The WWE Women’s Championship main event of the September 26 SmackDown may have caused a headache for WWE COO Triple H, as a referee botch occurred. A failed 3-count was committed by referee Daphanie LaShaunn, which ruined the immersion of the triple threat match.
Tiffany Stratton successfully retained her WWE Women’s Championship against Jade Cargill and Nia Jax, although she would have won it earlier had the mistake not occurred. The error was so bad that WWE has edited it out on their YouTube channel.
What Happened?
Referee Daphanie LaShaunn failed to count to three during the WWE Women’s Championship triple threat match between Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, and Nia Jax, despite Jax not kicking out. Stratton, Jax, and LaShaunn made mistakes in quick succession that led to the botch.
Stratton was late to make the save after Cargill hit Jax with the “Eye of the Storm”, thus prompting Jax to kick out. Stratton then went for the pin immediately on Jax, despite her just kicking out seconds prior, instead of hitting the PME. Jax didn’t kick out of Stratton’s pin, and LaShaunn wrongly counted two.
The botch initially confused the Orlando crowd, before a chorus of boos filled the Kia Center. Stratton would then hit the PME on Jax to retain her Championship. The win sets up an encounter with Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer at Crown Jewel.
The failed count is confusing, as it was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Had LaShaunn counted to three, Stratton would have still retained her championship. The botch would have made more sense had Cargill or Jax mistakenly won the belt, as the Crown Jewel match would have been affected.
Referees Under Triple H
Paul “Triple H” Levesque runs both the creative process and talent at WWE. Whilst the general mood within the company is happier than the previous regime, as reported by many talents, Levesque’s leniency has caused frequent refereeing errors. Although unconfirmed, it seems as if referees are told not to count to three until they are supposed to.
This is not the first time that a referee has done a two-count despite a wrestler failing to kick out. At Money in the Bank 2024, Damian Priest was unable to kick out of the Falcon Arrow from Seth Rollins. Referee Rod Zapata only counted to two, saving Priest from losing his World Heavyweight Championship. The moment can be found at the 17:55 mark of the match.
In fairness to both Priest and Zapata, Drew McIntyre’s music was supposed to interrupt the pinfall. However, a failed pin count ruins the immersion for the fans who are already suspending their disbelief.
This same situation occurred on the June 10 episode of NXT between Oba Femi and Jasper Troy. The NXT Championship was at stake, and Oba Femi looked set to retain after executing a “Fall from Grace.”
Referee Adrian Butler had other ideas as he counted to two even though Troy’s shoulders were planted to the mat. Instead, the same spot repeated seconds later, and the successful pin occurred. The match between Femi and Troy was hard-hitting and showcased the upstart’s talents. However, the botched referee count affected the way this match is remembered.
The Old Regime Would’ve Never Allowed It
Whilst today’s referees are allowed to make mistakes even though it affects the fan experience, referees under former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon were fined.
R-Truth spoke to Chris Van Vliet about his controversial United States Championship win against Shinsuke Nakamura in 2019. Truth was scheduled to win, but the match ended abruptly as Nakamura failed to kick out in time.
Truth said, “There’s a strict rule. If you don’t kick out at three, referees are gonna get fined if you don’t kick out. He (Mike Chioda) did not want that.”
Truth added, “Don’t hold your hand, you better slap that MF’er…So Chioda just did his job.”
The first-ever female WrestleMania main event was no exception to McMahon’s rule. During the triple threat match between Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35, Lynch would win both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships with a controversial pin attempt.
Whilst it did seem that Rousey’s right shoulder was up, Rod Zapata failed to see it and counted to three. Whilst it was accidental, fans in attendance would have been happy to see Becky 2 Belts close out the five-and-a-half-hour show.
There are many positives under the Triple H regime; however, a huge negative is the leeway he gives referees. It is a wrestler’s job to kick out on time, and it is a referee’s job to count a pin correctly. Failure to do so ruins the experience for both fans in the arena and those watching at home.
Even though referee botches can happen, they occur frequently under Levesque’s stewardship. Perhaps the reintroduction of fines could prevent main event matches from being tarnished in the future.
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