WWE NXT announcer Mauro Ranallo was a guest on TSN 1040 in Vancouver for Bell Let’s Talk Day and he spoke about his mental health issues.
Ranallo said that the last year was a real struggle for him between turning 50 and his busy schedule. In addition to his weekly duties on NXT, he also calls MMA fights for Bellator and boxing matches for Showtime.
Ranallo said he was hospitalized last summer at UCLA and he continues with intensive treatment from 10 am to around 5 pm when he’s not working.
Ranallo has not been active on social media since last November when Corey Graves criticized the work he did at TakeOver: WarGames. Graves later told people that what he said was playing into the brand vs. brand storyline but others were skeptical of this because he singled out Ranallo and not the other NXT announcers. Graves later issued an apology on his podcast.
Ranallo said the following about Graves and his decision to never get back on social media:
“It was a blessing in disguise. I have nothing really to say about Corey Graves or anyone else in my professional existence in the sense that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, everyone is able to critique everyone the way they would. I would never do something like that to a co-worker but that has been addressed and if anything, I publicly thank Corey Graves because he was the straw that broke the proverbial back in terms of my social media activity and I will say here and now, I have deactivated all of my social media since November and I would implore everyone (laughs) especially those with mental health issues. Social media is so dangerous to those of us with mental health conditions and I know in the media and our everyday lives now people are being hired and fired by their social media followings or the amount of information they post or how popular they are. I think it’s a disease, so out of that situation with my colleague I am no longer on social media, I will never get back on social media.”
h/t Post Wrestling for the transcription.
