How WWE Officials Reacted Backstage to Miz TV Segment on Raw

As seen on this past Monday's edition of Raw, the Miz TV segment featuring LaVar, Lonzo, and LaMelo Ball stirred up quite a bit of controversy, particularly the use of the N-word from 15-year-old LaMelo.

WWE gave the following statement to The Los Angeles Times:

"The inappropriate language used by a guest during the ‘Miz TV’ segment was not scripted nor reflects WWE’s values."

It's being reported that while the segment was going on in the ring, WWE officials backstage were in an absolute panic to try to end the segment as soon as possible. The segment was already not going the way they had rehearsed it, like when LaVar told LaMelo to "handle his light work" and LaMelo was supposed to get in Miz's face but never did. Then when LaVar took his shirt off when he was face-to-face with Miz, WWE producer Kevin Dunn made the call to send out Dean Ambrose a bit earlier than he was originally supposed to to try to wrap up the segment. When LaMelo used the N-word, the people in the production truck, including Kevin Dunn, were said to be furious.

The Ball Family were supposed to be at ringside for the Six-Man Tag Team Match which saw The Miz, Bo Dallas, and Curtis Axel face Heath Slater, Rhyno, and Dean Ambrose but the Ball Family was quickly taken backstage.

When they had rehearsed the segment earlier in the day it apparently went fairly well, so WWE officials were hopeful that it would be a good segment on television. Things obviously went differently when they were on live television and in front of the live audience in the building.