Justin Roberts Discusses His Time In WWE, JBL Situation

Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts recently sat down with Kevin Eck of Pressbox to discuss his new book, “Best Seat in the House.” He discusses a number of topics, including his time with WWE, the JBL/Mauro Ranallo situation, and more.

Below are some of the questions along with Roberts’ answers:

Kevin Eck: Your book has been getting very positive reviews, but since it doesn’t always portray WWE in a positive light, have you received any backlash from WWE fans who want to dismiss you as a bitter former employee?

Justin Roberts: Anytime you speak out honestly, people aren’t used to that, because not many people want to speak out. They don’t want to put it out there because there’s always that hope of going back [to WWE]. So when you’re one of the few that had a good run, is happy to be out of there and just wants to tell the story honestly, people could paint that as bitter. I knew that while I was writing it, and I knew there could be backlash. People might not realize that you’re just trying to help the guys who are still there, and you’re trying to help the fans get a better product. You’re just trying to help; you’re not trying to take them down. So when I put that out there, I knew there was a chance of backlash, but the feedback I’ve been getting from people who have read it has all been positive. I haven’t heard anything about being bitter. If you read the whole story, you totally understand, because you’re in my shoes from Day One. People can’t fathom why I would be unhappy towards the end, but this book takes you step by step through the journey, so you understand I’m not out to attack anyone or anything. It’s about hoping it makes a difference and makes [WWE] a better place.

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KE: Stories of JBL bullying people in WWE have been out there for years, but they’ve come to light again with the release of your book and reports of an issue between him and Mauro Ranallo. Are you surprised at how much attention this is getting?

JR: There’s speculation about what happened, and then at the same time, this book — which covers a lot of positive things, as well — has the story about JBL from 2003, which is a long time ago, but it had never been told. Everybody has heard JBL bullying stories, but now that this book has come out and people read about the type of stuff that went on, I think it gives them more of an idea that this could be a real thing.

KE: You worked on the independent scene before going to WWE. Did anyone ever warn you about the potential pitfalls of working for WWE, or were you blindsided?

JR: I was completely blindsided. I knew about the reputations of a couple guys — I had heard that they were bullies, but I didn’t realize what the culture was like. When it started happening, I figured the company would handle it once they were aware, but then I clearly found out that the company wasn’t trying to stop it; the company more so encouraged it and stood behind it and laughed at it. They enjoyed hearing the stories of what went on. At that point, I knew that’s just how it is; there’s nothing I can do about it. So do I want to leave and be away from it, or since I worked so hard to get here, do I want to make the most of it and hope that eventually it’ll stop? It took a lot longer than I expected for it to stop.

Roberts also discusses the positives of working for WWE, his future, and more.

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