During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Mauro Ranallo discussed the upcoming WWE Brand Split/Draft, wanting to stay on WWE SmackDown, Vince McMahon and more. You can check out some highlights below:
On getting critiques from Vince McMahon: “At first Vince thought, ‘Not everything is WrestleMania,’ but I think he’s learned that’s just me. Everything is WrestleMania to me. I go into calling any match, any fight–I don’t care if it’s the main event or the opener–that these guys have put in their work, they’re here for a reason, and there’s a reason I’m calling this fight, so I do want to give it as much attention and respect and energy as I would the main event or a championship fight.”
On the upcoming WWE Draft: “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t even know if the announcers are going to be part of the draft. I love working with Byron Saxton and Jerry Lawler, and I hope I continue to do so. To be honest, I would love to stay with SmackDown. Michael Cole is the voice of WWE and the voice of RAW. But when we go live, I want to help SmackDown become an ‘A’ show.”
