Shawn Michaels Reaction To Accidental WWE Title Change Revealed

Shawn Michaels reacted to the recent unplanned title change of the NXT Women’s North American Championship that has made waves in the WWE universe.

A botch in wrestling, while unfortunate, is not uncommon. Despite the meticulous planning by the wrestlers to execute the match, the backroom staff communicating with referees in earpieces, and the production team always on deck, mistakes do happen. Some are forgettable while others are game-changing and historic.

One such mistake happened on the December 16, 2025 episode of WWE NXT, where Blake Monroe defended the Women’s North American Championship against Thea Hail. Towards the end of the match, the latter hit a springboard move off the ropes on Monroe and pinned her. The referee counted to three before Monroe could properly get her shoulder up to let the match continue as planned, leading to Hail winning the bout and the title in a change that caused pandemonium in WWE across the board because it wasn’t the plan at all.

While an ecstatic Hail ran around the ring in glee, Blake Monroe was reportedly injured and unhappy about how the match panned out, according to Fightful Select. The star got the wind knocked out of her, leading to her slow and late kickout, ultimately forcing the three-count from referee Felix Fernandez.

WWE NXT Head Booker Shawn Michaels Feels Referee Made The Right Decision

Despite WWE’s internal turmoil continuing do to this heavy miscommunication that changed all of their future plans in an instant, Shawn Michaels apparently thought the referee did the right thing according to Fightful Select. Performance Center coach Matt Bloom as well as other NXT referees sided with Fernandez, as well.

Sources claimed Blake Monroe said she was injured in her match with Thea Hail, and specifically was unhappy about how things unfolded. It was also claimed that people who directly work on her creative weren’t happy.

Some in NXT said there was heat on referee Felix Fernandez for… pic.twitter.com/7BmPACidZm

— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) December 25, 2025

Also read:Blake Monroe Speaks Out After Losing WWE Title In Botched Finish