches for Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen. While working with the Horsemen, Robinson basically became their personal heel referee, favoring the group in matches over their opponents.
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As the storyline progressed, Robinson earned the nickname “Li’l Naitch,” playing off of Flair’s “Nature Boy” sobriquet. When the angle progressed to the referee taking part in matches, Charles Robinson would go full “Li’l Naitch,” coming out in an ornate robe and mimicking Ric Flair.
8 Feud With Randy Savage
It was inevitable that a wrestler would object to Charles Robinson’s flagrant Four Horsemen bias, and that person was Macho Man Randy Savage. However, Savage was (kayfabe) suspended from performing, so he challenged Robinson to take on his valet/girlfriend, Gorgeous George, with the stipulation that Savage would be allowed to return to the ring if Robinson lost. The bout happened at Slamboree ‘99, where Gorgeous George executed Macho’s signature diving elbow drop to put Robinson away.
7 Injured By Randy Savage
Eight days after his match with Gorgeous George at Slamboree, Charles Robinson had another match, this time a “mixed tag team match” where he teamed with Ric Flair against Randy Savage and another member of Savage’s Team Madness faction, Madusa, on Nitro. In planning the match, Robinson agreed to take a diving elbow drop from Savage this time, and in the process sustained cracked vertebrae and a collapsed lung, derailing all plans for the referee to continue tagging with Ric Flair.
6 Part Of The Alliance During The WCW/ECW Invasion
The aforementioned final episode of WCW Monday Nitro ended with WWE announcing its purchase of WCW, leading to an influx of talent becoming a part of WWE via the infamous Invasion storyline. Charles Robinson was introduced to WWE television as part of the WCW/ECW Alliance, aligned with noted WCW heel referee Nick Patrick. However, Robinson quickly distinguished himself from Patrick — as well as his own run in WCW — by being an unbiased referee rather than officiating matches in the Alliance’s favor.
5 Refereed Many Major Matches
While Charles Robinson’s work with Ric Flair as a referee and in-ring performer has already been covered, “Li’l Naitch” has also officiated many major non-Flair matches over the course of his career. At the various WrestleManias, he’s reffed multiple World Title matches and special bouts like Shawn Michaels’ retirement match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 and Sting vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 31. He was also the referee for the SummerSlam match between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, where a kayfabe miscommunication between Robinson and the timekeeper resulted in Undertaker stealing a win over Lesnar.
4 Wrestled On Multiple Occasions
While Charles Robinson’s feud and subsequent matches with Macho Man Randy Savage and his associates was already covered, those weren’t the only times the referee stepped into a wrestling ring to compete. While refereeing for SmackDown in 2004, authority figure Kurt Angle booked Robinson to take on Luther Reigns, only for Charlie Haas to make the save early int he matchup.
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Four years later, Robinson entered the fray once again, getting booked by SmackDown general manager Vickie Guerrero against the Great Khali as a form of punishment.
3 Became A Senior Referee In 2020
In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE released a slew of talent as a reported cost-cutting measure, a group that not only included wrestlers but also referees. Among the releases was iconic WWE veteran referee Mike Chioda, who had worked for the company for over three decades. As he was Senior Official of SmackDown at the time, someone needed to take his place, so WWE decided to tap Charles Robinson for the job, as he’d been working for the company for nearly 20 years at this point.
2 Refereed Charlotte Flair Matches
While Charles Robinson’s WCW storyline with Ric Flair happened seventeen years prior, he’s continued to be associated with the Flair family, even in WWE. In 2016, he was the referee when Ric Flair’s daughter Charlotte defended her Women’s Championshi against Natalya at Payback, and ended up figuring into the finish. While Charlotte Flair applied Natalya’s own finisher, the Sharpshooter, Robinson called for the bell even though Natalya never submitted, in one of many rehashes of the Montreal Screwjob.
1 Huge Horror Fan
Outside of pro wrestling, Charles Robinson is a huge fan of horror movies, and has amassed an impressive collection of memorabilia, including various statues, masks, and a complete run of the long-running horror flick magazine Fangoria. In 2019, about two-thirds of Robinson’s collection was stolen from his storage unit, reportedly adding up to over $50,000 of memorabilia lost. In response, the Canadian horror filmmakers the Soska Sisters — directors of American Mary, Rabid, and See No Evil 2 — made a public plea to help out Robinson with donations and information about the stolen items, while the owner of a costume shop gave Robinson some items from his own personal collection.
