NEWS: Mauro Ranallo to Miss WrestleMania

March 29, 2017

NEWS: Mauro Ranallo to Miss WrestleMania

NEWS: SmackDown commentator Mauro Ranallo has missed the last three weeks of WWE SmackDown LIVE due to bipolar disorder, a malady Ranallo has struggled with for years. Ranallo will also miss this year's WrestleMania 33. The SmackDown announcer tweeted the following:

Feeling love from everyone. I am stronger. I want to wish my @WWE family another AMAZING #WrestleMania #KeepUpTheGoodFight #MentalHealth
— Mauro Ranallo (@mauroranallo) March 29, 2017

Ranallo was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was just 19 years old and has struggled with the disease ever since. He recently had the following to say about mental illness,

"I think mental health issues have to be more and more prominent; that’s who I am. I know there is a stigma, and we’re still not comfortable talking about it in our society. You even asked me if I was OK talking about it for this story. I’ve been very open about this for many, many years. I firmly believe that’s who I am and we’re still not comfortable with talking about it in society, but I want to be an advocate. I want to make it easier for people to talk about. I hope that one day we’re still alive when people don’t have to ask and there is no stigma attached to mental illness.”

Ranallo may be correct about a stigma regarding mental illness. The first week Ranallo missed SmackDown, the announcing team said that he was not coming in due to the weather. Then, not knowing that Ranallo was struggling with something as serious as bipolar disorder, Mauro was widely criticized by some of the more prominent names in the wrestling business, including Taz. The following week, the announcing team stated that he was out with an illness, with the implication that it was nothing more than the flu or common cold. On last night's episode of SmackDown, no mention of his absence was made whatsoever.