NXT took a massive hit this year when Mauro Ranallo stepped away from his dream job in WWE. While Wade Barrett has done a great job filling in, Mauro Ranallo’s unique brand of commentary is sorely missed on the third brand.
In an interview with John Pollock of POST Wrestling, Ranallo spoke on his decision to leave WWE.
“WWE is one of the most mentally grueling places, and that’s not necessarily a criticism by any means. There’s a reason Vince McMahon has built a multi-billion dollar empire. Is it perfect? Not by any means, but neither am I. I chose to go to WWE and it was a dream come true. I wanted to work with WWE because I thought it would be an affirmation of my achievements as a broadcaster, but because of the connection I had with pro wrestling.
“I thought Jerry Lawler and Byron Saxton and I had instant chemistry, but they made the changes they felt they had to make. I’ve proven I can work with almost anyone as a broadcaster, but there were many times I was like, ‘what is going on here?’ Four-man booth, an eight-man booth. I get it, but that’s not what I want as a commentator.”
Mauro Ranallo stated that, at the end of the day, the decision to walk away from WWE was best for his mental health.
“I just felt, for my own mental health, even doing the show from home, it was to the point where I would have a panic attack in the morning of the recordings in the last few months. All respect, I didn’t like what was happening and who was involved. All respect to all announcers, I believe in chemistry. Maybe I was the problem. On show day, I’m not a great guy to be around because I’m focused. I’m prepared and I expect everyone else to be the same. I’m a play-by-play announcer, and I think I’m one of the best in the business.
It seems that Ranallo may not have agreed with who he was working with at NXT. Regardless of what the situation was, Ranallo is happy with Showtime and calling boxing bouts.
