CM Punk faced off against Jack Swagger during a match that aired on a 2012 episode of WWE RAW. Despite the fact that Swagger appeared to raise his shoulder just before the three-count, he was still counted out for the pinfall defeat, making the ending of the match notable. Although the match itself may be forgotten, the manner in which it ended is noteworthy.
In an episode of the “Unskripted” podcast, the referee of the match, Jack Doan, stated that he was authorized by the former chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon, to count talent out of the match if they were unable to kick-out on time and that he was even compensated for doing so.
“There was a big span there where Vince really got tired of the guys, I mean basically, you’re doing your three-count and we’re basically stopping ourselves before the three. The guys are trying to make it too close.”
“We went through where guys were just, like, waiting way too long, and Vince was like, ‘Start counting them out.’ So, of course, I got bonused for it and Vince was happy, but it was actually CM Punk and [Jack] Swagger, and if you actually go back and look at it, he kicked out in time and that was not the finish.”
You can listen to the complete podcast below:
(H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription)
