What’s the story?
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that SmackDown LIVE lead announcer Mauro Ranallo will miss WrestleMania 33 this weekend in Orlando. Ranallo has been absent from the show for the past three weeks due to his battle with depression.
In case you didn’t know...
In addition to SmackDown LIVE, Ranallo is an announcer for many different combat sports events ranging from kickboxing to mixed martial arts. Some of the promotions Mauro currently works with include Showtime Championship Boxing and Glory Kickboxing.
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SmackDown LIVE isn’t his first journey into pro wrestling either as at the age of 16, he was hired by All-Star Wrestling in Vancouver. Just prior to coming to the WWE, he was also the play by play announcer for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
The heart of the matter
Mauro has been staying away from social media at the request of his doctor lately; however, he wanted to update his fans who were genuinely worried about him. He posted the following two tweets over the past week to update his followers:
While Ranallo’s second Tweet itself insinuated that he would be missing WrestleMania 33, Meltzer’s statement has all but confirmed it.
What’s next?
Mauro’s future, at this point, is still up in the air.
Also read: WWE Rumors: JBL's comments about Mauro Ranallo are the likely cause of his current absence
The hope is that he will be able to return for the first SmackDown LIVE after WrestleMania 33, but there have not been any reports confirming that one way or the other. It’s more than likely that Mauro himself will update us on his Twitter account about when he would be coming back to work.
Author’s take
I’ve been a fan of Mauro’s ever since his days with Strikeforce, so if he is not going to be able to be at WrestleMania 33, it will be sad because it would have been such a big moment for him.
With that said, though, his health is the most important thing and WrestleMania is a VERY busy time for everyone in the WWE. Taking it easy and missing this event is probably the best for Mauro.
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