NXT commentator Mauro Ranallo will not be present to call the action for this week’s episode of NXT on USA Network, according to John Pollock of POST Wrestling.
Ranallo was originally set to return to announcing duties following his time away from this Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. Ranallo was missing from the show following comments made by Corey Graves. The SmackDown announcer had taken to Twitter to criticize Ranallo’s commentary during NXT TakeOver: WarGames. Announcer Michael Cole replaced Ranallo for NXT’s feature matchups. He explained how Ranallo had been too passionate the night before and had blown out his voice.
In the wake of Graves’ criticisms, Ranallo deleted his Twitter account. It was reported that WWE and Ranallo believed he would be returning to work this Wednesday night. There has allegedly been communication between them over the past few days, with a decision ultimately being made to allow Ranallo time away from the desk. At the time of writing, there is no word on if he will return for next week’s episode.
In case you missed it, Graves lobbied some critical feedback towards Ranallo, suggesting he was talking all over his NXT teammates. He wrote on Twitter:
“Just for the record guys, I know you wouldn’t know it, but there’s actually a WWE Hall of Famer AND a former Ring of Honor Champion on commentary. I’d imagine they have a lot to offer. #NXTTakeoverWarGames” He also noted how he had made “Far, far too many” references to the Chicago hip-hop scene.
Ranallo is an open, active mental health advocate. He has previously documented his own personal battles in his well-received documentary, Bi-Polar Rock’ N’ Roller.
