Tag: Mauro Ranallo

Ex-TNA Head Scott D’Amore Says He’s Signed Mauro Rannallo For Maple Leaf Pro

Despite being fired from TNA, Scott D’Amore isn’t letting that keep him from continuing his efforts in the pro wrestling industry. Back in May, D’Amore filed a trademark for “Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling,” a promotion established in the 1930s. Since then, D’Amore has taken more steps to debut the promotion, and in an interview with “INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet,” he revealed one of the names he’s already signed.

During the interview, D’Amore confirmed that former “WWE NXT” and “SmackDown” commentator, Mauro Rannallo, has agreed to be the voice of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. “I mean, he’s the man. And Mauro has got a passion for wrestling,” D’Amore proclaimed. He then recalled the first time he met Rannallo, 25 years ago in Stampede Wrestling. “I was coming in as a heel to feud with Sabu. And he was the 20-21-year-old kid who was doing the play-by-play with Bad News Brown, and we connected then over the years,” D’Amore recalled.

D’Amore also reflected on Ranallo’s presence in the field of combat sports announcing: “He loves wrestling. He’s the best. You turned on Showtime for any big boxing fight, or you turned on to watch a lot of the big MMA fights with Pride and everything, Mauro is that voice.”

D’Amore’s exit from TNA was sudden and shocked many fans and even TNA talent. Not too long ago, he D’Amore recalled finding out about his TNA firing days before their Hard to Kill pay-per-view, which was the first event held under the promotion’s former name since it changed to IMPACT Wrestling back in 2017. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mauro Ranallo Working The Impact Rebellion PPV

Mauro Ranallo working the Impact Rebellion pay-per-view is reportedly a one-off, at least for now.

Impact announced on Thursday that the former WWE and MMA announcer will join the Rebellion commentary team on April 25 to call the Title vs. Title match between Impact World Champion Rich Swann and AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.

PWInsider reports that Mauro is only coming in to Impact for this pay-per-view, at least as of Thursday evening. However, the door could be open for more work down the line. The gig came together over the last several weeks with the idea of Mauro adding to the grandeur of the Title vs. Title main event.

Mauro was at the Impact studios on Wednesday night, doing voice-over work for the “5 Ways To Win” videos for Omega and Swann, which you can watch below. Mauro also did voice-over work for the “This Is Rebellion” special that will air on AXS TV next Tuesday night.

“Swann vs Omega, champion vs champion, title vs title – this match represents everything I love about professional wrestling,” Ranallo said in a press release. “I have been fortunate to call these two superstar’s matches in the past and I’m very excited to be part of this historic encounter.”

Mauro and Impact Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore go back a few decades after working together in Stampede Wrestling. It’s possible that this is the connection between Mauro and Impact.

“This once in a generation title vs. title showdown deserves to be called by the once in a generation play-by-play announcer,” D’Amore added in a press release. “I’ve known Mauro for over two decades. There are very few people in the world who are as passionate about or know their wrestling history as well as Mauro. This is an historic main event, the world champions of two major organizations putting everything on the line. I’m thrilled that April 25th, at Rebellion, fans will have Mauro’s legendary voice proving the soundtrack to history!”

This will be Mauro’s first pro wrestling work since leaving WWE in August 2020. He has continued to work for Showtime Boxing, and worked the Mike Tyson pay-per-view from Triller last year.

 Below are the new “5 Ways To Win” videos Mauro did for Swann and Omega:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mauro Ranallo Confirms He’s Leaving NXT, Statement From WWE

NXT announcer Mauro Ranallo and WWE have confirmed he’s leaving the company.

Ranallo shared a statement on Facebook saying:

“I appreciate the opportunity I had to realize my childhood dream of working in sports entertainment, and I wish WWE well in the future. Now I want to direct my focus and devote my time to my other projects and to my mental health charitable activities and the well-being of my mother and myself.”

WWE released the following statement in regards to Mauro’s exit:

“WWE and Mauro Ranallo have mutually and amicably agreed to part ways. Mauro’s passion and enthusiasm left an indelible and exciting mark with WWE and its fans, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Ranallo had been doing commentary for NXT remotely from home during the pandemic. He was not part of TakeOver, however, and the last 2 episodes of NXT, Wade Barrett was featured on commentary alongside Vic Joseph. Barrett is now reportedly in talks to join the show full-time.

NXT Announcers Recording From Home To Limit Travel During Pandemic

Mauro Ranallo and Beth Phoenix began recording their portion of NXT shows from home this week as an additional precautionary measure during the pandemic.

Sources confirms WWE’s production team put together a way for Ranallo and Phoenix to record from home in an effort to keep them as integral parts of the show on commentary while limiting the amount of travel they’d need to do for the time being.

We’re told this was able to be done with the NXT announcers because they appear on-screen less than the Raw and SmackDown commentary teams, which is why Tom Phillips joined them at the virtual announce desk from the taping.

The news of the duo recording from home was first reported on Wrestling Observer Radio.

WWE recently made the decision to adjust their filming schedule and pre-film shows in batches to increase the safety of everyone taking part in the tapings. This is also being done to help “flatten the curve” as much as possible while still producing shows.

During a recent conference call with WWE investors, it was additionally noted that there is extreme cleaning going on between each match and many medical precautionary measures being taken to ensure no one is entering the Performance Center sick during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WWE’s next round of tapings is set to begin on May 11.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

nxt announcers wwe beth phoenix mauro ranallo record show from home coronavirus pandemic

Corey Graves Apologizes For Mauro Ranallo Comments

Corey Graves opened this week’s WWE After The Bell podcast with an apology for the comments he made about Mauro Ranallo on Twitter over the weekend.

“What’s up, everybody? Welcome to After The Bell, I am Corey Graves,” he said, opening the show. “A ton to get to this week as we do every week but before we go any further, on a personal note, I needed to address something. This past Saturday, during the ‘Takeover: WarGames’ event, I sent out a tweet. It was an unpopular opinion, as I often do with the intention of just stirring up a little controversy, maybe have something fun to talk about on TV or here on the show. It was maybe not the most professional way to go about things, and it was never meant to offend or disrespect or disparage anybody. That was never my intention. If it was taken as such, I apologize deeply. That was not my intention. I would never intentionally cause anybody undue stress, especially a co-worker. So, I apologize.”

Graves revealed that he watched Takeover and tweeted from his hotel room.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mauro Ranallo Reportedly Off This Week’s WWE NXT Episode

Mauro Ranallo will not be calling this week’s WWE NXT episode, according to a new report from John Pollock of POST Wrestling.

Mauro was set to call some of the NXT matches at Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, but he apparently took the day off after deleting his Twitter account over a pair of tweets made by WWE SmackDown announcer Corey Graves. It was reported that sources close to WWE and close to Mauro all believed that he would be back to work for Wednesday’s NXT TV taping from the NXT Arena at Full Sail Live in Winter Park, FL. It was also said that things were alright between Mauro and WWE. Now, word is that Ranallo will not be working this week’s episode.

It was noted that there has been communication over the past few days between Mauro and WWE officials, but the decision was made that he would not be returning to work this week. There’s still no word yet on if Mauro will return to the show next week.

For those who missed it, Graves took to Twitter on Saturday night and referenced how Mauro was talking over Nigel McGuinness and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix during “Takeover: WarGames 2019” commentary, something some fans were also saying on Twitter.

He wrote, “Just for the record guys, I know you wouldn’t know it, but there’s actually a WWE Hall of Famer AND a former Ring of Honor Champion on commentary. I’d imagine they have a lot to offer. #NXTTakeoverWarGames”

Another fan commented on the number of Chicago hip-hop references Mauro made. Graves responded, “Far, far too many.”

Mauro, who has been open about his mental health issues, deleted his Twitter account the next day. It was reported by Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline.com that Mauro did show up to the Allstate Arena on Survivor Series Sunday, along with friend Frank Shamrock, who stood up for him on Twitter in a tweet to Graves. There’s no word yet on what happened at the arena on Sunday, but Mauro did not work the Survivor Series pay-per-view. Michael Cole noted on commentary that Mauro was so excited and passionate at Takeover the night before, that he blew his voice out. It was also noted that Mauro would be back for NXT TV.

Stay tuned for updates on Mauro’s WWE status and when he might return to work.

Below are the original tweets from Graves:

https://twitter.com/WWEGraves/status/1198414519556562944

Source: Wrestling Inc.

News On Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves Situation

Mauro Ranallo missed Sunday’s WWE’s Survivor Series pay-per-view due to some tweets made by SmackDown color commentator Corey Graves.

Ranallo deleted his Twitter account after Graves tweeted during Saturday’s NXT Takeover: WarGames event that Ranallo did not allow fellow commentators Beth Phoenix or Nigel McGuinness to talk enough, writing, “Just for the record guys, I know you wouldn’t know it, but there’s actually a WWE Hall of Famer AND a former Ring of Honor Champion on commentary. I’d imagine they have a lot to offer.” The tweet is still live.

Graves responded to another Twitter user asking how many Chicago rap references Ranallo had made, to which Graves replied, “Far, far too many.”

According to the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reports that Ranallo has not quit WWE. Everything is said to be fine between Ranallo and WWE, and from Ranallo’s side, he will be back on commentary this Wednesday for NXT.

To explain Graves’ absence from the Survivor Series, Michael Cole mentioned during the show that Ranallo was so passionate about Saturday night’s NXT TakeOver: WarGames event that he blew his voice out.

Cole ended up replacing Ranallo and calling the bout between Adam Cole and Pete Dunne for the NXT Championship. According to Meltzer, WWE was not happy with Graves, although he ended up on commentary later in the night.

https://twitter.com/WWEGraves/status/1198414519556562944

https://twitter.com/WWEGraves/status/1198428291251810304

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mauro Ranallo Reportedly Signs New WWE Contract

Mauro Ranallo recently signed a new deal with WWE.

The contract will keep Mauro as the lead announcer on the WWE NXT brand, according to PWInsider. The terms of the deal were agreed on about a month ago.

The deal will also allow Ranallo to continue working non-WWE gigs in the world of MMA.

Mauro first signed with WWE to work SmackDown in December 2015. He briefly left in April 2017, but returned in June to become the voice of NXT. It was reported then that Ranallo had signed a multi-year deal with the company.

Ranallo has also called the Cruiserweight Classic, and 205 Live for WWE. He does commentary work for Bellator MMA and the Showtime Networks.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mauro Ranallo Expresses Frustration With His Performance

Image result for mauro ranallo nxt

NXT announcer Mauro Ranallo took to Twitter and expressed frustration with his performance at last night’s NXT TV tapings.

Mauro mentioned his car accident from December 23 and wrote, “Like me or loathe me, I pride myself on performing my job at the highest level possible. Tonight, I failed. I know it will come across as an excuse to some but the car accident and other personal issues affected me more than I thought. I apologize to @WWENXT I WILL BE BETTER.”

https://twitter.com/mauroranallo/status/1081017592243019776

Mauro Ranallo Involved In Car Crash, Says Survival Was A Christmas Miracle (PHOTOS)

mauro ranallo car accident christmas miracle

Mauro Ranallo says he was the recipient of a Christmas miracle Sunday night after a car crashed into his vehicle at full speed and he managed to survive.

Ranallo shared photos of the accident scene on Instagram, which shows some pretty serious damage to both vehicles in the front, and wrote: “An Angel was looking over me last night. A car lost control and smashed into me at full speed.”

“Happy to report that no one was seriously injured,” the NXT announcer continued. “I’m still in shock. I guess my work here isn’t done yet.” He then hashtagged the post “Christmas Miracle.”

Photos of the crash scene can be found below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BryWh7ZgO03/

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet