Mauro Ranallo on WWE SmackDown Having a Different Feel In 2016, His First Day at Work with WWE, More

– New WWE SmackDown lead announcer Mauro Ranallo, who starts calling the action in January on the USA Network, just spoke with Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report. The full interview is at this link. Below are highlights:

Getting the job with WWE and his first day, at Monday’s RAW:

The way this came about was really humbling. To receive an email from Michael Cole about a month ago, who is now not only a peer, but someone I will be leaning on over and over again to learn the lay of the land. To be welcomed by Vince McMahon and Triple H and Stephanie and everyone.

I’ve only been here a few short hours, my first day on the job, and everyone has made me feel like a family member instantly. To see someone like Renee Young, whom I worked with in Toronto and to see the smile on her face as I went to give her a hug—it’s truly a fairy tale. It’s unbelievable; it truly is.

If it’s everything he wanted and the first meeting he had:

You visualize it and work to set yourself up for these kinds of opportunities. And when they come to fruition—I’m like a kid at Christmas. I’m just walking around here with my mouth agape that I’m part of this incredible entertainment entity. …

It’s surreal. Being involved in my first meeting, obviously I can’t go into details, but I have a real good feeling about all of this. I feel really, really good and really emboldened by what I’ve seen and their attitude and their vision for the future. I think we’re not only entering a new era on USA, but in WWE. I think people will be pleasantly surprised.

SmackDown in 2016 on the USA Network and if it will have its own energy & vibe::

I’m getting that feeling. It’s a brand-new platform, and it’s great to have both programs under one umbrella at the USA Network. I get the sense they want to make it kind of a hybrid between Raw, the flagship show with all the storylines and great performances from our Superstars in the ring, and what’s happening in NXT. That’s really been a phenomenon, and I’m a huge proponent of that style of storytelling.

I think if SmackDown can become a hybrid of the two, we’ll have a winning formula regardless of who’s on the microphone. But since it’s going to be me, I love that it’s playing to my strengths. I think they want to set us all up to succeed. It’s going to be a new look and a new sound with the move to USA on Thursday, January 7.

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