This past Friday night’s episode of WWE SmackDown featured a surprising finish, as WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green suffered a count-out loss to Zelina Vega.
According to PWInsider.com, the outcome was the result of a miscommunication during the live broadcast. Green was outside the ring engaging with the audience and commentators Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore when she reportedly did not hear the referee’s count. With the match taking place live on television, the referee had no choice but to proceed with the standard ten-count, ringing the bell once the count was completed.
The report further notes that one backstage source believed Green may have assumed the count would restart after Vega was rolled back into the ring. Instead, Green remained outside, unaware that the referee had resumed counting, leading to the unexpected finish.
While the match was originally planned to run a few minutes longer, Vega was always scheduled to win in order to build momentum for the six-woman tag team match set for next week’s show.
Importantly, there were no injuries or production issues, and the situation is being viewed internally as an honest mistake—a natural part of performing live. There is reportedly no backstage heat on Green or anyone involved.
