According to a story by Newsweek, colour commentator Mauro Ranallo and WWE have mutually agreed to part ways. However, a WWE spokesperson clarified that Ranallo will remain under contract with the company until August 12th.
In a statement to the Newsweek, a WWE spokesperson stated the following:
“As part of our commitment to creating an inclusive environment, in April 2011, WWE launched our anti-bullying campaign, Be a STAR, which encourages young people to treat each other with tolerance and respect.
“As a publicly traded company, that mantra carries forward in our corporate culture. As such, we fully investigate any allegations of inappropriate behavior including the recent alleged situation with John Layfield (aka JBL), despite no formal complaint having been submitted.”
Ranallo sent out the following statement to the source via email:
“ WWE and I have mutually agreed to part ways. It has nothing to do with JBL”
Ranallo has been absent from TV programming since the March 7th taping and also missed Wrestlemania 33. Since then, many reports have emerged stating that Ranallo has been a victim of bullying at the hands of his fellow commentator JBL.
The speculation emanated after Mauro missed the episode of Smackdown LIVE which aired a week after the 13th March episode of Bring It To The Table, in which JBL was quite vocal regarding Ranallo’s handling of his Twitter account.
He disapproved of Ranallo’s actions on social media after winning the Announcer of the Year in a fan poll conducted by Wrestling Observer Newsletter. JBL didn't even make it to the top 10 in that category and had also won the Worst announcer in the previous year.
JBL claimed that he was not culpable for Ranallo’s dissociation with the company in the following statement to Newsweek:
“Admittedly, I took part in locker room pranks that existed within the industry years ago,” Layfield admitted. “WWE addressed my behavior and I responded accordingly, yet my past is being brought up because of recent unfounded rumors. I apologize if anything I said playing ‘the bad guy’ on a TV show was misconstrued.”
Many incidents about JBL throwing his weight around were recirculated online on various sites and the issue even caught the attention of the mainstream media.
The fans were furious after the reports stating JBL’s role in the Ranallo saga emerged and expressed themselves on Twitter with the hashtag #FireJBL and also chanted “Fire Bradshaw” on last week’s Smackdown LIVE.
With the departure of Mauro Ranallo, Smackdown LIVE’s announcement team now comprises of Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton and JBL.
