Mauro Ranallo joins WWE as the new voice of SmackDown

[Prince Bálor]

As first reported by Sports Illustrated, WWE announced that veteran announcer Mauro Ranallo will be the new voice of SmackDown beginning Thursday, Jan. 7, when the show moves to its new home on USA Network at 8/7 C. Bringing nearly 30 years of broadcasting experience, Ranallo is the current play-by-play announcer for Championship Boxing on Showtime and former lead announcer for the Strikeforce MMA promotion.

Earlier this year, Ranallo called the international feed for last May’s historic Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight. Ranallo is the only sports broadcaster to call every major combat sport on national television, including boxing, kickboxing and MMA, as well as helping to launch New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV.

“Joining WWE has always been a lifelong dream of mine,” said Ranallo. “I am thrilled to add my voice to the SmackDown broadcasts as the show moves to its new home on USA Network.”

With more than 800 original episodes, SmackDown is the second longest-running weekly episodic program in U.S. television history, behind only Monday Night Raw. Over the past 15 years, SmackDown has been broadcast from 170 different venues, in 148 cities and in seven different countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Iraq, Japan, Italy and Mexico. Now the exclusive cable home to WWE’s flagship programs, USA Network will air SmackDown every Thursday night beginning Jan. 7. USA also airs Monday Night Raw live 52 weeks a year.

Prior to joining Showtime, Ranallo was the voice of the Pride Fighting Championships, and spent six years in Toronto, where he hosted Canada’s first TV show dedicated to MMA while also hosting a daily combat sports radio show.

Ranallo lives in Los Angeles where he is a social advocate for mental health, an avid hiker and voice artist for commercials, books and film.

Source

Feel free to move it to SD section.

Awesome! Now, bring in Josh, then fire Lawler and send Rich back to NXT and we're good!

 

[CM Punk]

Looks like the whole crew from Right After Wrestling on The Score is finally in WWE. (Renée Young, Kyle Edwards, Jimmy Korderas previously worked for the E and now him.)

 

[The GOAT]

This dude has the perfect voice for commentary. Love him. Now let's see how well he does with Vince yelling in his ear every ten seconds.

 

[Leo C]

Great.

 

[Rogue]

Why Smackdown? Raw is the one that needs the major commentary overhaul.

 

[Prince Bálor]

Because SD is where all the fun happens :smirk2:

 

[Zany Clowny]

That's cool. I hope he transitions to RAW.

Also, I hope to God they don't make him feel uncomfortable with the insane micromanagement. No Joey Styles 2.0 pls.

 

[CM Punk]

Looks like the whole crew from Right After Wrestling on The Score is finally in WWE. (Renée Young, Kyle Edwards, Jimmy Korderas previously worked for the E and now him.)

I remember watching this gem live. Think he did a few more Right After Wrestling's then he was either kicked off or left.

 

[Prince Bálor]

 

[Prince Bálor]

Source: Bleacher Report

New WWE SmackDown lead announcer Mauro Ranallo, who starts calling the action in January on the USA Network, just spoke with Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report. The full interview is at this link. Below are highlights:

Getting the job with WWE and his first day, at Monday's RAW:

The way this came about was really humbling. To receive an email from Michael Cole about a month ago, who is now not only a peer, but someone I will be leaning on over and over again to learn the lay of the land. To be welcomed by Vince McMahon andTriple H and Stephanie and everyone.

I've only been here a few short hours, my first day on the job, and everyone has made me feel like a family member instantly. To see someone like Renee Young, whom I worked with in Toronto and to see the smile on her face as I went to give her a hug—it's truly a fairy tale. It's unbelievable; it truly is.

If it's everything he wanted and the first meeting he had:

You visualize it and work to set yourself up for these kinds of opportunities. And when they come to fruition—I'm like a kid at Christmas. I'm just walking around here with my mouth agape that I'm part of this incredible entertainment entity. ...

It's surreal. Being involved in my first meeting, obviously I can't go into details, but I have a real good feeling about all of this. I feel really, really good and really emboldened by what I've seen and their attitude and their vision for the future. I think we're not only entering a new era on USA, but in WWE. I think people will be pleasantly surprised.

SmackDown in 2016 on the USA Network and if it will have its own energy & vibe::

I'm getting that feeling. It's a brand-new platform, and it's great to have both programs under one umbrella at the USA Network. I get the sense they want to make it kind of a hybrid between Raw, the flagship show with all the storylines and great performances from our Superstars in the ring, and what's happening in NXT. That's really been a phenomenon, and I'm a huge proponent of that style of storytelling.

I think if SmackDown can become a hybrid of the two, we'll have a winning formula regardless of who's on the microphone. But since it's going to be me, I love that it's playing to my strengths. I think they want to set us all up to succeed. It's going to be a new look and a new sound with the move to USA on Thursday, January 7.

Hope things change for/on SmackDown in 2K16. #TeamOptimism

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Loved him in strike force