It's no secret that John Bradshaw Layfield has a reputation for being a bully as many wrestlers and on-air personalities have come forward in recent years talking about what he made them endure. The latest is former ring announcer Justin Roberts in his new autobiography, but SmackDown Live commentator Mauro Ranallo's recent absence has also been pinned squarely on JBL.
The entire situation appears to stem back to JBL taking aim at his broadcast colleague for celebrating the fact he won The Wrestling Observer Newsletter's award for best commentator, though it's unclear what else may have happened backstage. Ranallo has made no secret of his battles his bipolar disorder and depression so it's no surprise that he likely did not respond well to JBL's antics. As a result of this, it appears as if he will be leaving the company.
Ranallo has removed all mention of WWE from his social media accounts and WWE has done the same, and it's been said we won't see him on television again between now and when his contract is up in August. To say this is a huge loss would be an understatement and JBL's behaviour is beyond unacceptable. With any luck, he'll face some repercussions for his actions, but time will tell.