How Mauro Ranallo
Became the Most Trusted Voice in Wrestling, Boxing, and MMA
By Chris Sabga
"Mamma Mia!"
That is Mauro Ranallo's
catchphrase and rallying cry. When he unleashes it in the middle of a
heated wrestling match, you know he's excited about the action in the
ring. He's bouncing with energy, and taking the fans right along with
him.
Listening to Mauro's
creative commentary and infectious enthusiasm, it would be easy to
mistake him for a happy-go-lucky guy who is always smiling and full
of joy. In reality, every day is an exhausting mental and emotional
struggle for Mauro Ranallo.
Showtime's "Bipolar Rock 'N'
Roller" takes a hard look at Mauro's battle with bipolar
disorder. The documentary's depiction of the disease is as raw and
real as it gets. No attempt is made to ease the audience into it or
smooth out the rough edges. The film is intentionally
uncomfortable.
We've
all heard stories about
people drifting aimlessly through their 20s. Mauro Ranallo's
circumstances during those
years were far more serious and dire. He spent his entire 20s
in and out of mental
institutions. His first breaking point came after the sudden
shock of his best friend's death at the
all-too-young age of 19. For
Mauro, it was like losing a brother.
Among
the tragedies, there are also many triumphs. Early
footage
of a teenage Mauro as a heel
(bad guy) motormouth for a
local wrestling show in Vancouver
is great fun to watch. In
general, combat sports – pro wrestling, boxing, and mixed
martial arts – would become
a safe haven for Mauro Ranallo.
Floyd
Mayweather vs.
Conor McGregor was a "dream
match" between
a boxer and an MMA fighter that fans
of both sports clamored for and debated endlessly.
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso
Ciampa was a slow-burning,
smoldering, bitter rivalry between former tag team partners that
diehard
wrestling fan couldn't wait to see. Mauro Ranallo was the voice of
both.
Mauro
Ranallo's
bombastic commentary style is
often the subject of discussion. His love of language and steady
stream of pop culture references are two of his unmistakable
trademarks. The reason: merely "calling the fight"
is anathema to Mauro, as we see in one scene where he berates himself
for doing too much
paint-by-numbers play-by-play during one event. His goal, he
explains, is always to be a storyteller
and entertainer. Through tireless research and copious notes, he
constantly strives to be as creative as possible.
Bipolar
disorder used to be referred to as manic depression, and it's obvious
that the "manic"
side aids his commentary at times. WWE
released
footage of Mauro's "priceless
reactions" during the Gargano-Ciampa match. He can barely
sit still.
Treatment
for bipolar disorder is covered
at length in the documentary,
including – surprisingly – marijuana, which Mauro freely admits
is his medication of choice.
His reasoning make sense: When he would ask doctors how or why
certain pills, doses, and combinations worked, they were often
unsure. Because he had no way of knowing exactly what he was putting
into his body or what it would do to him, he felt more comfortable
treating his mental illness
with marijuana.
Some
would say that Mauro Ranallo succeeded
despite bipolar
disorder, while others would
argue that his
greatest successes may very well be because
of the disease. Both
are true and neither are true. It's more complicated than that. What
cannot be debated, however, is the common denominator in both of
those statements: his success. Because
"Bipolar Rock 'N Roller"
never sugarcoats Mauro
Ranallo's struggles or
minimizes the realities of mental illness, his
success story ultimately
serves as a
message of hope.
