Mauro Ranallo, doesn’t have his toes dipped in, he has jumped in to the waters of MMA, wrestling, boxing and kickboxing.
SmackDown play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo recently participated in a Reddit Ask Me Anything, answering several questions from fans. You can read some of the highlights below, and the full AMA here at this link.
When asked about his favorite thing about being a WWE announcer, he said that it’s the ability to be himself and showcase his personality.
“I get to show all the aspects of my personality,” Ranallo said. “I love the entertainment business, I love sports, I think it allows me to show off more of my character and have fun knowing it’s entertainment as much as athletics. For me it’s the fun and the hype, when it’s done right there’s nothing like it because it takes you on a rollercoaster ride.”
When someone compared him to former WWE announcer and Hall of Famer Jim Ross, Ranallo said that he likes the comparisons and also put Ross over, talking about his talents in WWE. Ross is now doing announcing for New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV, Ranallo’s old wrestling announcing job before heading to WWE.
“Along with Gordon Soley who’s the dean of professional wrestling announcers, JR is one of the best to ever do announcing,” Ranallo said. “He’s a friend, I respect what he’s done in his career but the comparisons don’t bother me because I find it flattering.”
Someone asked him who was more intimidating, WWE owner Vince McMahon or former K-1 World Grand Prix champion Mirko Cro Cop, Ranallo confirmed that Vince wins the intimidation battle.
“Oh man…with all due respect to Cro Cop, Vince McMahon is an intimidating individual because of the amount of respect he commands because of what he’s done for entertainment, turning the business into a billion dollar success story,” Ranallo said. “He rarely sleeps, he’s a workaholic, he’s passionate, he loves what he does. Every week I’m inspired by what he puts into his business. From the moment I arrive at the arena, it’s go time. It brings out the best in you because it comes from the top. But in terms of intimidating, Vince McMahon takes the cake for sure.”
Well known for making any event have a big fight feel, Ranallo also is known for creative calls. One such example is the “uppercut party” that Ranallo calls on SmackDown and on Showtime Boxing. He was asked on which call or phrase is the most creative and responded with the following:
“Fistic fireworks I enjoy, it’s become a staple of my vocabulary,” Ranallo said. “The triumvirate of terror to describe the Wyatt family in WWE is another one.”
Being one of the very few broadcasters to have a successful career announcing, wrestling, boxing and MMA action, Mauro spoke on which of the three had the friendliest athletes and on wrestling being called “fake.”
“You look at the stories and backgrounds and a lot of them come from nothing, but I think in terms of friendliness I’ve yet to meet someone that’s been unfriendly,” Ranallo said. “There’s always different personalities but I have respect for anyone in boxing/MMA/wrestling to put their lives on the lines for fans. The word that really stings me is “fake,” there may be predetermined outcomes but there’s nothing fake about it.”
