Botched Pinfalls Cause Controversy in Both AEW and WWE

Referee errors regarding pinfall counts have sparked significant controversy over the past week, impacting both WWE SmackDown and AEW Collision.

On Friday night’s edition of WWE SmackDown, Sami Zayn defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens. The match’s conclusion quickly became a major talking point after CM Punk struck Owens with the championship belt, allowing Zayn to immediately cover him. Although the referee counted three, the bell failed to sound, and Owens appeared to kick out by lifting his shoulder.

Reports later revealed that Owens was not supposed to kick out, as the original plan was for the belt shot to lead directly to the finish. Zayn subsequently executed a Helluva Kick to secure a clean three-count and officially retain his championship.

A highly similar issue unfolded on Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision during the National Championship match between Andrade El Idolo and Daniel Garcia.

Andrade has defended the title since capturing it from Mark Davis at AEW Redemption in July, previously facing opponents such as Jack Perry, Nick Wayne, Gabe Kidd, and The Beast Mortos. He faced Garcia on the September 19 episode of Collision.

The match concluded with Andrade countering Garcia’s submission attempt into a roll-up, which Garcia managed to reverse. This led to a rapid series of pinning exchanges between the two competitors.

During the sequence, both the referee and the commentary team counted to three, causing widespread confusion over whether a decisive pinfall had occurred. Andrade ultimately reversed another roll-up attempt and successfully retained the National Championship.

.@AndradeElIdolo counters Daniel Garcia’s pin attempt and gets the win!

Watch #AEWCollision LIVE NATIONWIDE on TNT & HBO Max pic.twitter.com/ytbLvMOJHM

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 20, 2026

The Death Riders immediately ambushed Andrade following the match, with PAC stepping up to challenge the champion. PAC’s challenge for the National Championship at All Out was later made official during the broadcast.

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