10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 30 Facts
4. Referee Chad Patton Did Not Know Lesnar Was Winning Until He Made The Count
WWE officials these days are told to "call it like a shoot". If a wrestler is supposed to kick out before three, but times it wrong and leaves his shoulder down too long, the ref has to count him down; otherwise, he exposes the work. WWE official Chad Patton made that fateful count of Undertaker's shoulders, not having a clue that his hand was going to hit a third time.
According to Meltzer, Patton was never told that Lesnar was winning. A referee generally knows what the finish is, and in this case, Patton was apparently left in the dark. In the original airing of the match, Patton indeed renders the count as he's instructed to do, but the bell never sounds. Later releases of the match, chiefly the DVD and Network versions, dub in the sound of a bell to signal the end of the match.
Many fans in the upper levels of the Superdome thought there was a botch until the "21-1" graphic appeared on the overhead jumbotron. Patton signaled to the timekeeper after the fall, but most fans beyond the floor level (and apparently the timekeeper) didn't believe it actually had ended.