5 most confusing rules in WWE

#5 Over-turning decisions after the match

Is the decision final?

One rule that has never quite been clarified over the years is whether match decisions can actually be over turned after the referee has made a decision. Whether or not a reverse decision is allowed appears to rest solely on what kind of storyline the writers are trying to tell, which has led to much confusion over the years.

If a heel wins a match by underhand tactics, this can be a great way for that individual to build some effective heel heat. Giving his opponent a low-blow and rolling him up for the victory, or simply using a foreign object that your manager throws into the ring - all of this can make the babyface look strong and sympathetic in defeat. But if a referee didn't originally see the violation that led to the dirty victory, normally this means the heel gets away without any comeuppance and the loser has to wait until the next time of asking to get his or her own back.

There have been a few occasions, however, when the result of a match was brought to the attention of the referee after he called for the bell and the decision was overturned. Think back to that time when Alex Riley helped The Miz be victorious in a Championship match by hitting his opponent in the head with the belt. The Miz was declared the winner only for the referee to spot the belt and order the match to continue.

A reverse decision doesn't always have to come at the expense of a heel either. Remember when Shawn Michaels was declared the winner in a match against Triple H on RAW? Eric Bishoff came to the ring afterwards and played a replay showing that Shawn's shoulders were also down when he made the pinfall meaning the match was declared a draw. But surely if the rule was consistent, the referee wouldn't have been able to overturn the decision, even if he did make a bad call.

Obviously, the WWE believe that story telling is more important than following the rules of professional wrestling consistently, but it would be nice to have some official clarification on whether a decision can be overturned - at least for us wrestling nerds who need to know these things.

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