Mike Chioda: Favorite and Disliked Wrestling Personas

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Mike Chioda has had a first-hand encounter with a vast array of wrestling personas in a career that spanned four impressive decades as a WWE referee. In a recent interaction on the fan-favorite segment "Monday Mailbag," Chioda was prompted to reveal his most favored and least favored gimmicks throughout wrestling history.

The question plunged Chioda into a nostalgic trip down memory lane, emphasizing the vibrant and vivid era of WWE in the early 1990s — an epoch recognized for its array of larger-than-life and often comical gimmicks.

However, the character that stood out most glaringly was The Gobbledy Gooker, a zany turkey mascot. This spectacle was brought to life by Héctor Guerrero during the 1990 Survivor Series when the mascot humorously emerged from an enormous egg.

Chioda Wrestling's Most Memorable Gimmick

Chioda recollected the weeks leading up to the Survivor Series, when the massive egg was displayed at live events and television broadcasts, generating rampant curiosity among fans and the WWE roster.

"I can still vividly remember the intrigue that surrounded that egg. Everyone was just on tenterhooks, waiting to see what would pop out," Chioda reminisced. The unveiling, however, was met with bewildered amusement. "The sheer disbelief that followed!

It was easily the most outlandish gimmick that I've ever witnessed." Switching gears to discuss his all-time favorite gimmick, Chioda's choice coincided with the collective sentiment of countless wrestling enthusiasts — The Undertaker.

Chioda lavished praise on the iconic "Deadman" persona of The Undertaker, saying, "That gimmick is simply unparalleled. The grandeur of the entrance would sweep you off your feet each time you experienced it." He went on to laud the remarkable execution of the gimmick at all levels, especially at prestigious events like SummerSlams, WrestleManias, and other significant pay-per-view spectacles.

"The effort put into bringing that character to life was extraordinary. I believe it's unequivocally one of the finest gimmicks in the annals of professional wrestling." Interestingly, The Undertaker and Gobbledy Gooker made their grand entrances at the 1990 Survivor Series.

Three decades later, during the 30th anniversary of The Deadman's debut at Survivor Series 2020, the Gobbledy Gooker made a brief but memorable comeback.