Best and worst of SmackDown Live- 1 Jan, 2019

#1 Worst: The ref botch

This was a very clear botch to see from the referee

Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe took each other on at the top of the show. This was a puzzling decision. How did the other four men automatically qualify for the main event, but not these two? Especially someone like Mustafa Ali, who's only been on the roster for a while.

However, what happened during this match was a pretty silly botch. Samoa Joe choked Jeff Hardy out on the floor, leaving him unable to continue. I suppose the planned finish was for Hardy to pass out, on the outside.

Did that ref just botch the count? I mean how do u do that? #SDLive
— Bud (@BudKinches) January 2, 2019

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Jeff Hardy had to scurry back into the ring and get locked in the Coquina Clutch again It was clear as day to all assembled in the arena that there had been a botch.

This was a pretty black spot on an otherwise solid match.

About the author

Riju Dasgupta is the most-read active writer in Sportskeeda at the moment, across all sports. Having come on board in 2016, Dasgupta is best known for the 'Best and Worst' column, something that has become a staple for the site!

In addition to his writing responsibilities, Dasgupta is also the Assistant Manager of the Combat Sports division. In 4 years, Dasgupta has conducted over 150 interviews with stars from WWE, Impact Wrestling, PCW Ultra, WOS, UFC, ONE FC and the world of boxing as well.

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Before joining Sportskeeda, Dasgupta was a comedy writer for Star TV, where he scripted lines for the iconic Lola Kutty property, in addition to hit TV shows like Axe Ur Ex & UR Fired. He was also a columnist for Rolling Stone India.

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Edited by Pratyay Ghosh