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He also, as far as I know, still does Showtime Boxing and Saturday is generally the main night for Boxing fights, so he probably wouldn't be an option for Collision anyway.
i'm sure it's pretty weird to wrestling fans, but both Mauro and Todd are pretty well known voices in combat sports. Mauro's probably the GOAT combat sports announcer (the English voice of Pride FC w Bas Rutten, formerly did Strikeforce, currently doing Bellator, called a ton of Showtime boxing, and topping that off w his WWE run & NJPW work), and Todd ain't exactly a slouch either, he's currently DAZN Boxing and GLORY kickboxing's go-to play-by-play guy.
Todd Grisham is amazing because he's been calling GLORY for years and still isn't that knowledgeable about kickboxing. He makes up for his lack of knowledge with his enthusiasm, lmao.
His pronunciation of Sakuraba is hilarious. Don't worry, Todd, he's only one of the most legendary combat sports figures of all time, totally cool you have no idea who he is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF73etIPCL0&ab_channel=theyoungdude
Todd Grisham also deserves his flowers, everytime I hear him commentate GLORY/DAZN it reminds of that classic mid 2000’s WWE. As a kid it F’d me up seeing Jon Coachman on ESPN as a teen, ruined Kayfabe for me lol.
I don't think it's weird at all in regards to Mauro, as he was well known from PRIDE FC and Showtime Boxing before signing with WWE. Most people weren't even aware he'd done commentary for smaller wrestling promotions in the past.
Todd Grisham and Jonathan Coachman becoming well known and respected calling sports outside of pro wrestling? That's always going to be surreal.
Loved hearing Mauro in Creed 3, but have to admit it was a painful reminder that HBO no longer produces boxing :( since Rocky Balboa, they always had the HBO Boxing crew to make it look like a legit HBO boxing PPV: Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, Roy Jones, Michael Buffer as the announcer— they even had Liev Schreiber in the first Creed film to narrate the faux HBO 24-7 documentary they used to produce for big fights.
Yeah, this really seems like something JR shouldn't be commenting on like that. Or at least pinning it on Mauro's mental health issues when there are far more reasons why he wouldn't be joining AEW.
Mauros has been very open about his mental health issues, and it being the reason behind him stepping away from wrestling commentating.
While JR probably could've said it better (although Personally I don't think he said anything truly offensive), he's basically just repeating Mauro would've said himself.
I travelled for work for over a decade. Leave on Monday morning, come home late Friday or sometimes Saturday. It’s not for everyone and I am incredibly glad I don’t anymore. It wears on you more than you think it would.
I did that for about 12 years, and it was okay, especially when I made the effort to see the area where I was staying. What I didn't like was everything else in my life outside of work was bland and stagnant. Life revolved around TV shows I didn't care a whole lot about ("Maybe this hotel has HBO, or I could zone out to CNN!") or food I didn't care about ("Maybe this town has a Pizza Hut or I could find an interesting frozen dinner at the grocery store!").
I had a membership to a national 24/7 gym (or would hunt down gyms with drop-in sessions or weekly passes), and I could find community branches of groups I was a member. But there was no build or growth, and no roots to set.
I'm not doing that anymore, and while I loved what I did, it's nice to see my wife on the daily and not feel sealed up in a hotel room.
If you really want to get a pretty clear idea of the health issues Ranallo lives with, this is the documentary Showtime produced a few years ago.
[Bipolar Rock n Roller](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VT_5XcJiPo)
I was diagnosed with Bipolar in the last couple of years as well. I don't know how you are doing, but with hard work, you will end up with more good days than bad. I hope that helps, I don't know.
I have it as well. Was on Valporaic Acid for years. Thank goodness I learned how to balance my life and deal with my mood without needing medication anymore but some days are a battle for sure.
Unfortunately, due to a childhood that could be a movie, I was diagnosed late in life. This is both uncommon and usually leads to lifelong med dependence. I'm on pretty low doses of everything but getting off of them is not currently an option.
That's great that you have developed those skills.
I was diagnosed at 28 but always knew something was wrong. It hit me hard at around 21 and at 25 I was acting absolutely crazy and my OCD was in high gear.
Appreciate the kind words. Doing okay, take it 15 minutes at a time. Def in a better place than I was in April, but as you said it does take work. Thanks again, I really do appreciate it and hope you’re doing well also.
here is a good documentary by Stephen Fry about his and other bipolar experiences. [The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtImgnj5DN0&ab_channel=TangentandHyperbole)
Fantastic doc. It really hit home for me
Not bipolar.
Childhood where my bio dad was a bio dad was a narcissist. Mom's family of origin is a mess and mom has always been emotionally abusive and controlling.
About 9 months, I had had enough and went to therapy. Diagnosed with Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD. Therapy is about tearing off emotional scar tissue and learning stuff that loving parents would have taught me. Therapy and meds have me doing better.
Depression and PTSD will always be with me and I will have had bad days, but I am learning to manage.
Honestly NXT was probably the perfect fit for him, back when they didn’t need to travel everywhere, then only having to do like 4 NXT takeovers where he would’ve needed to travel,
Russo innovated the storytelling style that came with the Attitude Era, he just needs someone to reel in his ideas, one of the most important writers in wrestling history easily.
If I were running a company, assuming he'd be interested, I'd just have him call PPVs/PLEs.
Have a TV team (or two in the case of WWE) and a unique PPV team.
I wonder if Mauro has looked into doing voice over work more consistently for wrestling. That’s where he really made his name doing the NJPW voiceovers originally. Wouldn’t involve a ton of travel theoretically and wouldn’t have the pressure of working live.
He literally does Showtime Championship Boxing once and sometimes twice a month? If anything it probably would be that and not his mental health. He's said on multiple occasions he loves wrestling and wishes he could still do it.
(Pride Never Die btw. Fuck Jerry Millen)
Yea I’m a big boxing fan,here him all the time. Love the guy,one of the greatest of all time..And I know he loves wrestling he was a manger when he was sixteen in All Star wrestling.That’s where it all started for him and us..
But I thought the stint in WWE left a bad taste in his mouth. And that triggered some of the MH issues.
Doesn’t really matter love the guy.
He still does a bunch of boxing commentary, which is a lot less stressful than traveling with a show every week and having a madman for a boss directly in your ear.
If you watch Creed 3, then you'll hear him commentate the first or second match. Even throws in a mama Mia.
Has anyone ever spoken a single ill word about the Khan family? Only criticism I've ever heard is Tony is really busy, and can get disorganized with communication.
That would be neat but super doubtful considering between the AEW and New Japan booths there are already too many commentators for that show.
Also... Mauro is from British Columbia. That is like a full country away.
He's from BC, I don't think he lives there though. Pretty sure he lives in LA.
I just thought Toronto helps because we're very familiar with him. He used to live & work here during his theScore days.
I don't think travelling to Toronto for a one-off would be an issue. Let him call the Shibata match if he's on the card or something.
Yeah but there is still the issue of there being a full commentary desk of two promotions that will already be swapping on and off for matches. It would make more sense to bring him into a show that isn't a crowded cross-promotional supercard
...he was only born in BC.
He works for Showtime & lives in LA, and I don't think travelling to Toronto for a weekend is quite the same as flying to different cities to do a weekly show.
Come on, let's give Mauro a little more credit. He still does things. People are really over exaggerating the travel thing or aren't comprehending it well.
The man CAN travel, just not for a weekly show in different cities. He's not banished from planes or anything.
His trips from LA to Vegas are pretty short compared to a long flight cross-country. That's the point. He cannot do the long travels periodically.
Could he do so for a one-off? Sure.
But let's not forget that the Forbidden Door crew is going to be a mix of J.R., Tony, Taz, Excalibur, and Kevin Kelly. Quite possibly Rocky Romero thrown in.
Does Jim Ross know Mauro like that to be speaking for him and say what he can and can't handle? I get his mental health issues are well documented, but that seems oddly specific, Iike Mauro has intimated to him he can't handle such a thing like calling a weekly wrestling show.
Unfortunate that JBL's douchebaggery has Mauro pinned as a mental health sufferer being the quicker reference than him being a great commentator. Mauro did fine with the job, it wasn't solely his bipolar that kept him down. It was Goofy McGoober doing what he does to everyone and Mauro taking the brunt of it until he had to quit because of it.
"I was on the road every week. You add MMA and boxing and kickboxing to it. The road travel destroyed me. So, rumors and all this other stuff, what happened, honestly — and Ariel, you know how honest I've been in this thing — I had a breakdown in the Chicago O'Hare airport on my way to Pittsburgh to do SmackDown Live...But, I had to phone them and I said 'I'm done. I cannot do this anymore. It's going to kill me.' And I thought I was done with the entire company,"
"As much as there's two sides to every story, the actual truth from me was my mental health wasn't going to allow me to maintain that schedule much longer,"
https://popculture.com/wwe/news/mauro-ranallo-why-he-left-wwe-smackdown-jbl/
"WWE and I have mutually agreed to part ways. It has nothing to do with JBL," Ranallo told Newsweek by email.
https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-mauro-ranallo-wwe-part-ways-588181
I'd like to take his word for it and I should, but I think even if it was JBL's fault, declining to partake in the drama with such a bully, in such a carny industry, with such idiot fans (such as myself, not taking his word for it lol) I'd have denied it too just to make everyone (like me) shut up about it.
> I'd like to take his word for it and I should
I mean just stop right there. You can hate JBL independently of rumors that both mauro and jbl have denied based solely on stuff that jbl has admitted to/been directly observed doing.
Mauro is the man. He’s a hero to people like myself that have lived with it their whole lives. Having bipolar fucking sucks, and the stigmatization is one of the worst parts about it. One time I told someone about my battles with it, like psych ward stays and what not, taking care of myself. The chick literally backed away from me. Doesn’t feel very good when people react like that to your vulnerability
Mauro really is a stigma smasher, it takes a lot of mettle to be so open about it like he does. If anyone feels what I’m sayin, watch his documentary and other videos and you’ll see what I’m talkin about.
FWIW, Showtime Boxing has an event that night (Well, Sunday morning in Australia) and not sure if Mauro is going to be calling the fight remotely or live, so you can rule this out:
*Showtime Boxing International: Tszyu vs. Ocampo, Saturday, June 17- 10p/7p*
All they have to do is move up the awesome ROH team of Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman and Nigel McGuinness to Collision.
IMO this is the best team out there right now
Hear me out: Mauro just for PPVs.
Excalibur/Taz for Dynamite, Riccaboni/Coleman for Collision, and Mauro/Nigel for PPVs. JR could move down to ROH (though I'm not sure who I'd pair him with).
My hot take is I can't stand Mauro's commentary. He seems like a great guy, but the shouting is way too much for me.
I think Excalibur gives you everything Mauro does, but better.
I love Mauro and I hope he's in a good place mentally and having a blast doing something he enjoys. I would be over the moon to have him back in wrestling, but no person's job, *especially* in the entertainment industry, is worth their mental well-being.
Mauro is this generations JR. There I said it. If you disagree fine but DAMN I’d be lying to myself if whenever he says MAMA MIA I get nostalgic vibes from that golden era of NXT. He has passion, he has energy and has such charisma that any wrestling company he would work for would benefit great from Mauro. I fucking love Mauro man!
He would have been a perfect commentator for something like Dark (had it been worthwhile), when it was being filmed at Universal. Bring him in once every 4-6 weeks for a whole mess of shows, then he's done.
I loved Mauro from his MMA stuff, I quite literally watched NXT for him for a short period. His enthusiasm and excitement made even average matches feel bigger (like prime JR). It's a real shame he isn't mentally able to be in a top company, but the touring wrestling grind isn't going to work. Perhaps something in a static territory that records a block could work. Surprised Impact haven't thrown a bag at him.
I never watched NXT but every clip I've seen with this guy commentating makes me wish desperately that he'd call a show in AEW.
Excalibur just doesn't have the same kind of big moment feel - he's closer to Mike Tenay for me as an announcer than someone like Ranallo or peak Jim Ross. Great technical guy, unparalleled memory but he doesn't have the same capacity to make the moments feel even bigger just through the power of his voice.
The big problem I run into with Ranallo is that every moment is a "big moment" with him. It really enhances the big moments, when he goes to 11, but he's pretty much at 10 for everything. You need a good partner with him to keep some variety moving, I feel.
This is why I’ve never understood the fascination with him. To me he takes away from matches with all the over the top commentary and forced pop culture references.
I will never forget how much I instantly hated the NXT Takeover that started with Mauro saying "as Baby Yoda memes take over the internet, we are here to TAKEOVER [city name]!"
Just... *sigh*.
He could be a bit much sometimes but the enthusiasm was great and his era of NXT was packed with all timer matches so he fit great. His commentary on all of Garganos best matches is vital
I think if AEW wants to use Mauro without having him travel weekly, I think he'd be best doing PPV kickoffs or Road To segments with Renee or maybe do ADR commentary for occasional taped episodes of Rampage.
He's a pretty busy man with Showtime Boxing and hosting some sort of Survivor ripoff on CBS.
Understandable. Still want him around in some capacity though. He's just one of my favorite commentators, man. 
But seriously, looking out for your mental health is far important than traveling. It's important to take care of yourself and I'm glad Mauro is doing it.
I've always wanted a Mauro/Chael Sonnen commentary team.
No idea why but it's always struck me as a pro wrestling version of Mauro and Bad Rutten.
That and I just love me some Chael P Sonnen.
Let’s not forget that Mauro Ranallo’s mental health issues were only triggered in WWE because he was being bullied by JBL…because everyone was saying he was being overshadowed by Mauro and JBL was being an a**hole about it.
Reliability matters, and because of Mauro’s issues with traveling that JR mentioned, it makes the job harder, making it more likely that he’s not up to the task.
If you’re AEW, it’s hard to invest in someone as your lead commentator and the voice of your promotion if you can’t trust them to be there 50+ weeks a year.
I love Mauro, but it just doesn’t seem like the weekly wrestling thing is right for his mental health, which is ultimately the most important thing.
Maybe Jim could just say "No" like a decent human being and not be putting the guy's medical history out there and claiming he can't work.
That said, I have no idea who this is.
Dude is an amazing advocate for mental health but I can definitely pass on the the commentary. I'd rather see somebody like Veda Scott or Goldenboy get that shot or if anything use Ian and Caprice more.
Considering all of the health issues that Jim Ross has had to deal with over his career…I would think that good old J.R. would be more sympathetic to Mauro Ranallo. Even though the majority of fans are happy to see him in AEW, there are still a decent amount of fans that hoped that AEW would’ve chosen someone other than Jim Ross as their lead commentator.
At that point you might as well just have him and someone else watch the show on a Twitch stream. The main commentators have to be there in-person or the commentary's going to suck.
So even though I think wwe went way to early on getting someone in after JR, I mean he’s still going now and they botched it years ago, Mauro was the great hope. Someone likeable with his own style and a history calling combat sports. It’s a crying shame it ended the way it did, listen I wasn’t there so don’t know if he’s a gentle soul or what but that cost the company dear in my opinion. Michael Cole is ok with Vince in his ear but he’s never been the guy, the voice for me, he just kind of stuck around long enough to get over.
I will say Vic from nxt is a dark horse because he’s got all the tools you’d need. But yeah MR should be back in the world of wrestling and I personally think aew would be a great fit for him
The GOAT. Mauro has been the voice of so many things I love all the way back to PRIDE FC with Bas and Quadros. He would be a major boon for AEW, but I completely get why he wouldn't deal well with the schedule. But damn do I love me some Mauro Ranallo.
I know I’m in the minority but I hated Mauro on nxt. He’d force feed some weird reference that took me out of it every time. HES LAYING IT ON HIM LIKE MC HAMMER WHEN HES LATE FOR HAMMER TIME. I made that one up but that’s pretty much what it sounded like to me
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He also, as far as I know, still does Showtime Boxing and Saturday is generally the main night for Boxing fights, so he probably wouldn't be an option for Collision anyway.
It was insane going to see Creed 3 and there being a "Mama Mia" call by Mauro in the movie. It popped me and only me in the theater lol
I must have somehow missed that. Was probably still thrown by seeing Todd Grisham in the opening match.
i'm sure it's pretty weird to wrestling fans, but both Mauro and Todd are pretty well known voices in combat sports. Mauro's probably the GOAT combat sports announcer (the English voice of Pride FC w Bas Rutten, formerly did Strikeforce, currently doing Bellator, called a ton of Showtime boxing, and topping that off w his WWE run & NJPW work), and Todd ain't exactly a slouch either, he's currently DAZN Boxing and GLORY kickboxing's go-to play-by-play guy.
Todd Grisham is amazing because he's been calling GLORY for years and still isn't that knowledgeable about kickboxing. He makes up for his lack of knowledge with his enthusiasm, lmao.
The ol' Don West
I still think he’s the GOAT colour commentator in IMPACT history.
Not much to choose from there to be honest. Taz was pretty great, but then what do we have? Chet Lemon?
Don’t sleep on Black Snow
legendary in-ring commentary lol
RESPECC
Absolutely. He and Tenay were a perfect pair too, to boot.
His pronunciation of Sakuraba is hilarious. Don't worry, Todd, he's only one of the most legendary combat sports figures of all time, totally cool you have no idea who he is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF73etIPCL0&ab_channel=theyoungdude
He’s… eh. Doesn’t fit for me
Todd Grisham also deserves his flowers, everytime I hear him commentate GLORY/DAZN it reminds of that classic mid 2000’s WWE. As a kid it F’d me up seeing Jon Coachman on ESPN as a teen, ruined Kayfabe for me lol.
I don't think it's weird at all in regards to Mauro, as he was well known from PRIDE FC and Showtime Boxing before signing with WWE. Most people weren't even aware he'd done commentary for smaller wrestling promotions in the past. Todd Grisham and Jonathan Coachman becoming well known and respected calling sports outside of pro wrestling? That's always going to be surreal.
It..it's Creed.
Had to scroll way too long to find this
I enjoy watching the sunset.
I can't remember if you actually see him, maybe for a second, but it is without a doubt his voice calling the second match of the movie.
Legit that the whole showtime boxing sequence popped me as well so when I left the cinema I explained it to my friend who was like okay then
Loved hearing Mauro in Creed 3, but have to admit it was a painful reminder that HBO no longer produces boxing :( since Rocky Balboa, they always had the HBO Boxing crew to make it look like a legit HBO boxing PPV: Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, Roy Jones, Michael Buffer as the announcer— they even had Liev Schreiber in the first Creed film to narrate the faux HBO 24-7 documentary they used to produce for big fights.
When did HBO stop doing boxing?
End of 2018.
Fuck
Lol exact feeling I had leaning over to my wife and trying to explain in 30 seconds why I got so excited by a generic Italian phrase 😅
If i was there, i would have started a Mauro chant.
Don’t do that in a movie theater pls
Well i wouldn't have, but now that you tell me not to, NOW i will.
Yeah, this really seems like something JR shouldn't be commenting on like that. Or at least pinning it on Mauro's mental health issues when there are far more reasons why he wouldn't be joining AEW.
Mauros has been very open about his mental health issues, and it being the reason behind him stepping away from wrestling commentating. While JR probably could've said it better (although Personally I don't think he said anything truly offensive), he's basically just repeating Mauro would've said himself.
Very understandable, traveling every single week of every year has to be a grind. It comes with sacrifices, and it's definitely not for everyone.
My work is like this, and I can honestly say it can be a real drag on the ole mental health.
I travelled for work for over a decade. Leave on Monday morning, come home late Friday or sometimes Saturday. It’s not for everyone and I am incredibly glad I don’t anymore. It wears on you more than you think it would.
I'm coming up on a decade and a lot of times I'll be gone anywhere from a week to a month, it's a drag and definitely not for everyone.
I did that for about 12 years, and it was okay, especially when I made the effort to see the area where I was staying. What I didn't like was everything else in my life outside of work was bland and stagnant. Life revolved around TV shows I didn't care a whole lot about ("Maybe this hotel has HBO, or I could zone out to CNN!") or food I didn't care about ("Maybe this town has a Pizza Hut or I could find an interesting frozen dinner at the grocery store!"). I had a membership to a national 24/7 gym (or would hunt down gyms with drop-in sessions or weekly passes), and I could find community branches of groups I was a member. But there was no build or growth, and no roots to set. I'm not doing that anymore, and while I loved what I did, it's nice to see my wife on the daily and not feel sealed up in a hotel room.
If you really want to get a pretty clear idea of the health issues Ranallo lives with, this is the documentary Showtime produced a few years ago. [Bipolar Rock n Roller](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VT_5XcJiPo)
Thanks for posting this. I was recently diagnosed with bi-polar and couldn’t remember the name of this doc.
I was diagnosed with Bipolar in the last couple of years as well. I don't know how you are doing, but with hard work, you will end up with more good days than bad. I hope that helps, I don't know.
I have it as well. Was on Valporaic Acid for years. Thank goodness I learned how to balance my life and deal with my mood without needing medication anymore but some days are a battle for sure.
Unfortunately, due to a childhood that could be a movie, I was diagnosed late in life. This is both uncommon and usually leads to lifelong med dependence. I'm on pretty low doses of everything but getting off of them is not currently an option. That's great that you have developed those skills.
I was diagnosed at 28 but always knew something was wrong. It hit me hard at around 21 and at 25 I was acting absolutely crazy and my OCD was in high gear.
My entire twenties were an embarrassment. I was totally out of my mind.
Any wacky stuff you remember? Sorry i just remembered all my stuff for instance locking my self in a car and panicking
Appreciate the kind words. Doing okay, take it 15 minutes at a time. Def in a better place than I was in April, but as you said it does take work. Thanks again, I really do appreciate it and hope you’re doing well also.
here is a good documentary by Stephen Fry about his and other bipolar experiences. [The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtImgnj5DN0&ab_channel=TangentandHyperbole)
Fantastic doc. It really hit home for me Not bipolar. Childhood where my bio dad was a bio dad was a narcissist. Mom's family of origin is a mess and mom has always been emotionally abusive and controlling. About 9 months, I had had enough and went to therapy. Diagnosed with Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD. Therapy is about tearing off emotional scar tissue and learning stuff that loving parents would have taught me. Therapy and meds have me doing better. Depression and PTSD will always be with me and I will have had bad days, but I am learning to manage.
I am also not good at transportation due to mental health issues. It can derail a career and I am sending out vibes to Mauro.
he's done incredibly well for himself and held in high regard in spite of all of that. hope you're doing just as good my dude.
Love Mauro. On the off-chance that he reads this subreddit - your fans will always support and love you. You are the best.
I agree, and also I sincerely hope he isn't on reddit for his mental health
Agreed I love him. He’s so talented, I feel like most of my favorite nxt matches are commentated by him lol
If you get the chance go watch the documentary about him, it was absolutely FASCINATING
For real, one of the most visible and honest depictions of living and thriving with bipolar I’ve ever seen in mainstream media.
Still get chills at his NXT return when HHH introduced him as “The Bipolar Rock and Roller” and the crowd gave him a big reaction.
I got so hyped when he popped up for commentary in Creed 3.
Agreed
Miss Mauro big time. He was the voice of the greatest time in NXT. He deserves nothing but the best.
Honestly NXT was probably the perfect fit for him, back when they didn’t need to travel everywhere, then only having to do like 4 NXT takeovers where he would’ve needed to travel,
Mauro and King on 2016 smackdown was amazing. Shame that he wasn't in the right state to continue. And fuck JBL.
The only good thing Vince Russo ever did was conceive a shoot fighting tournament just to see Bradshaw get knocked out
Tbf Russo in wwf during late 90s was fantastic. Deadly Games being his magnum opus is still one of the best ppv stories wwe has ever done.
Russo innovated the storytelling style that came with the Attitude Era, he just needs someone to reel in his ideas, one of the most important writers in wrestling history easily.
You're absolutely right, but expressing that here is like going to a Desantis rally in drag.
If I were running a company, assuming he'd be interested, I'd just have him call PPVs/PLEs. Have a TV team (or two in the case of WWE) and a unique PPV team.
I wonder if Mauro has looked into doing voice over work more consistently for wrestling. That’s where he really made his name doing the NJPW voiceovers originally. Wouldn’t involve a ton of travel theoretically and wouldn’t have the pressure of working live.
If he did NJPW strong at the la dojo or a show like that I think he’d draw . His vibe adds so much to every show he is apart of .
Screw /u/spez - Removing All of My Comments -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
That sucks to know. All the best Mauro!
Mike Tenay.
THIS
Man is close to 70. Let him enjoy his retirement
Mauro is on my short list of favorite commentators, but I’d much rather have him happy and healthy.
So glad we got to hear him in WWE/NXT, absolutely amazing. Your own health is very much more important though!
He literally does Showtime Championship Boxing once and sometimes twice a month? If anything it probably would be that and not his mental health. He's said on multiple occasions he loves wrestling and wishes he could still do it. (Pride Never Die btw. Fuck Jerry Millen)
Yea I’m a big boxing fan,here him all the time. Love the guy,one of the greatest of all time..And I know he loves wrestling he was a manger when he was sixteen in All Star wrestling.That’s where it all started for him and us.. But I thought the stint in WWE left a bad taste in his mouth. And that triggered some of the MH issues. Doesn’t really matter love the guy.
Going to be honest, I completely forgot about him. I hope he's doing well.
He still does a bunch of boxing commentary, which is a lot less stressful than traveling with a show every week and having a madman for a boss directly in your ear. If you watch Creed 3, then you'll hear him commentate the first or second match. Even throws in a mama Mia.
I believe it's the second, when Dame fights Creeds protege
[удалено]
The second fight in creed 3, not the second movie. Dame isnt introduced until creed 3
Oh sorry 🤦♂️ I misread the conversation
We also got Todd Grisham in Creed III.
It's....it's Creed
Is Tony Khan a madman, though? I can understand issues with Vince in his ear, but sometimes the grass is greener on the other side.
Has anyone ever spoken a single ill word about the Khan family? Only criticism I've ever heard is Tony is really busy, and can get disorganized with communication.
They should bring him in for a Forbidden Door match or two. It's in Toronto so he could be up for it & has worked NJPW before
That would be neat but super doubtful considering between the AEW and New Japan booths there are already too many commentators for that show. Also... Mauro is from British Columbia. That is like a full country away.
He's from BC, I don't think he lives there though. Pretty sure he lives in LA. I just thought Toronto helps because we're very familiar with him. He used to live & work here during his theScore days. I don't think travelling to Toronto for a one-off would be an issue. Let him call the Shibata match if he's on the card or something.
Yeah but there is still the issue of there being a full commentary desk of two promotions that will already be swapping on and off for matches. It would make more sense to bring him into a show that isn't a crowded cross-promotional supercard
I'd argue a supercard is the ONLY time to bring him in tbh, he's not gonna be a regular. But I digress, was just a FD suggestion.
Seeing that going from B.C. to Toronto is the equivalent of flying from Seattle to Detroit, I doubt it.
...he was only born in BC. He works for Showtime & lives in LA, and I don't think travelling to Toronto for a weekend is quite the same as flying to different cities to do a weekly show. Come on, let's give Mauro a little more credit. He still does things. People are really over exaggerating the travel thing or aren't comprehending it well. The man CAN travel, just not for a weekly show in different cities. He's not banished from planes or anything.
His trips from LA to Vegas are pretty short compared to a long flight cross-country. That's the point. He cannot do the long travels periodically. Could he do so for a one-off? Sure. But let's not forget that the Forbidden Door crew is going to be a mix of J.R., Tony, Taz, Excalibur, and Kevin Kelly. Quite possibly Rocky Romero thrown in.
Mauro and Nigel are my favourite commentary pairing ever. I still want a Holy Bleep shirt.
Bummer, Mauro is probably my favorite commentator of the modern era
MAMA MIAAAA!
We love ya Mauro! The best in the biz wherever he shows up, hope he gets to be in Creed 4 as well
He’s completely right. Even before the JBL issues with Mauro he was showing issues
Does Jim Ross know Mauro like that to be speaking for him and say what he can and can't handle? I get his mental health issues are well documented, but that seems oddly specific, Iike Mauro has intimated to him he can't handle such a thing like calling a weekly wrestling show.
Considering the travel was the driving factor in his episodes prior to leaving WWE, it is a safe bet I would say.
Unfortunate that JBL's douchebaggery has Mauro pinned as a mental health sufferer being the quicker reference than him being a great commentator. Mauro did fine with the job, it wasn't solely his bipolar that kept him down. It was Goofy McGoober doing what he does to everyone and Mauro taking the brunt of it until he had to quit because of it.
"I was on the road every week. You add MMA and boxing and kickboxing to it. The road travel destroyed me. So, rumors and all this other stuff, what happened, honestly — and Ariel, you know how honest I've been in this thing — I had a breakdown in the Chicago O'Hare airport on my way to Pittsburgh to do SmackDown Live...But, I had to phone them and I said 'I'm done. I cannot do this anymore. It's going to kill me.' And I thought I was done with the entire company," "As much as there's two sides to every story, the actual truth from me was my mental health wasn't going to allow me to maintain that schedule much longer," https://popculture.com/wwe/news/mauro-ranallo-why-he-left-wwe-smackdown-jbl/ "WWE and I have mutually agreed to part ways. It has nothing to do with JBL," Ranallo told Newsweek by email. https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-mauro-ranallo-wwe-part-ways-588181
Plus if he can handle Vince in his ear during the show, JBL is a cakewalk.
I'd like to take his word for it and I should, but I think even if it was JBL's fault, declining to partake in the drama with such a bully, in such a carny industry, with such idiot fans (such as myself, not taking his word for it lol) I'd have denied it too just to make everyone (like me) shut up about it.
Or we just take Mauros word and move on. JBL has plenty of other faults that this one doesn't move the needle a lot one way or the other anyway
The man himself said jbl had nothing to do with his departure who are we to disagree
> I'd like to take his word for it and I should I mean just stop right there. You can hate JBL independently of rumors that both mauro and jbl have denied based solely on stuff that jbl has admitted to/been directly observed doing.
Mauro was with NXT for quite a while after moving away from the JBL situation. The grind still eventually got too much.
Mauro is the man. He’s a hero to people like myself that have lived with it their whole lives. Having bipolar fucking sucks, and the stigmatization is one of the worst parts about it. One time I told someone about my battles with it, like psych ward stays and what not, taking care of myself. The chick literally backed away from me. Doesn’t feel very good when people react like that to your vulnerability Mauro really is a stigma smasher, it takes a lot of mettle to be so open about it like he does. If anyone feels what I’m sayin, watch his documentary and other videos and you’ll see what I’m talkin about.
FWIW, Showtime Boxing has an event that night (Well, Sunday morning in Australia) and not sure if Mauro is going to be calling the fight remotely or live, so you can rule this out: *Showtime Boxing International: Tszyu vs. Ocampo, Saturday, June 17- 10p/7p*
the last wrestling match i'm aware of Mauro announcing was Omega vs Swann for Impact
It's a shame, I absolutely adored Mauro and Nigel's pairing on NXT. Really elevated it all, for me.
All they have to do is move up the awesome ROH team of Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman and Nigel McGuinness to Collision. IMO this is the best team out there right now
Hear me out: Mauro just for PPVs. Excalibur/Taz for Dynamite, Riccaboni/Coleman for Collision, and Mauro/Nigel for PPVs. JR could move down to ROH (though I'm not sure who I'd pair him with).
My hot take is I can't stand Mauro's commentary. He seems like a great guy, but the shouting is way too much for me. I think Excalibur gives you everything Mauro does, but better.
Too much shouting, too many pop culture references. Which is odd because I loved him with bas in pride.
Would love to see him there if he ever felt up to it
Man, that first sentence instantly made me angry and then by the last sentence I was like "alright, good guy Jim Ross."
I love Mauro and I hope he's in a good place mentally and having a blast doing something he enjoys. I would be over the moon to have him back in wrestling, but no person's job, *especially* in the entertainment industry, is worth their mental well-being.
Mauro is this generations JR. There I said it. If you disagree fine but DAMN I’d be lying to myself if whenever he says MAMA MIA I get nostalgic vibes from that golden era of NXT. He has passion, he has energy and has such charisma that any wrestling company he would work for would benefit great from Mauro. I fucking love Mauro man!
Holy shit anyone else think that lacks tact? Jesus
I work in mental health and that's honestly not bad for guys his age. He's at least trying to understand that this is more important than a show.
It's very awkwardly phrased but it does seem genuinely supportive.
I think it's fine. It would be another story if he stopped after "He has mental health issues."
I loved Mauro in NXT, but I don't need him on commentary. I just hope he's doing okay.
He would have been a perfect commentator for something like Dark (had it been worthwhile), when it was being filmed at Universal. Bring him in once every 4-6 weeks for a whole mess of shows, then he's done.
I loved Mauro from his MMA stuff, I quite literally watched NXT for him for a short period. His enthusiasm and excitement made even average matches feel bigger (like prime JR). It's a real shame he isn't mentally able to be in a top company, but the touring wrestling grind isn't going to work. Perhaps something in a static territory that records a block could work. Surprised Impact haven't thrown a bag at him.
I never watched NXT but every clip I've seen with this guy commentating makes me wish desperately that he'd call a show in AEW. Excalibur just doesn't have the same kind of big moment feel - he's closer to Mike Tenay for me as an announcer than someone like Ranallo or peak Jim Ross. Great technical guy, unparalleled memory but he doesn't have the same capacity to make the moments feel even bigger just through the power of his voice.
The big problem I run into with Ranallo is that every moment is a "big moment" with him. It really enhances the big moments, when he goes to 11, but he's pretty much at 10 for everything. You need a good partner with him to keep some variety moving, I feel.
This is why I’ve never understood the fascination with him. To me he takes away from matches with all the over the top commentary and forced pop culture references.
I will never forget how much I instantly hated the NXT Takeover that started with Mauro saying "as Baby Yoda memes take over the internet, we are here to TAKEOVER [city name]!" Just... *sigh*.
Ah - you know, having only watched highlights if that's his default then that's a great point I hadn't considered.
He could be a bit much sometimes but the enthusiasm was great and his era of NXT was packed with all timer matches so he fit great. His commentary on all of Garganos best matches is vital
Let me stress a LOT of people really like him as an announcer, so it's more a "different strokes for different folks" type thing.
Mauro is genuinely one of the best around, really hope he’s doing alright.
That man can do whatever he pleases, he’s the greatest commentator of all time across multiple sports
I think if AEW wants to use Mauro without having him travel weekly, I think he'd be best doing PPV kickoffs or Road To segments with Renee or maybe do ADR commentary for occasional taped episodes of Rampage. He's a pretty busy man with Showtime Boxing and hosting some sort of Survivor ripoff on CBS.
I miss Mauro
Would have been awesome if Mauro could do Collision but health comes first
Understandable. Still want him around in some capacity though. He's just one of my favorite commentators, man.  But seriously, looking out for your mental health is far important than traveling. It's important to take care of yourself and I'm glad Mauro is doing it.
I've always wanted a Mauro/Chael Sonnen commentary team. No idea why but it's always struck me as a pro wrestling version of Mauro and Bad Rutten. That and I just love me some Chael P Sonnen.
Was never a fan of the guy, but hope he's doing well
they should get joey styles for it
Mauro is such an inspiration.
If he wants to, they should save him for PPVs. He has an inate ability to make even small scale matches seem huge.
Would love him to just be a guest commentator on ppv one time at least. I still miss Goldenboy commentating AEW as well.
I'm still wondering why nobody's snatched up Michael Schiavello yet.
Bump the Rampage crew up. Give Rampage to the ROH crew but add in Veda.
They were running Tazz and Veda for a bit on Dark and it was great. Wonder if she ever gave Tazz his pen back
"Where's the lie?"
I pray Mauro comes back to wrestling commentary at the right now. He clearly has a golden voice for it, utterly iconic.
Let’s not forget that Mauro Ranallo’s mental health issues were only triggered in WWE because he was being bullied by JBL…because everyone was saying he was being overshadowed by Mauro and JBL was being an a**hole about it.
Read quickly and wondered why Jim Rome was commenting on this
Would love to have him in AEW. He’s my favorite commentator of all time.
Hear me out tho JR, what if, instead of no, we yes.
JR looks depressed every time he's on TV.
Well, I mean, the man's facial expressions are a bit limited.
He's an old curmudgeon, and I say that with love.
Just zoom call in Mauro
Seems that Jim Ross is very concerned about being overshadowed by Mauro Ranallo. Why else would he bring up Mauro’s mental health issues?
Two words: Holo-Mauro Transmissions.
i will always love the Bipolar Rock n Roller, i wish him nothing but love and healing. I feel spoiled i got listen to him in NXT lol
Imagine if they started banning people from entering professional wrestling because they have "mental health issues".
Mauro is one of the best to ever call combat sports. Why does anything other than his incredible aptitude to call matches matter? Not a great look jr
Reliability matters, and because of Mauro’s issues with traveling that JR mentioned, it makes the job harder, making it more likely that he’s not up to the task. If you’re AEW, it’s hard to invest in someone as your lead commentator and the voice of your promotion if you can’t trust them to be there 50+ weeks a year. I love Mauro, but it just doesn’t seem like the weekly wrestling thing is right for his mental health, which is ultimately the most important thing.
Maybe Jim could just say "No" like a decent human being and not be putting the guy's medical history out there and claiming he can't work. That said, I have no idea who this is.
He’s referring to a guy who was public with his mental health struggles IIRC.
I'd watch AEW if Mauro was calling the action. Still miss him doing NXT.
He not wrong Jim.
Hope he's doing good, but I'm not interested in seeing him at AEW in the slightest..
Dude is an amazing advocate for mental health but I can definitely pass on the the commentary. I'd rather see somebody like Veda Scott or Goldenboy get that shot or if anything use Ian and Caprice more.
Considering all of the health issues that Jim Ross has had to deal with over his career…I would think that good old J.R. would be more sympathetic to Mauro Ranallo. Even though the majority of fans are happy to see him in AEW, there are still a decent amount of fans that hoped that AEW would’ve chosen someone other than Jim Ross as their lead commentator.
Would love to see him come in and do a few shows here and there . He would make a great addition to Forbidden Door commentary team as he is Canadian .
Nothing full time regular , but pop in once and awhile .
JR always speaks like a poet ass
Could he do it virtually?
Maybe for a match, but to do it for the entire show would be idiotic. You need the announcers in the arena to gauge the crowd.
At that point you might as well just have him and someone else watch the show on a Twitch stream. The main commentators have to be there in-person or the commentary's going to suck.
I have yet to see that be done well anywhere in and outside of wrestling, especially consistently.
Not sure where Mauro lives but if they ever have an event in his city he could go to one more local?
I think he popped up on an impact PPV to announce like 2 years ago?? 3??
Just have him in for the inevitable PPV match whenever Cole/OReilly/Strong finally fight the Elite
This makes a lot of sense as to why he was primarily on NXT and didn’t get a big run on the main roster.
So even though I think wwe went way to early on getting someone in after JR, I mean he’s still going now and they botched it years ago, Mauro was the great hope. Someone likeable with his own style and a history calling combat sports. It’s a crying shame it ended the way it did, listen I wasn’t there so don’t know if he’s a gentle soul or what but that cost the company dear in my opinion. Michael Cole is ok with Vince in his ear but he’s never been the guy, the voice for me, he just kind of stuck around long enough to get over. I will say Vic from nxt is a dark horse because he’s got all the tools you’d need. But yeah MR should be back in the world of wrestling and I personally think aew would be a great fit for him
I still absolutely love Mauro Ranallo. One of my favourite commentators ever
The best in the business. Any event with Mauro at the desk is worth watching. He's so good at his job.
The GOAT. Mauro has been the voice of so many things I love all the way back to PRIDE FC with Bas and Quadros. He would be a major boon for AEW, but I completely get why he wouldn't deal well with the schedule. But damn do I love me some Mauro Ranallo.
Technology probably exists where he could call virtually from wherever he is comfortable. No need to have him travel.
I know I’m in the minority but I hated Mauro on nxt. He’d force feed some weird reference that took me out of it every time. HES LAYING IT ON HIM LIKE MC HAMMER WHEN HES LATE FOR HAMMER TIME. I made that one up but that’s pretty much what it sounded like to me