Who are WWE’s female referees?

WWE Evolution finally kicked off at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The night's first match saw Becky Lynch defend her Intercontinental Championship against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria. The referee officiating the bout was Daphanie LaShaunn, one of the three female referees in WWE today. The other female referees in the company are Jessica Carr and NXT official, Vicky D'Errico.

So, who is Daphanie LaShaunn? She is a former Brazilian professional wrestler who has transitioned to a referee. She signed with the Stamford-based promotion in February 2020 and started officiating matches at NXT. At WrestleMania 38, Daphanie LaShaunn made history becoming the first black woman to officiate a wrestling match at WrestleMania.

Apart from officiating wrestling matches in WWE, Daphanie also had some wrestling gigs in the promotion, when she won the 24/7 Championship in 2022, after beating Nikki A.S.H. However, she lost the title on the same night to Dana Brooke.

Jessica Carr is the first full-time female referee in the company since Rita Chatterton. She is a former professional wrestler who worked for Maryland Championship Wrestling. Jessica signed with WWE in 2017, and before becoming a referee, she also competed in some matches in the company, including a match against Nikki Cross in 2017, under the ring name Kennadi Lewis. However, her in-ring career ended in April 2017, and she started as a referee soon.

On November 27, 2019, Jessica refereed her final match in NXT, and she was moved to SmackDown. On October 21, 2021, Jessica refereed a match at Crown Jewel, also becoming the first woman referee to officiate a match in Saudi Arabia.

The third and newest female referee in WWE, Vicky D'Errico, a former boxer, officiates matches at NXT. She has been working as a referee since November 2024. Vicky was seen at Evolution 2025, officiating the NXT Women's Championship match between Jordynne Grace and Jacy Jane. She might soon be seen on the main roster on RAW and SmackDown.

With the WWE Universe appreciating the performance of all three referees, it may not be long before more take up the responsibility, and fans would see more female match officials and referees in WWE.

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Who was the first female referee in WWE?

Rita Chatterton (appearing as Rita Marie) was the first female referee in WWE (then WWF). She officiated her first match in 1985 at Madison Square Garden. After the death of her brother Christopher, who was also an aspiring wrestler, Rita started as a referee after her health complications didn't allow her to compete as a wrestler.

However, she left the promotion in 1985 due to a controversy, and altogether left wrestling by 1993. After leaving her job as a referee, Rita moved to Albany, where she started working as a youth counsellor.

In 2025, Rita also revealed that she was signed to Jacksonville-based promotion AEW, after being contacted by Tony Khan. However, she said that she did nothing during her contract.

Edited by Harish Raj S