Jimmy Korderas Reflects On Refereeing Infamous APA Vs Public Enemy WWE Match

Jimmy Korderas has just about seen it all as a former longtime WWE referee. He's been a part of many memorable matches as an official, but some moments stand the test of time for all the wrong reasons. Korderas was front and center for the chaotic "match" between the APA and Public Enemy on the March 7, 1999, episode of "Sunday Night Heat."

What was supposed to be a typical competitive matchup between two established teams ended up being a quick one-sided beatdown in favor of John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) and Ron Simmons, who was known as Faarooq. Speaking to Wrestling Inc. Senior News Editor Nick Hausman, Korderas recalled Public Enemy saying they weren't going to go through with the initially planned finish before heading out to the ring.

"Ron says to John, 'What'd he say?' He said, 'They're not doing the finish,' and Ron said, 'Oh, they ain't going to do the finish? We'll see about that,' Korderas recalled.

Things quickly got out of hand with JBL lighting up Johnny Grunge with a chair, while Simmons got in some stiff shots on Rocco Rock with the steel steps. Korderas was getting instructions through his earpiece and he knew he had to call the match off.

"So after a few minutes of this pummeling, I get a note from Gerald Brisco in my earpiece. 'Jimmy, you may want to ring the bell and end this thing anytime soon.' So I just throw the match out. I ring the bell, I throw the match out, but that didn't stop them from continuing," Korderas said.

Korderas recalled the APA not getting any flak for what happened given the circumstances. He claimed Public Enemy thanked JBL and Simmons when they got to the back and never returned to the company.