I love these videos where WWE trains a camera on Mauro Ranallo as he calls NXT’s big matches. We got the above one for the Aleister Black/Johnny Gargano steel cage showdown which aired on the black-and-yellow brand’s Dec. 19 episode, and it’s another winner.
However you feel about the Bi-Polar Rock ‘n’ Roller (he’s got his detractors, and even though I consider myself a big fan of Ranallo the announcer and a bigger fan of Ranallo the person, I sometimes roll my eyes at the forcing of pop culture references like the Rage Against The Machine doozy from this clip), I don’t know how you can hate on the man’s enthusiasm for his job. Like Jim Ross in his prime, Mauro’s excitement excites me as a viewer. He’s been an unsung hero of making NXT’s long-running Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa program as thrilling as possible.
Speaking of unsung heroes, Percy Watson isn’t mic-ed up in these, but I get a big kick out of watching him squirm around while watching the match. He even reaches for Ranallo’s arm at one point here, like a significant other at a scary movie. It’s great.
And there’s not a MAMMA MIA to be found. But BLACK MASS! BLACK MASS! BLACK MASS!