
Mention referee Jack Doan to WWE fans, and they’ll all tell you the same thing: He’s the luckiest man in WWE. That’s because for the past 14 years, Doan has officiated the vast majority of Raw’s Divas matches. Ask him for an estimate, and he’ll say that he thinks the number is probably as high as 90 percent. Occasionally, he’ll inadvertently find himself in the mix — much like when scantily clad Divas rolled over him during the Playboy Evening Gown Match at WrestleMania XX. [Watch it happen]
To some, the Divas might be just eye candy, but Doan is quick to point out otherwise. "They really are phenomenal athles who keep me on my toes," he said. Doan also doesn’t mind theorizing that perhaps he gets the women’s matches in order to ensure that all good-looking people are associated with the match.
In addition to all those Divas matches, Jack Doan has been officiating during some of WWE’s most memorable moments. He was referee when Chris Benoit battled Kurt Angle at WrestleMania X-Seven in Houston, and remembers just what passion and energy the competitors put into that match. Doan also recalls attempting to properly officiate the unorthodox Boiler Room Brawl between Mankind and Undertaker, which would go down in history as the night Paul Bearer turned on his longtime ally.
Doan also has paid the price for wearing the stripes among WWE’s massive Superstars. He remembers being powerbombed by Vader with such force that he coughed up blood for the next 24 hours. There’s also the infamous night when an enraged Triple H took out everyone in the ring with a steel chair — including the referee. Doan required eight stitches to the head and suffered a concussion from the incident. It all comes with the territory of being a WWE in-ring official.
Doan certainly paid his dues along the way — especially when first starting out. He remembers a lot of 300-mile drives and cites his father as the man who helped him most through the tough times. His father worked 39 years in a factory and raised five kids all by himself, and his father’s will and support has helped him immeasurably, Doan says.
Doan is happily married to his wife Shannon, whom he met the same year he started working for WWE. The Doans have two daughters.