WWE Referee Daphanie LaShaunn Comments On Awkward SmackDown Finish

Tiffany Stratton is still the WWE Women's Champion after defeating Nia Jax and Jade Cargill Friday night on SmackDown, although the match did have an awkward finish.

WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat Match | WWE

Tiffany Stratton retained the WWE Women's Championship when she defeated Nia Jax and Jade Cargill in the main event of SmackDown this past Friday night, but the match did not go exactly according to plan.

While the correct woman did go over, there was a miscommunication when it came to the finish, and referee Daphanie LaShaunn has been among those who have taken a bit of flak for it online.

It's difficult to decipher exactly what went wrong when you watch the tape back, but Stratton had Jax pinned until LaShaunn stopped her count at two and signaled that Nia had gotten her shoulder up. She did not and Jax could be seen talking to Daphanie immediately afterward.

My take:

Finish was supposed to be Stratton dropkicking Jade to "steal" the win. Stratton was late, so Nia kicked out to save the spot as a precaution.

Ref didn't realize this was the finish/thought a traditional finisher was coming. Moonsault audible called at 18-second mark. https://t.co/ipTNUoGGj2

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) September 27, 2025

As our own Jon Alba pointed out on social media, the exchange took place after Stratton drop kicked Jade Cargill out of the ring as she was attempting a cover. However, she did not nail Jade until after Jax had already kicked out at two.

Stratton then covered Nia without hitting any additional offense and that appears to be the origin of the confusion. The correct finish may have seen Tiffany steal the win from Cargill, but she was late with the drop kick and Jax potentially saved an unplanned title change by kicking out.

In the past, referees were trained to treat all counts as 'shoots', but that has not been the case for some time, according to a post SmackDown note from Fightful Select. It's entirely possible that LaShaunn thought Tiffany's traditional finish was still to come in the match, given the circumstances of the situation.

Daphanie LaShaunn appreciates the support she's received since Friday

Daphanie LaShaunn | Instagram Stories

Daphanie has now taken to Instagram to issue a public statement, promising to be better without directly addressing the finish on Friday.

“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.”

MORE: Jade Cargill Shows Off Gnarly Photos Of Large Gash Suffered On WWE SmackDown

Stratton went on to win the match a few moments later by hitting Jax with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. She's now moving on to face Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer at WWE Crown Jewel next month in Australia.

The main event also generated headlines after Jade Cargill was busted open pretty badly when she was tossed into the steel ring steps. She suffered a deep gash right through her left eye brow. She later shared post match photos, which you can check out by clicking the link above.

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