Jessika Carr And Ludwig Kaiser Comment On Gunther Tapping To Sheamus – The ending to the Intercontinental Championship main event rematch between Sheamus and GUNTHER on last night’s season premiere episode of WWE SmackDown was surrounded by controversy.
The finish saw Sheamus lock the champion in the Cloverleaf submission hold, with GUNTHER tapping on the mat twice right in front of referee Jessika Carr, who waved off the tapping and did not declare Sheamus the winner due to the taps being illegitimate.
Sheamus has been rather vocal on Twitter since the ending, continually referencing GUNTHER tapping out, while Ludwig Kaiser has made sure to inform those out of the loop why the referee’s decision was made.
He said:
Not only is it our responsibility to restore the honor of our sport, but also to educate fans and sports entertainers about our sport.
3x taps = submission
Still your rightful Intercontinental Champion: @Gunther_AUT
You’re welcome #IMPERIUM #KAISER #GUNTHER #VINCI
WWE Referee Jessika Carr herself took to Twitter to give her perspective on the call, comparing GUNTHER’s double tap from SmackDown to another match of his that she refereed, when he submitted to Ilja Dragunov in their NXT UK Championship match at NXT Takeover 36, and the difference in the two is rather clear.
The narrative online is that Gunther did a “Brazilian tap,” which is two, not three, taps to make your opponent think you have submitted. While WWE has not explicitly explained this a minimum of three taps to indicate a submission has been a common trait in wrestling.
Whether this leads to a third matchup between GUNTHER and Sheamus remains to be seen. The two will clash again tonight as Imperium battles Sheamus and the Brawling Brutes in a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match.
Sheamus will team with his fellow Brawling Brutes Butch and Ridge Holland to take on GUNTHER, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci of Imperium in a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match at tonight’s Extreme Rules premium live event.
Jessika Carr And Ludwig Kaiser Comment On Gunther Tapping To Sheamus