Possible Heat On WWE NXT Referee Over Thea Hail Vs. Blake Monroe Botched Finish

WWE NXT referee Felix Fernandez may have heat in the company over the finish of the NXT Women's North American Championship match between Blake Monroe and Thea Hail which saw an unplanned title change.

The botched ending of the December 16 match came together after Thea Hail hit Blake Monroe with a springboard senton, knocking the wind out of the former Mariah May in the process. Hail immediately made the cover following the move, and Monroe didn't get her shoulder up in time. As WWE referees are told to call matches like a shoot, Fernandez counted the 1-2-3 for the unplanned title switch.

Fightful Select initially reported that Felix Fernandez received props backstage for counting the pinfall like a shoot, but this was quickly pushed back on heavily. Instead, Fightful noted that some have claimed Fernandez received heat for not checking on Blake Monroe when she was hurt following the springboard senton.

The botched title change caused a scramble backstage, with Fightful noting that people had to travel back to the WWE Performance Center to do re-tapes. A policy change is expected to be introduced.

WWE have already taped episodes of NXT through to the end of 2025, and the company have booked how to resolve the botched title change between Thea Hail and Blake Monroe.