Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Update: More
Could be NBC and MSNBC as this is right up their street.It was also mentioned, although the story will probably go out due to the sheer number of interviews and stories collected, the settlement between Mauro Ranallo and WWE last week put the brakes a bit on the story, presumably which was why WWE was quick and desperate to settle.
Apparently, some of those who were interviewed were disappointed about Ranallo basically absolving JBL with his statement immediately following the settlement.
Update: More
The timing of this was because a major news outlet was working on a story on the subject, and WWE needed Ranallo to essentially absolve Layfield to either weaken or kill the story. It is not certain whether the story will or won’t run, because many interviews were already done, but the key to the story was how it related to Ranallo’s situation.
Those interviewed for the story were disappointed and felt the Ranallo comments likely killed the story. One of the reasons, and this can best be explained if you followed the reasoning of why pro wrestlers are listed as independent contractors and not employees, is that unless you have no intention of ever working for WWE again, and also don’t mind being in a public fight that will cause a lot of stress, you are not going to try and publicly challenge them on major issues like that. In the case of the independent contractors claim, as an example, it was challenged, but it was by talent that had given up on every coming back, and this way so far after they had last worked there that their claim was thrown out based on the statute of limitations before there was even a legal fight over whether the actual claims had validity. The only people who will speak out are those who have given up the dream, and it usually takes years (there are exceptions to that) before people say to themselves that they really never want to go back, or that it’s never going to happen. In this situation, it was the same, as the only people who were going to publicly say anything are those who either truly don’t want to return, or those who have give up hope on returning.