Mauro Ranallo Not Expected To Make WWE Return
The former voice of SmackDown has likely called his last WWE match.
It looks like Mauro Ranallo's run as lead announcer on WWE SmackDown and 205 Live is over. Having last appeared on the March 7th episode of both shows, Ranallo isn't expected to return to WWE television before his contract expires on August 12th, 2017, according to a new report from CBS Sports.
Mauro's absence was initially attributed to adverse weather conditions that hit America on the week commencing March 13th. When he missed the following show, WWE stated that Mauro was suffering from illness, and it was later revealed that he had been sidelined with depression - a condition he has struggled with since his teenage years.
The story has snowballed, with recent reports alleging that ribbing from broadcast partner JBL triggered Ranallo's latest battle with depression. Regardless, Mauro deleted all mention of his WWE affiliation from his Twitter accounts last week, wiped a number of WWE-related retweets, and noted that he'll be commentating on a number of forthcoming boxing and MMA events.
WWE wouldn't confirm Mauro's extended absence, but mentioned his contract's expiry date in a statement to CBS. Tom Phillips has inherited his play-by-play role on SmackDown, and all the evidence suggests we've seen the last of Mauro in WWE.