WWE issued a storyline update today regarding the conduct of Nia Jax and referee John Cone.
Monday’s Raw featured the Backlash rematch between Jax and RAW Women’s Champion Asuka. The match ended when Asuka rolled Jax up for the pin, right as Cone was about to disqualify Jax for shoving him to the mat. Cone count the pinfall.
“So Nia hits Asuka with the Samoan Drop,” Cone recalled. “Asuka’s foot was under the bottom rope so I informed Nia that I wasn’t gonna count, I’m not going to start the count when someone’s foot’s under the rope. So at that point Nia could’ve simply pulled her back in and covered her, and I would’ve counted at that point, but instead it came to words, and Nia decided to lay hands on me at that point, and that’s just something you can’t do. You can’t put your hands on a WWE official. I never want a match to end in controversy, especially a championship match. So like I said, I had no other alternative but to disqualify her, but as I went to do so, I turned around, I saw Asuka had rolled up Nia.”
“You know, in the heat of the moment maybe my adrenaline was pumping a little bit,” Cone said. “Watching it back, I don’t think it was all that fast. I think it was a clean count.”
EXCLUSIVE: WWE referee John Cone addresses whether or not there was a fast count during the Raw #WomensTitle Match between @WWEAsuka and @NiaJaxWWE on #WWERaw. pic.twitter.com/Zac138otrm
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) June 18, 2020
H/T to Wrestling Inc