The World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins bout at the WWE Money in the Bank 2024 Premium Live Event on Saturday night sparked heated criticism owing to a pin attempt.
The bout contained a stipulation that if Priest won, Rollins would be barred from challenging for the title for the rest of his reign. However, if Rollins won, Priest would have to depart The Judgment Day. Rollins nailed the falcon arrow at the end, and the referee stopped counting after two, even though Priest did not kick out.
Following a pause, Drew McIntyre arrived with the MITB briefcase to cash it in, and the contest resumed as a triple threat bout. McIntyre used the future shock DDT on Priest, but Priest then clotheslined him. McIntyre managed to kick Priest before CM Punk made an unexpected appearance and attacked him. Punk choked McIntyre with a chair and a wire, hitting him in the face with the title. Priest took advantage of the chaos to pin McIntyre for the win.
There were issues over whether the referee made a mistake, if Priest failed to kick out, or if McIntyre’s interruption produced a time issue. Dave Meltzer stated on Wrestling Observer Radio that Priest just did not kick out.
WrestleVotes stated today that the referee has received no criticism for the event. They stated, “I’m told there is no real heat on referee Rod Zapada following the mishap on Saturday night during the World Championship match. A source said, ‘In years past, absolutely.’”
I’m told there is no real heat on referee Rod Zapada following the mishap on Saturday night during the World Championship match. A source said, ‘In years past, absolutely.’
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) July 8, 2024
