Veteran referee Charles Robinson has taken countless bumps throughout his storied career, but none were as painful — or as dangerous — as the one he received from “Macho Man” Randy Savage. During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Robinson recalled the worst in-ring moment of his life, revealing that Savage’s trademark elbow drop once left him hospitalized for nearly two weeks.
“Randy Savage elbow. But it wasn’t a ref bump. I was a worker then, but that was the worst bump I’ve taken — the elbow from Randy Savage,” Robinson explained. “He put me in the hospital for 12 days. It was Ric [Flair] and I against Medusa and Savage, and he came off the top with the elbow. Ric Flair wasn’t going to take the elbow from Savage, so they let Little Naitch. Cracked my sternum, collapsed my lung.”
The aftermath was serious. “Two hours later, I went to my room and said, ‘Oh, man, I just can’t breathe.’ Went to my room, two hours later, still can’t breathe. I called Jimmy Hart — lifesaver. He called the EMTs. They came to my room, took me to the hospital, and said, ‘Hey, we need to put you in the hospital.’”
Robinson also revealed a major medical mistake during the ordeal. “That hospital — I won’t say what city — they released me the next day to fly home to Charlotte, which with a collapsed lung you’re not supposed to do. So I went straight to the hospital for 12 days. But Randy Savage called me every day just to check on me.”
Despite the terrifying experience, Robinson remains passionate about taking bumps in the ring and believes referees should sell moves realistically. “I love taking bumps. If I could take a bump every week, I would. Easy bump, I like punches. I love punches. I love clotheslines,” he said. “Kevin Owens gave me one back a few months ago at Elimination Chamber, which was freaking fantastic.
“My thing about bumps — you have some referees say we shouldn’t bump like the wrestlers, but to me, we should bump exactly like the wrestlers, because they’re bumping like it’s real life. So we should bump like it’s real life. That’s what I try to do.”
Robinson, affectionately known as “Little Naitch” for his long association with Ric Flair, has been a fixture in professional wrestling for over three decades, refereeing countless high-profile matches across WCW and WWE.
