Montreal, Quebec, Canada – The results of last night’s “Redemption” pay-per-view were throw into chaos as, for the first time in AEW’s history, a referee properly and consistently enforced the rules.
Referee Maverick Marlow, debuting with the company, replaced an absent Rick Knox before the show started. The rookie’s presence was immediately felt as his stern rulings shook up the typical AEW matches.
The Trios match featuring The Conglomeration versus The Lethal Twist was quickly declared a double disqualification by Marlow after too many wrestlers entered the ring without making legal tags. Fans and wrestlers alike were stunned by the sudden and accurate end to the match.
Confusion continued when the referee extensively admonished Chris Jericho for refusing to break a hold against Tommaso Ciampa at the count of 5. Despite loud protesting from “The Painmaker” the match was awarded to Ciampa.
The event finally broke down during the Young Bucks vs Death Riders match. Set to go at least 25 minutes, Marlow counted out both teams early on as they brawled on the floor well past the allotted ten seconds.
A recent graduate of the Tommy Young School of Refereeing, Marlow addressed fan and wrestler criticism after the event.
“I take my job very seriously,” said Marlow in the locker room. “It is my job to keep the wrestlers in line and following the rules so we have good, clean matches. Who wants to see 20 minute brawls in the audience or tag team matches without tags? I won’t ignore outside interference. I have two eyes and I’m going to use them. That’s how wrestling should be done. We don’t want to disrespect the fans intelligence, right?”
Marlow was fired from AEW early this morning.