Many in WWE were caught off guard following the finish to a match that recently aired.
Continuing the fallout from WrestleMania on April 25th, the SmackDown after Mania saw the official call-up of former NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazer and Axiom along with a 3-way TLC match for the WWE Tag Titles in the main event. Additionally, a title change took place on the show as Zelina Vega defeated Chelsea Green to win the Women’s United States Championship, bringing the inaugural reign to an end.
The victory also marked Vega’s first singles championship reign in the company after previously winning the Queen of the Ring Tournament and Women’s Tag Team Championships with Carmella.
As reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the title switch was kept under wraps ahead of time, leaving many surprised that the title change took place. Additionally, talent who were watching the match backstage were also unaware that a title change was about to take place until the referee counted the 3.
Following the loss, Chelsea Green issued a “farewell address” to the fans.
Major Change Coming To WWE SmackDown Soon
At the start of the year, SmackDown was extended to 3 hours and has continued to air with the extended runtime. With the move only set to be a temporary one, it was recently reported when WWE SmackDown would revert back to 2 hours.