Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas spent 22 years in WWE and worked with Howard Finkel during his entire tenure. Finkel passed away on April 16 and Korderas shared his reaction on hearing that news when he joined The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast earlier today.

"[I was] heartbroken. When I first started there in the mid-80s, one of the first people to welcome me – if not the first outside of Jack Tunney – was Howard Finkel," recalled Korderas. "You just felt the warmth within him and he was a genuine good guy. Not only was he passionate about the wrestling business, from being in the business, but he was one of the biggest fans ever. If you ever had a historical question about pro wrestling, Howard was the guy you asked.

I was just fortunate enough that I was able to become friends with him and for him to guide me in my early years and even later on when he was working in the office. I used to love to get those calls, 'Jimmy, Howard Finkel here. How are you?' Just hearing that made my day."

Korderas shared advice and guidance that Finkel gave him during their years working together.

"He was very instrumental in teaching me the ins and outs and do's and don'ts on how to conduct myself backstage. Very early on I was introduced into the backstage world – before refereeing – and he taught me how to be respectful of all talent regardless of how they treat you because let's be honest, some guys were nice and some were not. He basically taught me on how to conduct myself in a backstage atmosphere," stated Korderas.

"From day one he said if I had any questions, then I should come to him and I never forgot that."