What’s the story?
According to Cageside Seats, John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) won’t face any punishment over the Mauro Ranallo situation.
In case you didn’t know...
Mauro Ranallo has been absent from SmackDown Live since early March. While WWE initially said that he was stuck in a snow storm, it was later revealed in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Mauro Ranallo’s absence was due to depression, and JBL might have been the cause of it.
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A string of incidents seemed to lead to the fact that JBL did indeed drive Ranallo back into depression. Mauro Ranallo was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder at the age of 19 and is a big mental health advocate.
Justin Roberts, a former WWE ring announcer, released a book detailing instances of JBL bullying him. Dave Meltzer, of the Observer Newsletter, then went on to reveal that 15 other employees had reached out to him and thanked him for trying to expose JBL for his history of bullying.
It should be noted that JBL has a history of being a bully backstage. However, more mainstream media outlets are beginning to cover the bullying story. The biggest criticism of WWE is their involvement with the, “Don’t be a bully, be a star” campaign that discourages bullying.
The heart of the matter
JBL is good friends with Vince McMahon and is said to have a job for life with WWE. WON stated that from a corporate standpoint, WWE does not have to respond to the allegations against JBL. However, given the increasing amount of coverage that it is getting, things don't look too good for WWE.
On the latest episode of SmackDown Live, JBL moved away from the heel persona that he played on television. However, there were several anti-JBL signs and even chants of “Fire Bradshaw” from the Boston crowd.
It is indeed saddening that WWE would choose to ignore the situation, but if the story continues to gain mainstream coverage the way it does, it may only be a matter of time before WWE is forced to take action against the former WWE Champion.
What’s next?
JBL will continue as one of the commentators of SmackDown Live while Mauro Ranallo will wait out the rest of his contract.
Author’s take
It is a shame that WWE refuses to do anything about this situation, especially given their association with the, “Don’t be a bully, be a star” campaign. Mauro Ranallo should be in the company instead of JBL.
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