About Theodore Long
Theodore Robert Rufus Long (born September 15, 1947) is an American retired professional wrestling referee, manager and authority figure. He is best known for his tenures in WWE, WCW and NWA. Long began his career in the National Wrestling Alliance and made his WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation) debut in 1998 as a referee. He transitioned to be an on-screen manager in 2003 and later served as General Manager of SmackDown for two tenures lasting a combined six years as well as a one-year stint as ECW General Manager. In 2017, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Ron Simmons and John Layfield. == Professional wrestling career == === Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling (1985–1996) === Long started out as an errand boy for wrestlers Tommy Rich and Abdullah the Butcher. He eventually became a member of the ringcrew and was promoted to referee in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985 as Teddy Long. In 1989, at the Chi-Town Rumble event, Long was the replacement referee when Ricky Steamboat won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Shortly thereafter, Long began to turn into a villainous character when he started to bend the rules for heel wrestlers. On April 2, 1989, at Clash of the Champions VI in New Orleans, Long blatantly made a fast count allowing Mike Rotunda and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to defeat the Road Warriors for the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.