Mauro Ranallo missing NXT TakeOver: XXX was only a one-off in order for the commentator to be with family, as per all original reports.
Triple H succinctly summed up the story during a post-show media call. Vic Joseph anchored the show alongside regular colour analyst Beth Pheonix and special guest Corey Graves. The 'Saviour Of Misbehaviour' was on the call for the original TakeOver in 2014, and was a fixture in the black-and-gold booth before his call-up to the main roster in 2016.
Speaking on the changes at the desk, Hunter said: "Mauro just wasn't available tonight...since we announced 'TakeOver: XXX', Corey Graves did commentary on the first one (TakeOver), and he'd been wearing me out on doing commentary for this one since we first mentioned it, and Mauro's not available. And here we are. I thought he did a phenomenal job. I thought he, Vic and Beth did an amazing job. I thank him for being here, and thank him for wanting to be here because, like I said, he did the first one. It was so meaningful to him. Just him getting done last night and big day tomorrow."
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast.
He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.
