SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE released a clip online of C.M. Punk asking referee Jessika Carr backstage if she had a spare referee shirt. She gave one to him while being unsure what he was planning to do with it. He said he’d return it later and then he headed into the Gorilla position on his way to the ring.
Punk appeared to be watching the match live on a monitor and saw the original referee go down at the time he urgently asked for a spare referee shirt.
This attempted to explain how Punk was able to be outfitted like a referee so he could “sneak” into the ring and count part of Drew McIntyre’s pin on Damien Priest.
Although WWE gets some credit for showing how Punk got the referee shirt, it doesn’t explain why Punk was otherwise dressed like a referee in black pants and a tight black long-sleeve shirt, nor why the camera angle when Punk slid into the ring in the referee shirt was ideal for hiding Punk’s identity until the he stopped before hitting the mat the third time. In other words, there were still some unlikely if not implausible aspects to how this played out.
Ultimately, the ref shirt didn’t even make a difference in the sense that he could’ve charged to the ring with or without the ref shirt; it didn’t give him any special access. He also could’ve entered the ring and counted to two before pretending his arm froze in place before he could count to three, although the drama would’ve been less for the fans at certain angles in the audience if they didn’t recognize him at first. McIntyre never actually saw Punk during the two count and only looked up after Punk stopped at two hand slaps of the mat so Punk wearing a ref shirt made no difference to how McIntyre or Priest acted. So the ref shirt was more style points than any practical purpose that facilitated his interference in the match.
Punk subsequently kicked McIntyre in the crotch and then left the ring, after which Priest landed a South of Heaven chokeslam. The original ref then crawled into the ring and counted to three.
McIntyre had taunted Punk for months, even saying his prayers came true when Punk suffered an injury. Nevertheless, Punk, in the role of a babyface, interfered in a WWE Title match and influenced the outcome. Wade Barrett implored management to do something about it, suggesting they fire Punk.
“I am ashamed that I am associated with this,” said Barrett, referring to it as “a sham” and “a disgrace.”
Cole said, “It is a shame this great match-up ended the way it did.”
The angle enraged McIntyre fans in Scotland, but likely felt satisfying for Punk fans who don’t care what tactics Punk uses to undermine McIntyre’s goal of becoming champion due to mean things McIntyre has said about Punk during his injury recovery.
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: WWE Clash at the Castle on-site report: Notes on the crowd’s reaction to CM Punk costing Drew McIntyre the World Heavyweight Championship, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles
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