No Heat On WWE Referee Following Money In The Bank Botch

There is no heat on WWE referee Rod Zapata following the botch at Money in the Bank on Saturday, July 6 during the World Heavyweight Championship match between Seth Rollins and Damian Priest, according to WrestleVotes.

"I'm told there is no real heat on referee Rod Zapata [sic] following the mishap on Saturday night during the World Championship match. A source said, 'In years past, absolutely,'" WrestleVotes tweeted.

The botch occurred at Money in the Bank after Zapata held up before finishing the three-count after Seth Rollins hit Damian Priest with a Falcon Arrow. The botch was ultimately Priest's responsibility as he simply didn't kick out and Zapata was given little choice but to stop counting due to the angle that occurred after the Falcon Arrow where Drew McIntyre made his way to the ring and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.

Had Zapata counted the pinfall, McIntyre would have only cashed in on Seth Rollins in a singles match, which would have meant CM Punk's attack on McIntyre would have led to a DQ finish with Rollins remaining champion as opposed to Damian Priest holding onto the belt, which was the plan. Priest would have also been forced to quit Judgment Day, per the stipulation of the match, although the World Heavyweight Champion has already reneged on the stipulation that stopped Rollins from challenging for the title again while Priest was champion.

Zapata was previously fined for not calling the WrestleMania 35 main event like a shoot which led to him counting the winning pinfall for Becky Lynch even though Ronda Rousey's shoulder was up. WWE has changed since then, though, with Triple H now in charge of creative instead of Vince McMahon, while the company is now owned by TKO Group Holdings, the organisation owned by Endeavor.