JBL Responds To Bullying Allegations

SmackDown Live commentator John Bradshaw Layfield is back in the news again for all the wrong reasons, as he's once again been accused of bullying his colleagues. It began with Mauro Ranallo's consecutive absences from SmackDown, which WWE attributed to travel issues and illnesses, before Mauro himself admitted he was struggling with a bout of depression, quickly thanking the fans for their support before going silent on social media,

While Mauro himself didn't lay much blame on JBL, Dave Meltzter reported that tension between the two had continued to escalate. Ranallo's podcast partner and former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten was much more direct in addressing Layfield about what he perceived as negative treatment of his friend.

Now you can add former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts as the latest person to level accusations at JBL regarding apparent hostile behavior toward his co-workers. In his recent Reddict AMA, Roberts had this to say about Layfield:

"He terrorized guys. He terrorized me, and a lot of guys. He'd make life hell for a lot of guys. He chewed Miz and Morrison out after they won the titles for not celebrating enough. He was eventually let go back then, and when he came back he was a lot better, but he was mostly only showing up for TV. Even now, it comes across on commentary with how he is with Byron. JBL would throw my bags down the street… he typically referred to me as dipsh*t and numbnuts despite my always trying to do a great job… every day I saw him, he asked me why I was still alive and told me to go kill myself."

Justin also shared a story about his passport being stolen during an overseas trip and how he had to go to the United Stated Embassy for a replacement - the victim of an alleged rib from the announcer. Of course these stories are all hearsay and Roberts has no way of proving that they actually took place, but this wouldn't be the first time someone made similar accusations against JBL.

In his defense, Layfield responded by stating that anything he says on the air is done so in the context of playing a heel character, and he wished Mauro nothing but the absolute best. As for the passport story, he replied:

I won't answer Net rumors-but I didn't take Justin Roberts passport. Could have been anyone/he was hated by the whole crew. He's an idiot.

— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) April 7, 2017

WWE is a very different environment than it was just ten years ago. If this story continues to pick up steam - and it's already been the subject of a lengthy feature piece on deadspin.com - we could be looking at an unhappy ending for JBL's current tenure in WWE.

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How do you feel about the JBL/Mauro/Roberts situation? Give your opinion in the comments.