Mauro Ranallo spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated recently about various topics. Here are the highlights.
On SmackDown going live next month: “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Ranallo. “I don’t even know if the announcers are going to be part of the draft. I love working with Byron Saxton and Jerry Lawler, and I hope I continue to do so. To be honest, I would love to stay with Smackdown. Michael Cole is the voice of WWE and the voice of Raw. But when we go live, I want to help Smackdown become an ‘A’ show.”
On Vince McMahon: “I thank my lucky stars–the two critiques I’ve received from Vince are it isn’t radio–and I’m aware of that, even in all my other sports,” said Ranallo. “It’s like Doc [Mike] Emrick–I love him and think he’s one of the greatest announcers ever. A lot of my friends don’t feel the same way because he never stops talking, but I just think he’s so creative and brings the action to life, and that’s what I try to do with my storytelling. Vince said lay off just a little bit on the play-by-play.”
“At first Vince thought, ‘Not everything is WrestleMania,’ but I think he’s learned that’s just me,” said Ranallo. “Everything is WrestleMania to me. I go into calling any match, any fight–I don’t care if it’s the main event or the opener–that these guys have put in their work, they’re here for a reason, and there’s a reason I’m calling this fight, so I do want to give it as much attention and respect and energy as I would the main event or a championship fight.”
You can read the entire interview here.
