Wrestling world pays tribute to former WWE TV director Kerwin Silfies

The wrestling world paid tribute to Kerwin Silfies, the former WWE television director who passed away at the age of 75 yesterday.

“Today, the @WWE family lost one of our beloved members. Kerwin Silfies was a huge part of the company’s programming since the mid-1980s. Over his 35+ year tenure with WWE production, he directed countless episodes of Raw and Smackdown, PLEs, and of course WrestleMania,” wrote WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. “With a dry wit and an unmatched passion for his work and his coworkers, Kerwin affected hundreds of employees and millions of fans. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.”

Raw General Manager Adam Pearce also recounted working with Silfies with 2015 when he started with WWE.

“I learned to see what we do through your director’s eye, to understand camera placement in a way I hadn’t before, and I always wondered how you always stood so calm under intense fire,” Pearce wrote. “Thank you for letting a punk kid sit under your learning tree. And though I’m no connoisseur, the next time I have a taste of the vino it’ll be in a toast to you.”

“The @WWE family lost a very special part of our team,” wrote Shawn Michaels. “Kerwin Silfies was our Director during my entire career. If you were there, you know how important that role was. He helped shape the sound, the feel, and the rhythm of what fans watched every week. Raw, SmackDown, WrestleMania… he was in the chair, leading the way. Kerwin loved the work. He loved the crew. And he took pride in getting it right. I’m grateful I got to work alongside him. My thoughts are with his family and everyone who called him a friend.”

Even AEW paid tribute to Silfies, dedicated a few seconds from their Dynamite broadcast with Tony Schavione and Bryan Danielson speaking to the camera.

“He was a great man. He was an even better director,” Schiavone said, saying that Silfies was always calm under pressure, which is astonishing in this business.

His broadcast partner, Bryan Danielson, was emotional talking about Silfies, adding that he was very kind and very patient.

“I didn’t know anything about TV production when I got to WWE. Kerwin was so kind and helpful,” Danielson added, before saying his condolences to his family and that he loved him.

Other wrestlers who worked with Silfies throughout their careers also took to X to pay homage to their former colleague.