‘Having a Heart Attack All Match’: Late WWE Referee Who Officiated Undertaker’s Brutal Hell In a Cell War Against Mankind Recalls Near-Fatal Performance

It saddened the wrestling world on Sunday as one of the great referees of WWE, Tim White, passed away. He was best known for officiating the infamous Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Mankind at King of the Ring 1998.

The Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Mick Foley is one of the greatest and will not be forgotten by anyone. However, referee Tim White had seen the match from the closest distance that night.

Tim White sharing the conversation with The Undertaker during the Hell in a Cell match

A couple of years back late, Tim White appeared for an interview with Prime Time with Sean Mooney. Mooney asked him about the infamous Hell in a Cell match. White shared about a temporary bond with The Undertaker during the match.

White said, “They just interviewed me, it’s 20 years this year since the Mankind, Undertaker Hell in a Cell and I was the referee on that. They call me from the studios and they said what were you feeling right then. That was 20 years ago, I can’t, I just don’t remember things. I told him I was having a heart attack all match because when I spoke to Mick and Mark, they told me the spots I need to know but I didn’t know they were going to do some of that stuff.”

He added, “And when it broke down I’m going oh my god, oh my god is it gonna make it to the finish and what’s going on and because you’re communicating back and forth. I’ll never forget when he went through the announce table then drop down through and crawling to the corner and the Taker climbs back down he gets in the ring and he goes ‘see if he’s breathing’.”

It seems ‘The Deadman’ did double duty in the match. He wrestled and also guided White, who was confused after a few spots changed. White later in the match, after checking on with Mankind told Taker to end the match. He said it surprised ‘The Phenom’ watching Foley, still ready to proceed.

Foley asked White where the thumbtacks were, got them, and spread it in the ring. Later Taker connected a Tombstone on Foley on the tacks to secure the pin. White recalled about 40 tacks taken out of his arm, which stuck in his arm while counting the pin.

Read More:- “I Was Knocked Unconscious” WWE Hall of Famer Reveals Gory Details of His Infamous Match With The Undertaker

Why did Tim White retire as a referee?

Tim White worked with WWE as a producer on the SmackDown brand and as a referee. During the 1980s and 1990s, White was André the Giant’s assistant, besides his referee duties.

In 2002, White suffered a shoulder injury during a Hell in a Cell match between Triple H and Chris Jericho on Judgment Day. At WrestleMania XX in 2004, White returned to referee the match between Chris Jericho and Christian; he re-injured his shoulder during the final three counts of the match, forcing him to end his referee career.

WWE released White on January 9, 2009, ending his 24-year tenure with the company. He provided security for WWE superstars during appearances and autograph signings.

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