Should Josh Mathews sue?
For the second time in as many weeks, WWE announcer Josh Mathews found himself on the receiving end of Kane’s fury Friday night on SmackDown. The attack came moments after Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, cost The Big Red Monster his match against The Mexican Aristocrat.
After the bell sounded on the bout, a furious Kane stormed out of the ring and charged the SmackDown announce table, where he grabbed Mathews and hurled him to the ringside floor. The Devil’s Favorite Demon then scooped the announcer up, tossed him into the ring and proceeded to deliver a ring-shaking Chokeslam to Mathews.
While Kane’s motives may be anything but clear, one thing that’s clear is Mathews is sick and tired of being the victim in these heinous attacks by Superstars, a veracious claim considering the announcer’s track record this year. Several months ago, Mathews was viciously assaulted by an irate Brock Lesnar just weeks before his match against John Cena at Extreme Rules. Then, just two weeks ago, after his SummerSlam loss to Daniel Bryan, The Devil’s Favorite Demon took out his frustrations on Mathews when he attempted to interview the monster backstage.
It’s become abundantly clear that Mathews is certainly uncomfortable in his workplace environment, a fact that raises interesting questions about what his next actions might be. As Michael Cole said Friday night after Kane’s most recent attack on Mathews, calling for the power-that-be to do something about it, "Announcers should not be the targets of these types of attacks."
"The fact that Superstars assaulting WWE announcers doesn’t result in immediate suspension or termination of the Superstar is ridiculous," former ECW announcer Joey Styles told WWE.com. "These attacks would never be tolerated in any other sport. Josh has every right to sue Kane for assault and WWE."
And legal action, the shaken commentator may indeed take. In a WWE.com exclusive video, Mathews had a heated exchange with SmackDown General Manager Booker T about the ramifications of Kane’s actions. Mathews, who was visibly angry as he spoke to his former announce team partner, threatened to sue Booker and WWE. ( WATCH EXCLUSIVE)
"I’ve seen and signed WWE announcer contracts. Nowhere in the contract is WWE held harmless for Superstars assaulting announcers half their size," Styles added in defense of Mathews. "I hope Josh does sue. Maybe then, these assaults will end once and for all."
While Mathews’ next move remains to be seen, one thing is apparent: If the events of recent weeks are any indication, it is apparently open season on WWE announcers once again.
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