For the second time this year, WWE is facing criticism thanks to television announcer John "Bradshaw" Layfield.
This time, Layfield is facing backlash for a comment made about WWE superstar Sami Zayn on the WWE Network show Bring It To The Table. "I would rather be captured by ISIS... than have to have dinner with Sami Zayn."
The controversy of the comment is that Zayn — real name Rami Sebei — is of Syrian descent. With the ongoing conflicts with ISIS in Syria and the Middle East, many WWE fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure at the statement made by Layfield.
This controversy comes after Layfield was already facing criticism for the likely departure of his SmackDown LIVE broadcast partner Mauro Ranallo. The controversy with Ranallo started back in March, as Ranallo was absent from several episodes of SmackDown Live. Ranallo, who has bi-polar depression, was reportedly ill from the disorder, causing him to miss several weeks of television.
Speculation soon went rampant that potentially bullying from Layfield was why Ranallo was missing television, sparking outrage across the wrestling community. Layfield has since released several statements on the matter, saying that any negative comments he made about Ranallo were all a part of his character as the "bad guy" announcer.
The "bad guy" defense will likely come into play here as well, but regardless, Layfield's comments have again upset several portions of the pro wrestling community.
