It seems WWE has changed a longstanding rule for referees in the company.
Veteran referee Charles Robinson spoke to Prime Time With Sean Mooney, where he discussed a new order from Vince McMahon.
In earlier times, Vince McMahon instructed referees to keep the 10 count going while the performers were outside the ring. If the performers did not pay attention, they would get counted out.
Now it seems that rule has changed. Now referees will count up to 8 and stop counting if they realize the Superstars will be unable to make it back to the ring in time.
WWE is currently producing content from the WWE Performance Center due to the COVID-19 outbreak.