10 Insane Wrestling Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
2. WWE Referees Used To Get Bonuses For Calling It Like It's Real
In the midst of recalling what he classed as his worst-ever match at the time, Cody Rhodes let loose a little-known fact about life as a WWE referee a few years ago.
Coming during a BTE Q&A on YouTube, The American Nightmare recalled a match involving himself and a number of other WWE stars, including the likes of Daniel Bryan, Ted DiBiase Jr., Ezekiel Jackson, Wade Barrett, and the original Sin Cara. With the matching eventually devolving into chaos due to Cara's language barrier with the rest of the field, the referee ultimately counted to three after DiBiase was knocked down by a dropkick and pinned by Bryan.
Despite DiBiase attempting to kick out, the ref didn't spot his shoulder off the mat and called the botched ending. Rhodes would then reveal that this was back when refs were paid a bonus for committing to a three-count if stars weren't able to convincingly kick out before the three.
Hilariously, the former Legacy member would go on to confess that DiBiase reacted to this mistake by screaming out "that ref was trying to f*** on me!" as soon as he got backstage.
That's one way to get a bad finish off your chest.