Referee Daphanie LaShaunn Addresses Botched Finish on WWE SmackDown – As noted, the WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat main event on SmackDown ended with a botched finish. Late in the match, referee Daphanie LaShaunn (Aja Smith) counted only two when Tiffany Stratton had Nia Jax pinned, despite Jax not kicking out.
LaShaunn took to Instagram Stories to address the incident, writing, “I see all the love. I’m just human, but I can promise that I strive to always be better. Which will forever be my goal as long as I’m on this journey. I love this just like y’all. That I can swear to you.”
As previously reported on WrestlingAttitude.Com, the match finish was changed after Jade Cargill suffered a cut during the bout. Stratton was still scheduled to win the WWE Women’s Championship, but the sequence had to be adjusted on the fly. She ultimately captured the victory after connecting with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on Jax.
WWE has since edited the referee’s mistake out of the official YouTube footage of the match.
Referee Daphanie LaShaunn Addresses Botched Finish on WWE SmackDown
