Daphanie LaShaunn responds to the controversy on WWE SmackDown

Daphanie LaShaunn, a WWE referee, has spoken out following the criticism received for an error in the main event of the latest episode of SmackDown. The official was at the center of controversy during the triple threat match between Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, and Nia Jax, when a coordination mistake momentarily disrupted the planned ending.

The moment occurred when Cargill executed her Eye of the Storm on Jax and went for the pin. Tiffany Stratton broke the pin and covered Jax. LaShaunn began the count but stopped at two despite Jax not reacting. A few seconds after LaShaunn broke the count, Jax raised her shoulder, and the match continued, although the sequence had already caused confusion and boos.

The error was so glaring that WWE removed it from the official replay uploaded to YouTube. However, on social media, fans quickly pointed out the botch and criticized the referee. After several days of silence, LaShaunn used her Instagram account to send a heartfelt message:

I see all the love. I am human, but I promise you that I always seek to improve. That will be my goal as long as I continue on this path. I love this as much as you do. I can swear to that.

Mistakes in live events are part of wrestling, but how they are handled says much more than the mistake itself. In this case, Daphanie LaShaunn's response shows a professional attitude and a commitment to her role within WWE that deserves respect.

However, despite LaShaunn admitting the error, many believe that the real culprits of the situation were Tiffany Stratton, for being late to break Cargill's first pin, and Nia Jax for not understanding she should have kicked out of Stratton's pin. Due to these situations, Vince McMahon determined at the time that referees should react to reality and count to 3 if the wrestler did not act correctly. This rule was eliminated after Vince's departure.