5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (June 23)

1. Mauro Ranallo Is Back!

Triple H Bobby
WWE.com

And now for some happier (but no less shocking) news.

It was announced deep into Thursday evening that Maura Ranallo is making an inexplicable and unforeseen return to WWE to provide commentary duties on the NXT brand.

This is the absolute perfect scenario for all involved. Ranallo struggled to acclimatise to the WWE bubble, by many accounts, because he was smart and different and vilified for that. He was brought into WWE to differentiate SmackDown from RAW, only for Vince McMahon to then bemoan his work for being different. Ranallo was trapped in the paradox, his struggles with bipolar disorder exacerbated by the well-documented and entrenched bullying culture at WWE's core.

In the close-knit NXT community, which exists outside of that bubble, one would hope that Ranallo can carry out his duties in a more welcoming environment. Moreover, this isn't Vince's baby, so Ranallo's many fans can expect the unregulated vintage of the Cruiserweight Classic, which benefitted so much from his (and Daniel Bryan's) passion and enthusiasm. The studious and exhaustive Ranallo is also well-positioned to get even the lesser lights of NXT over.

In WWE, whose officials have even told us that victories don't matter, this is a rare and heartwarming win/win.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!