What’s the story?
Rizin recently announced via their social media networks that Mauro Ranallo will be a part of their upcoming event,‘Rizin FF 5: Sakura’:
“Veteran combat sports announcer Mauro Ranallo and legendary MMA pioneer and former middleweight champion, Frank Shamrock reunite for the PPV broadcast of Rizin - live from Yokohama Japan.
The event will air on FITETV on April 16th (Sun) 2:00 am ET / April 15th (Sat) 11:00 pm PT with a 1 month replay.”
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Mauro Ranallo has been missing from several episodes of Smackdown Live. There are rumours that his altercations with JBL have aggravated his mental illness, and he may never return to the show again.
The heart of the matter
Mauro Ranallo has confirmed this booking with this tweet:
He has also commented:
“I believe it’s destiny that I find myself back in Japan at this time, and I can’t wait to call the action in front of the sport’s most knowledgeable audience.”
The absence of Ranallo from the blue brand has deeply affected the WWE Universe. In his support, several fans have been mocking JBL on social media, and they’ve even creating petitions to remove JBL from the broadcast panel and tweeting ‘#FireJBL’.
Also read: Controversy over Mauro Ranallo speaking in interviews
Ranallo is yet to disclose the reason for his absence from WWE. Wrestling Observer reports that the company is trying to sign a contract settlement with the ‘Voice of Smackdown’ to prevent him from speaking publicly about the incident.
What’s next?
Mauro Ranallo’s current WWE contract will come to an end in August 2017. Considering the recent situation, it is unlikely that the contract will be renewed.
Author’s take
It is good to know that Mauro Ranallo has recovered well enough to be a part of the commentary panel. However, the fact that there are no signs of a WWE return indicates that the tensions between the two parties are at an all time high.
Nonetheless, I just hope the best for Ranallo. After all that he had to go through in the past few weeks, it will be pretty exciting to hear him commentate once again.
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