AEW Referee Stephon Smith Names His Toughest And Favorite Matches To Call

The world of refereeing in professional wrestling is far from a simple one. AEW official Stephon Smith, who previously called matches in "WWE NXT," can attest to that. Whether it's having to take bumps to further a match or officiate a certain type of one for the first time, challenges are sure to arise. Appearing on "AEW Unrestricted," he recounted the toughest match he's had to call thus far. But he didn't stop there.

When asked whether or not a No Holds Barred match is the most dangerous type to call, Smith said "I'd say so, because there's no amount of foresight you can have as far as like what these guys are gonna do ... it can get pretty crazy pretty quickly."

When it comes to his favorite matches to officiate, though, the type of contest typically doesn't matter as long as it's story-driven. "Just very story-driven matches," Smith declared. "If I can feel the energy of the crowd and feel the energy of the wrestler ... if I can kinda get wrapped up in that moment with everyone else, those are the best matches to referee. You feel the ambiance of the arena."

But when put on the spot, he couldn't point to one specific bout, noting that he'll have to start writing these things down in the future. "I haven't designated one yet," Smith continued, before mentioning how special WALTER versus Tommaso Ciampa during his time in "NXT" and The Acclaimed versus Swerve In Our Glory in AEW made him feel.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "AEW Unrestricted" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.