Mauro Ranallo On Why He Parted Ways With WWE

Back in August, Mauro Ranallo and WWE agreed to part ways after four and a half years. The popular commentator was the play-by-play announcer on NXT at the time of his departure.

Ranallo sat down for an interview with John Pollock of POST Wrestling recently and spoke about his departure from WWE.

He said: "I thought Jerry Lawler and Byron Saxton and I had instant chemistry but they made the changes they felt they had to make. It's their company. I've proven I can work with almost anyone as a broadcaster. But, yeah, there were many times where I'm like, 'What is going on here?' Like a four-man booth, an eight-man. There was a picture someone had on Twitter where there were literally eight people on headsets. I get it, but that's not what I want as a commentator. 

"I get these stressful situations; I get the changes on the fly or 'it's just the system there.' But for me and my mental health, even moving to NXT where when we were live it was the best experience I could ask for, and that's a testament to what Triple H and everyone down in NXT has done. I just felt for my own mental health and it was becoming more and more apparent doing the show even from home... It was to the point that I would have panic attacks in the morning of the recordings of the last few months. 

"And I just didn't like, with all due respect, I didn't like what was happening and who was involved. All respect to all announcers, but I also believe in chemistry. And maybe I was the problem. On show day, I'm not a great guy to be around because I'm completely f’n focussed. I'm prepared and I expect everybody else to be the same. And so there was another reason. I'm a play-by-play announcer. I think I'm one of the better ones in the business and I just need to be left alone at times."

He later added: "Like everything else, it just became too much for me and I'm at a stage now where I need to be comfortable. Needless to say, I need to be comfortable. And the only place really right now I'm comfortable is with people that I've known a long time. I've had the longest tenure of my career with Showtime going back to February 2007."