Mauro Ranallo Rejoins WWE For NXT Commentary Role
Mamma mia!
Following Mauro Ranallo's departure from Smackdown over the winter, it looked as if his WWE career was over. On Thursday, however, Ranallo announced that he and WWE have come to terms on a deal that will see him join the NXT brand as its lead play-by-play broadcaster.
Ranallo signed with WWE in December in 2015 and the following month, he took over play-by-play duties on SmackDown. Once the show switched to a live format in July of that year, Smackdown's ratings jumped, but Ranallo continued to receive praise as he anchored the show.
In March of 2017, Ranallo took a leave from the company to deal with issues related to his bipolar disorder. News soon broke - and was seemingly confirmed online by Ranallo's close friend, former MMA star Bas Rutten - that bullying from SmackDown color commentary John "Bradshaw" Layfield was responsible for Ranallo's change in health. In April, Ranallo announced that he and WWE had come to terms on his departure, which would take place upon his contract expiry in August.
Ranallo's return to WWE will not affect his role calling the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor boxing match in August, which is expected to rival 2015's Mayweather-Pacquiao fight as the most lucrative combat sporting event in history.