WWE showcases instances where guest referees didn’t stay neutral and it ignited an unjust finish or sparked a feud

WWE referees are there to make sure nothing illegal happens throughout a match and count the pinfalls or determine submissions in order to declare a winner. However, there are times where guest referees are involved in a match.

Sometimes they are there when the regular referees get knocked down. In rare cases, a wrestler will be the special guest referee in a match. In both cases, the guest referee often is a rival for a wrestler in the match, and the other person wins.

That’s what happened when Becky Lynch made sure Stephanie Vaquer took the WWE Women’s World Championship from Liv Morgan on the WWE South American Tour on Sept. 12, 2026. In celebration of Vaquer’s win, WWE added another video to their WWE Playlist series. In this video, fans will see 30 instances where guest referees affected the outcome of a match. This will give fans nostalgia for great title retentions and changes.

This was a good video showcasing 30 times where a guest referee took the match into their own hands, often upsetting one of the wrestlers in the match. By doing this, the person affected can continue their rivalry with the guest referee in a natural way.

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There have been many instances of guest referees causing trouble seen in the past 30 years. For instance, Triple H helped Randy Orton cash in his Money in the Bank contract against Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Championship in 2013. This interference was important, as Daniel Bryan had just beaten John Cena for the title with Triple H as the guest referee.

Another instance was when CM Punk cost Drew McIntyre the World Heavyweight Championship at Clash at the Castle in 2024. That was a huge catalyst for the trio of matches they had later that year and through 2025.

When special referees influence an outcome, wrestlers’ anger boils over afterwards. That’s exactly what happened on the June 19, 2026 episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The Undisputed WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Gunther ended in a disqualification when guest referee Sami Zayn slapped Gunther. That led to the triple threat at Night of Champions the next week, where Sami became champion for the first time in WWE.

The wrestler that gets picked on by the guest referee often gets revenge against them by beating them in a big match that have been both championship matches and non-title matches. That makes all the disappointment worth it, as they finally beat the person that made them lose in the first place.