A few weeks ago, while the Northeast was being blanketed in a late winter/early spring snowstorm, WWE’s Smackdown Live took place in Pittsburgh. Due to the weather, the WWE announced play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo would not make the show.
The following week Ranallo would not make Smackdown Live again with the excuse that week being that he was ill. Following that week, Ranallo was not mentioned again and disappeared from sight and Twitter, something that Ranallo has always been very active on. On Mar. 24, ten days after he last made any public comments, Ranallo tweeted the following message to his followers that has since been deleted. “I’m deeply touched by your tweets of support. My doctor wants me to stay off social media for now but I wanted to thank you.”
Ranallo has been very open about his fight with bipolar disorder throughout his announcing career. Many people close to him say that he keeps a busy schedule to not have downtime when the disorder could take hold. With an already busy schedule with Showtime Championship Boxing, MMA broadcasts, podcasts and other things, Ranallo was signed by the WWE. This move was cheered by wrestling fans as one of the best announcers in the business would announce the WWE product and bring it to another level.
Unfortunately for Ranallo, however, he was paired with two of the worst possible broadcast partners. David Otunga, who the WWE keeps around for his marriage to Jennifer Hudson, never announced a show full-time, but was put on Smackdown Live with Ranallo. The other person is someone that has been the scorn of wrestling fans and pundits for years – John Bradshaw Layfield. A former WWE Champion, JBL was known as a locker room leader during his career and someone, along with Bob Holly, who was known as a bully to many.
Once Ranallo stopped appearing on WWE programming, the focus turned to JBL and whether he had a role in Mauro’s disappearance. On one episode of the WWE’s Bring It To The Table, JBL went on a rant about Ranallo tweeting that he was named the Wrestling Observer’s Best Announcer for 2016. Considering that JBL is annually at the top of the list for Worst Announcer, you knew that JBL would have some issues about that. Some could say that he is playing a heelish character, similar to what he did during his in-ring career. But you have to examine whether JBL was exerting his bullying ways to someone who suffers from bipolar disorder or just playing a character.
JBL tweeted about the story on Apr. 6.
No Joe, and I won't-I shouldn't commenting on Internet stuff. I play a heel. I sincerely wish Mauro nothing but the absolute best.
— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) April 7, 2017
Someone who has been at the forefront of this story is wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer who, according to him, learned from past WWE employees that JBL’s bullying was the norm backstage and almost encouraged by the WWE. The problem with that is the WWE has been pushing an anti-bullying campaign called Be A Star and the rumor of the WWE being complicit in bullying in their company could be a public relations nightmare for the publicly traded company.
Due to the ensuing stories and rumors of JBL’s involvement in Ranallo’s absence, ESPN’s Jonathan Coachman, who used to work for the WWE and who covers WWE stories on ESPN’s SportsCenter, announced that he would no longer cover WWE stories.
This is why you can't believe a "rumor". All wwe content is on own time. I have big project coming up. Decided a month ago. Don't have time. https://t.co/k66DPTuzze
— The Coach (@TheCoachrules) April 8, 2017
Ranallo deleted all mentions of the WWE from his Twitter account and according to CBS Sports, a source close to the situation said that Ranallo will no longer appear on WWE programming. The WWE commented that Ranallo is still under contract with the company until August, neither confirming nor denying Ranallo’s departure from the company.
The WWE can not get in front of this situation until they address the rumors of JBL’s alleged bullying, now and in the past, with an investigation into the allegations. If the allegations are proven to be true, the WWE must respond, whether it be as small as a press release or as major as a suspension or a termination. The longer this lingers, the harder it could affect WWE’s business. Word of a hostile work environment will also drive performers, announcers, and others away from the company in the future.
