Waterloo Region man ditches corporate life to become wrestling referee in new documentary

A new documentary reveals why a man decided to leave the corporate world behind and don the stripes of a wrestling ref. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte has the story.

They’re professional wrestling’s unsung heroes – the referee.

A new made-in-Waterloo Region documentary follows a local man’s journey from ditching the corporate world to becoming a referee in the sport.

Colin Hunter’s work to earn his stripes began at Off The Ropes Studio in Kitchener two years ago. In 2023, he left his full-time communications job to do so.

“I never wanted to be a wrestler. It looked like it was too painful, too difficult,” said Hunter. “I wanted to be part of the show somehow, and I realized that the referee is part of the show.”

He decided to make a documentary called ‘The Ref Didn’t See It,’ which follows him along as he learns the ropes and rules of the ring.

But there is one important rule he had trouble getting the hang of.

“The man can’t keep his fly zipped up in the ring for some reason,” said wrestler Jeff Black, who stars in the documentary.

There is a scene from the film which shows Black coaching Hunter through a match. He said he did great aside from the fact that his fly was down the entire time.

Zipper aside, Hunter did keep things together and realized his role as a producer of sorts when it comes to controlling the dramatics of each match.

“I like to compare it to the magician’s assistant. You’re supposed to watch the magician, that person is part of the show. But the assistant is up to something and you don’t know exactly what,” said Hunter.

He has picked up some injuries along the way though.

“I had to take some time off refereeing because my knee tripled in size,” said Hunter. “It turns out I had bursitis from bashing my knee into the mat.”

He’s hoping it’s all worth it because since wrapping up the film, he has essentially refereed matches every weekend since, including this coming Saturday as a way to promote the movie.

“We’re raising money and awareness for KidsAbility with Slam-Demonium. It’s a big independent professional wrestling show that’s happening at the Kitchener Aud,” said Black.

As for what’s next for Colin’s wrestling legacy, could we see him trade in the stripes for a singlet and sinister storyline?

“I think Off The Ropes is making him a referee heel already,” said filmmaker Sara Geidlinger, laughing. “They’re pretty hard on the guy though his training.”

Tickets for Slam-Demonium can be purchased online and the ‘The Ref Didn’t See It’ documentary is available at therefmovie.com.