What’s the story?
Mauro Ranallo answered several wrestling-related questions during last night’s episode of SmackDown Live via his official Twitter account. The former Voice of SmackDown spoke about the WWE performers that were cordial with him backstage and praised Roman Reigns’ class and work ethic.
A fan threatened to cancel his subscription to the WWE Network if the company didn’t make things right with Ranallo, to which the veteran commentator responded, by tweeting the following:
In case you didn’t know...
Mauro Ranallo reportedly had some backstage issues with JBL, who went on a public rant against him, after Ranallo tweeted out the fact that he was named as the ‘Wrestling Observer Announcer of the Year’ for 2016. The tension between JBL and Mauro eventually blew up to the extent that the latter missed March 14th’s SmackDown Live tapings and has been off WWE programming ever since.
The heart of the matter:
On being questioned about which WWE talents treated him well during his time with the company, Ranallo named AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. He also alluded to the fact that he had a good camaraderie with many others as well.
One of the Twitterati went as far as promising that he’d cheer for Roman Reigns if Ranallo were to come back to the WWE, to which the play-by-play commentator responded-
Furthermore, after being levied with praise for his excellent commentary on the Dolph Ziggler vs Miz career match, he claimed that it was one of his favourite matches, lauding the two aforementioned WWE Superstars as terrific talents. Ranallo also thanked Daniel Bryan, stating that working with Bryan on 205 Live was “one of the most enjoyable experiences” of his career.
Ranallo is a class act.
What’s next?
Mauro Ranallo will not be seen in the WWE but instead will resume his podcasting duties alongside Bas Rutten on the Rutten & Ranallo podcast.
Also read: Mauro Ranallo won’t be back on WWE TV
Besides, he’ll be in the commentary booth on Showtime Boxing for the Andre Berto vs Shawn Porter bout on April 22nd. He also assured fans that he will return to MMA as a play-by-play commentator.
Author’s take
Mauro Ranallo is a class act and whatever his issues may be with JBL and the WWE higher-ups, they seem to have taken a backseat for now. He has always been one of the more prominent names in broadcasting in the sports of MMA and kickboxing, with a few marquee appearances in pro-boxing as well.
Regardless of whether or not the voice of SmackDown returns to WWE, we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
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