3. JBL Was In Rare Form
Though JBL's initial stint as a color commentator for Smackdown! drew plaudits from fans who thought he was a breath of fresh air, since his return in 2012, reaction has been less positive. Though sometimes amusing, JBL typically comes off as needlessly argumentative, untrustworthy, and even annoying. In both 2014 and 2015 he "won" the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Worst Television Announcer award, and judging from last night, he's looking to make it a three-peat. JBL's faux outrage got the better of him early in the night, following Dolph Ziggler's tainted win over Kevin Owens. When Byron Saxton defended Dolph's behavior (he put his feet on the ropes during a roll-up), a furious JBL lost control of his thoughts, telling Saxton that Dolph Ziggler was "a fanboy... that you're a fanboy of!" Clearly, JBL didn't think before he spoke. The announcer's gaffes continued throughout the night, but one of the more amusing ones came when Kalisto found himself taking a beating at the hands of the League of Nations. With the star on the defensive, JBL mused that after such a beating, "it doesn't matter if you're a luchador or a mastodon!" Whether than was a reference to Vader or a prehistoric mammal is unknown.
Scott Fried
Contributor
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
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