It was the story that dominated the past month following the sudden on-screen disappearance of Mauro Ranallo from SmackDown LIVE.

It didn’t take long for the rumours to circulate, and most of them claimed that tension between himself and John Bradshaw Layfield triggered a bout of depression and Ranallo never appeared on television again.

BULLYING SCANDAL

This all came to fruition following JBL’s public trashing of his then-colleague when he appeared on WWE Network’s Bring it to the Table and criticised Ranallo for tweeting about his victory in the Wrestling Observer awards, where he was crowned the announcer of the year.

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Following all of this, Ranallo confirmed to Newsweek that he and the company have mutually agreed to part ways with his contract with WWE expiring on August 12, and admitted it had nothing to do with JBL.

It was also claimed last week that WWE is working on a settlement with the former SmackDown announcer which would prevent him from speaking about the issues he faced during his time in WWE.

This was only scratching the surface; as JBL’s history came back to haunt him with news of his supposed bullying antics garnering mainstream media attention.

While several former WWE stars came out in support of the former WWE Champion, others shared their stories of what he was like behind the scenes, and it doesn't portray him in a positive light.

WWE was quiet about the entire situation despite the accusations, while fans even took to social media to voice their opinions and wanted the company to release him.

STATEMENTS

However, both JBL and WWE have released statements on the situation and it looks like JBL’s job behind the SmackDown announcing desk is safe.

JBL’s statement to Newsweek read: “Admittedly, I took part in locker room pranks that existed within the industry years ago.

“WWE addressed my behaviour and I responded accordingly, yet my past is being brought up because of recent unfounded rumours.

“I apologise if anything I said playing ‘the bad guy’ on a TV show was misconstrued.”

WWE also went on to add their statement, claiming: “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 behaviour including the recent alleged situation with John Layfield (aka JBL), despite no formal complaint having been submitted.”

It’s a shame that it had to come to this, as something clearly happened behind the scenes which resulted in WWE losing perhaps its best and most passionate announcer.

What do you make of the bullying scandal involving JBL? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the second episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here! Check out the inside info from our coverage in Orlando. https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/givemesport-inside-wrestlemania-33

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