By Matthew Couden
Copyright newsweek
It’s not uncommon to see botches when WWE stars attempt to perform certain moves or spots in the ring. However, it’s more of a rarity when a WWE referee botch seems to occur.
That appeared to be the case during the recent episode of SmackDown on Friday. A match featuring Tiffany Stratton, Nia Jax, and Jade Cargill included a surprising botch that fans rarely see.
The match involved a triple threat situation with all three women battling for Tiffany’s WWE Women’s Championship. At one point, Tiffany landed a dropkick on Jade, sending her rolling across the ring. She then attempted a pinfall on Nia, who was already lying with her back on the mat.
Read more: WWE Legend Shuts Down Being John Cena’s Last Match Opponent
The referee began to count, but after two, she stopped herself and awkwardly looked back, making it seem as if something else was supposed to happen. That could’ve been a Nia kickout or Tiffany interrupting the pinfall.
Additionally, it seemed that the referee apologized after that moment, as others in the ring were also probably confused by what had occurred. The match continued from there, with Tiffany ultimately winning to retain her championship.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – JANUARY 24: Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Naomi, Bianca Belair, Nia Jax, Candice LeRae, Tiffany Stratton, and Rhea Ripley all think they will win the Royal Rumble during SmackDown at Moody Center on January 24, 2025, in Austin, Texas.
Fans in the arena booed after that moment in the match, and some of that fan frustration also arrived online in social media comments. Based on the remarks, many fans weren’t happy with what they witnessed.
Several wrestling fan accounts shared footage of the WWE SmackDown referee botch, including the one below.
In the video, Jade originally hit her Eye of the Storm and sat on Nia for a pinfall. However, Nia kicked out of that pinfall, and Tiffany delivered a dropkick to send Jade away so she could pin Nia. The pinfall count botch occurs soon after that.
This gotta be one of the WORST botches of the year 😭#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/O8283KvjfT— EliteRockerz 𝕏 (@EliteClubS0B) September 27, 2025
On X posts, fans had plenty to say about this moment, which could’ve ruined their SmackDown viewing experience.
“Since HHH took over creative, WWE matches just aren’t it anymore. Every single week there’s some botch, and most of them come from the women’s matches,” one fan commented on X.
“The Nxt women’s division was SO GOOD when hhh was running it, but the main roster women’s division is so bad under him,” another X commenter said.
Another X commenter wrote: “Man, that wasn’t a botch, that was a full-blown car crash in slow motion…Gonna be replayed on botch compilations for years!”
“Send all three back to NXT, fire the producers who came up with that finish. And have your refs count it like a shoot!” another harsh comment said.
The SmackDown referee botch, which may not have been the referee’s fault, may have highlighted a significant issue with WWE. Adding to the seriousness of the matter is that WWE recently presented its first-ever premium live event on the new ESPN Unlimited streaming platform, as part of WWE’s five-year deal with ESPN worth $1.6 billion.
While SmackDown doesn’t air on ESPN Unlimited, the bigger events will, including WWE Crown Jewel, scheduled for Oct. 11 in Perth, Australia.
Read more: Randy Orton’s Wife Has 3-Word Reaction to Major WWE Snubs
For more about professional wrestling and WWE, visit Newsweek Sports.
