Mauro Ranallo Shoots On Leaving "Mentally Gruelling" WWE

NXT's beloved ex-commentator suffered weekly panic attacks towards the end of his WWE run.

by Jamie Kennedy
Mauro Ranallo
WWE

Mauro Ranallo has described WWE as a "mentally gruelling" place during an interview with Post Wrestling.

The former NXT play-by-plan man, who left the company in August, told interviewers "that’s not necessarily a criticism by any means". In fact, he put over how Vince McMahon had built his empire, but said that WWE's system isn't perfect.

Then, Mauro added, "neither am I".

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Ranallo said that he viewed WWE life as "affirmation of [his] achievements as a broadcaster", and he put over working with both Jerry Lawler and Byron Saxton. He also wanted to praise Triple H for his work in NXT, and thought joining the brand was great for his mental health...at first.

Towards the end of his WWE run though, Mauro found that he was suffering weekly panic attacks before recording commentary for the brand, and admits he wasn't "a great guy to be around" on show days before shooting episodes live either.

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Incredibly, Ranallo admitted that he wasn't digging "what was happening and who was involved" near the end of his tenure with the company. He introspectively wondered if he was the problem, not others.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.