3 WWE refereeing errors that were real and 2 that were scripted
Being a WWE referee is a tougher job than some people might think. Granted, modern-day officials are not involved in as many big incidents as they used to be, but one mistake from a referee can alter the direction of a match outcome or storyline.
Back in the Attitude Era, referees would inadvertently get attacked on almost every show, which often led to villainous Superstars winning matches in controversial fashion. Nowadays, those kinds of finishes still exist but they are nowhere near as common as they once were.
The job of a referee is made even more difficult by the fact that Vince McMahon does not want them to know how matches are supposed to end, meaning occasional botches are inevitably going to happen.
In this article, let’s take a look at three WWE refereeing errors that were real, as well as two that were scripted.
#5 Real: Earl Hebner (Kurt Angle vs. The Rock, WWE No Way Out 2001)
The WWE No Way Out 2001 card was absolutely stacked. Every match featured a current or future WWE Hall of Famer and the show was headlined by a WWE Championship match between Kurt Angle and The Rock.
This was the final pay-per-view before WrestleMania X-Seven, which meant The Rock had to win the WWE Championship to set up his ‘Mania main event against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Angle, meanwhile, was set to lose his title and go on to feud with Chris Benoit in the build-up to the next PPV.
In the closing stages of big PPV matches, it is not uncommon for WWE Superstars to kick out of their opponent’s finisher. However, in this case, The Rock was supposed to win the WWE Championship after hitting Angle with his go-to finishing move, The Rock Bottom.
At least, that is what should have happened. Instead, referee Earl Hebner decided to stop counting his pinfall after the 2-count (01:30 in the video above), presumably because he expected the match to continue after a kick-out from Angle. That kick-out never came, though, and Hebner’s hand laid awkwardly above the mat, leaving The Rock and the WWE fans to wonder why he did not complete the 3-count.
The Rock hit another Rock Bottom on Angle, who has since confirmed that the incident was a botch from Hebner, and the referee counted to three and awarded the WWE Championship to “The Great One”.