Before we get started, let's put aside all of the bullying rumours for now. This article hasn't been created in order to bash John Layfield, no matter how badly some of you may want to.
At the end of the day Mauro Ranallo is an extremely qualified and impressive commentator, and if he is indeed set to leave the WWE then it leaves a huge gap over on SmackDown Live.
Now, back to the man himself. As many fans are already aware, Mauro's vocal abilities have taken him all over the world during the last two decades. He's commentated on a range of different sports in a range of different settings, and it's that kind of versatility that makes him so invaluable to any promotion who are lucky enough to tie the guy down to a long term deal.
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Have there been a few hiccups? Sure. But despite all that Ranallo has enjoyed a relatively successful WWE career up to this point, and regardless of what many may say, he's already managed to forge a legacy for himself as being one of the most popular voices at the commentary booth in many years.
With that being said, here are five things you didn't know about Mauro Ranallo.
#1 Wrestling background
Whilst Mauro's fandom in terms of professional wrestling is well known, having been a fan since the age of five, not many people are aware of the fact that he's actually been linked at the hip with the sport for a long time now. Starting back at the age of 16, Ranallo was offered a job as an announcer and a manager with All-Star Wrestling in Vancouver.
Following on from that Mauro also worked as a commentator for the highly regarded Stampede Wrestling in Calgary before going on to commentate for KVOS-TV's Top Ranked Wrestling. It's interesting to look back and see how much experience he really does have within the industry, with most people knowing him more for his work in mixed martial arts.
Now to something a little bit more unorthodox.
#2 Local DJ
We can already see the look of utter confusion on your face, but let's clear something up about Mauro's history as a disc jockey. In no way, shape or form was he travelling around Canadian clubs playing house music on Saturday nights. Instead, he was a much more traditional DJ back home in the Great White North.
Ranallo DJ-ed back in Abbotsford, British Columbia for the CKQC-FM radio station. It's not hard to imagine that kind of career path for Mauro when you consider how perfect his voice would be for radio, but thankfully he then chose to pursue alternative passions in the sports world and we're extremely happy that happened.
Onto a partnership that people may not be familiar with.
#3 Cole connection
It's reasonable to suggest that many people probably thought Triple H was the man to bring Mauro in when you consider his history of acquiring talent. Alas as it turns out, it was Michael Cole who first make contact with Ranallo way back in late 2015 regarding the possibility of coming over to work for World Wrestling Entertainment.
Ranallo has stated that he was initially confused when he saw that Cole followed him on Twitter until eventually the Voice of WWE contacted Ranallo and asked whether he'd be interested in pursuing some employment possibilities with the company. The rest, as is so often stated, is history.
We move onto a slightly more sombre topic.
#4 Bipolar disorder
Many people are more than familiar with Ranallo's issues when it comes to depression, but they may not know that he was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 19. The illness began shortly after his close friend passed away, with Ranallo remembering how many mood swings he would encounter at the time.
When it comes to how he's fared since then, nobody can deny how well Mauro has done to bounce back from his illnesses. He's continued to succeed in every single avenue that he's entered into both professionally and personally, and for that, we as fans should admire him.
The Voice of SmackDown's strength goes far beyond the commentary table, and that's a testament to what kind of man he is. We conclude with a more amusing look at his most notable partnership.
#5 Best friend bodyguard
Mauro Ranallo and Bas Rutten have collaborated on a number of different occasions over the years, constantly striving to produce the best MMA-based content for fans all around the world. As such, the two have become close personal friends and we think it's safe to suggest that there is no man we'd rather have as a best pal than Bas.
After all, the Dutchman has an outstanding MMA record of 28 wins and four losses, which includes capturing the UFC Heavyweight Championship back in 1999. Rutten was one of the baddest dudes on the planet for a long time and to this day he's still recognised as one of the most influential mixed martial artists of his generation.
So basically, don't mess with Mauro.
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