WWE star Mickie James has confirmed that the finish to her title match against Asuka was botched because the referee thought she was hurt.
Fans were left confused during Monday Night RAW when the official called for the bell with the 41-year-old locked in a submission.
Yet replays showed that future Hall of Famer James hadn't tapped out to the Asuka Lock and the ref had just decided that she couldn't continue.
The former Women's champion has now opened up on the incident and admitted her disappointment at the finish to the match.
She told talkSPORT: "I honestly don’t know. I rolled back to count – one, two – there was no count.
"So she obviously went to go and lock back in the Asuka lock and I think in those moments, here’s the thing: it is a dangerous sport.
He made his decision based on what he thought was a reality, that I was hurt or I couldn’t continue and that’s unfortunate for me.
"We have to be very careful. The refs do their job and kind of their job is to protect us and make sure it never goes too far or no one ever gets hurt.
"So he made his decision based on what he thought was a reality, that I was hurt or I couldn’t continue and that’s unfortunate for me.
"I felt like I could continue and it’s an unfortunate loss. But, it’s not a real loss let’s face it. It was the final decision, what can I do? Except go in there and throw a fit on Monday!"
James went on to explain that she understood the ref's decision to consider her well-being a priority with WWE's history surrounding concussions.
She added: "In that moment it’s very hard for them to tell whether you are hurt or not. It can’t just be his call either. It must have been whoever thought I was hurt.
"They’re just trying to protect me and keep me safe because concussions are a real thing. What we do as a sport is very dangerous.
"So if somebody gets a concussion, not only can they not wrestle the rest of that match, but they could possibly never wrestle again depending on how bad it is, same with (American) football.
"So we have to be careful with that and I get it. It was unfortunate for me and stinky, but I’m fine. My nose hurts a little bit from that knee lift, I’ll be honest [laughs]."
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