SUMMARY
- There have been several times over the years when referees did use the 'X' sign and the match was immediately stopped.
- While there have been various moments where referees stopped a WWE match, some of them were part of the storyline.
Things in WWE can get out of hand in a very unfortunate way at times. There have been various instances where superstars have legitimately hurt themselves during a match. Apart from ongoing storylines, these injuries can happen to them unintentionally, hence causing the match to be stopped or edited. Referees are the ones who indicate whenever these injuries occur by showing an ‘X’ sign during a match.
There have been several times over the years when referees did use the ‘X’ sign and the match was immediately stopped. Several matches were also changed after a superstar was legitimately injured during the match. Such injuries have a huge impact on the match as well as the whole show. These moments are terrifying for the individuals involved in the match and also affect the audience a lot.
While there have been various moments where referees stopped a WWE match, some of them were part of the storyline. Others were the outcome of severe real-life injuries, which made the referee do nothing else but throw the ‘X’ sign to stop the match. Here are five times when such incidents happened during a match that led to the match being forfeited or edited.
Sin Cara’s broken finger led referee to throw up the ‘X’ sign
Sin Cara is known for his high-flying abilities and awe-inspiring maneuvers during his time in the WWE. He was also known for botching several moves that put himself and his opponent in very weird situations. One such incident happened during his match with Alberto Del Rio on RAW in 2013.
During the match, he would perform a dive on Del Rio, which led to him breaking his finger. Seeing him in legitimate pain, the referee threw the ‘X’ sign on TV, indicating a real injury. The match was stopped, and Sin Cara was heavily criticized for his unprofessional behavior backstage.
Randy Orton vs Edge got counted out after the ‘X’ sign was shown
The Viper Randy Orton and Rated R Superstar Edge have been victims of several injuries during their time with the WWE. During one of their matches at Over the Limit 2010, Orton and Edge were in the middle of a heated feud leading to their match at the event. The match was eventually stopped after ‘The Legend Killer’ suffered an injury during the match.
During the ending moments of the match, Randy was going for an RKO but dislocated his shoulder. He did it while hyping up his finisher. This led the referee to throw up the ‘X’ sign during the match, which changed its outcome. There was no sole winner of the match, and it ended in a double countout.
Enzo Amore’s nasty injury got the X Sign at WWE Payback
One of the most gruesome injuries in the organization was thought to have occurred during Enzo Amore’s 2016 Payback mishap. During the pay-per-view, Amore and Cass teamed up to compete against The Vaudevillains for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Simon Gotch was meant to toss Enzo out of the ring during the match; however, the move got botched. Regretfully, his neck engaged against the rope.
Enzo Amore looks to be in good spirits after injuring his neck at “Payback.” https://t.co/T2ifEhv2DH pic.twitter.com/pGrRXflU0k
— theScore (@theScore) May 2, 2016
The referee threw up the sign, which led to medical staff getting near the ring. Amore was escorted from the building, leaving fans in complete shock at the outcome.
Angel Garza’s injury led the referee to throw up the X
Clash of Champions 2020 saw Angel Garza and Andrade El Idolo team up against the Street Profits for the RAW Tag Team Championships. The match was amazing throughout, with a lot of cool spots and insane tag teamwork from both teams. Things went south when Garza got injured during the match, making it a forgettable one for both teams.
While going for a flying maneuver, Garza landed awkwardly, hence getting injured in the process. The referee immediately showed the ‘X’ sign, hence changing the match’s ending. Andrade took the pin despite kicking out of it at 2, and Street Profits retained their titles.
Carmelo Hayes and Austin Theory getting injured on SmackDown
The January 12 edition of SmackDown saw Carmelo Hayes square off with Austin Theory in a match set up by Nick Aldis. Unfortunately, there would be no win (or defeat), as the referee called an early end to the bout due to an awkward spot that both guys had off the top rope. After both of them were hit hard on the mat with a top rope maneuver, the referee called for the match as both of them were injured.
Thank goodness 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZX582P2Yyg
— Rando-Brad (@brad_rando) January 13, 2024
In a tweet by WWE itself, it was declared that both of them suffered contusions. It was also stated that they would be alright shortly. Fans were worried for both superstars, as they are strong contenders going into the Royal Rumble match later in January.
There have been several other instances where superstars were declared injured and the match was forfeited. Superstars like Sasha Banks, Bayley, Triple H, and many more have faced such situations over the years. This shows that referees are an important part of any wrestling match and can save a superstar immediately after he or she faces an injury.