In his "Noise Report" column on SI.com on Sunday, Richard Deitsch reported that Mauro Ranallo will become the new voice of SmackDown when the show moves to the USA Network on Jan. 7.
Ranallo is well known to combat sports fans. He has called MMA, wrestling and boxing matches for years (including calling the international feed for the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao match). Much-maligned WWE announcer Michael Cole is responsible for helping Ranallo land this sweet new gig:
In an interview with SI.com on Friday, Ranallo said Cole, who handles broadcast talent development for the WWE in addition to on-air work, emailed him about a month ago to inquire about his interest in working with the company. Ranallo then sent the WWE some of his broadcast work, including a promotional vehicle he did for Berkshire Hathaway shareholders where Ranallo called a mock fight between billionaire Warren Buffett and Floyd Mayweather. (This was no low-end production: The video was directed by Animal House director John Landis.) The WWE brass, including chairman Vince McMahon, was impressed. "This was an opportunity I did not think I would get at this point of my career and I jumped on it," Ranallo said. "I have been a lifelong fan of the product. Michael said that when Vince saw the Warren Buffet video, it seemed to cinch it. They believed I could sell the entertainment part."
Ranallo will still call GLORY kickboxing and Showtime boxing as part of his new WWE deal, so he'll continue to stay quite busy.
The Canada native has a long connection to professional wrestling. Ranallo got his start in announcing at the age of 16, calling matches for Vancouver's All-Star Wrestling. He also worked for Stampede Wrestling in 1999 and 2000 and most recently was one of the English-language voices for New Japan Pro Wrestling.