There was an issue with the World Heavyweight Title match at WWE Money in the Bank that left many puzzled.
During the Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest's World Heavyweight Title match, there was a situation where a nearfall actually wasn't. Following a Falcon Arrow from Seth Rollins, there was to be an interruption, though many fans online were debating which that was to be.
Though champion Damian Priest didn't kick out, the referee didn't count to three. The referee, Rod Zapata, was the one who was actually fined after WrestleMania 35 when Ronda Rousey didn't keep her shoulder down and he counted the three anyway, with the line of thinking that matches should have been called as shoots. However, those that Fightful spoke to claimed that times and circumstances changed, and that there wasn't heat on Priest or Zapata.
Those that Fightful Select spoke to claimed that Priest was supposed to kick out, based on chatter after the show, including Triple H addressing as much on the post show. Priest was said to have been fine in the immediate aftermath. As for Zapata, him actually counting the three would have resulted in the title switching to Seth Rollins. Because of that, the Drew McIntyre cash in would have been a one on one match, and the No DQ rules would not have applied, and Punk's attack would not have been deemed legal. Rollins' stipulation of not challenging for the title would have been invalid and WWE would have been put in a corner where Priest was no longer in Judgment Day, per the rules of the match.
In all, one WWE backstage source said "it was an unfortunate situation, but those don't usually happen with Damian Priest, and he was probably more bothered about it than anyone. Considering how much he gives of himself, it would be silly for anyone to hold that against him. It's just a 'shit happens' situation."
Some assumed that Drew McIntyre's music hitting was also supposed to interrupt the count. Nobody would confirm or deny that to us, but one producer said that wasn't the vibe they got based on Triple H's comments. The same producer said that music shouldn't stop a pinfall count anyway.
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