Mauro Ranallo joins broadcast team when WWE SmackDown moves to USA Network in January
WWE (NYSE: WWE) announced that veteran announcer Mauro Ranallo will be the new voice of SmackDown beginning Thursday, Jan. 7 when the show moves to its new home on USA Network at 8 p.m. ET.
Ranallo brings nearly 30 years of broadcasting experience, and is currently the play-by-play announcer for Championship Boxing on Showtime and former lead announcer for the Strikeforce MMA promotion.
Earlier this year, Ranallo called the international feed for the historic Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight. Ranallo is the only sports broadcaster to call every major combat sport on national television, including boxing, kickboxing and MMA, as well as helping to launch New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV.
“Joining WWE has always been a lifelong dream of mine,” Ranallo said in a release. “I am thrilled to add my voice to the SmackDownbroadcasts as the show moves to its new home on USA Network.”
With more than 800 original episodes, SmackDown is the second longest-running weekly episodic program in U.S. television history, only behind Monday Night Raw. Over the past 15 years, SmackDown has been broadcast from 170 different venues, in 148 cities, in seven different countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Iraq, Japan, Italy and Mexico. Now the exclusive cable home to WWE’s flagship programs, USA Network will air SmackDown every Thursday night beginning Jan. 7. USA also airs Monday Night Raw live 52 weeks a year.
Prior to joining Showtime, Ranallo was the voice of the Pride Fighting Championships, and spent six years in Toronto where he hosted Canada’s first TV show dedicated to MMA while also hosting a daily combat sports radio show.
Ranallo lives in Los Angeles where he is a social advocate for mental health, an avid hiker and voice artist for commercials, books and film.
- About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms.
WWE programming reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide in 25 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 175 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at
wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
For information on its global activities, go to
- WWE in Florida
The Royal Rumble, one of WWE’s biggest shows, is Sunday, Jan. 24 at Orlando’s Amway Center, home of the NBA Orlando Magic.
The event is already sold-out, but to check if any tickets have been released, go to
The Royal Rumble drop kicks-off the Road to WrestleMania with the winner of the 30-man battle royal earning a WWE World title match at WrestleMania 32 on Sunday, April 3 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
@WWE
@WrestleMania
- Raw in Miami
Tickets are on sale for WWE Monday Night Raw in Miami, the night after the Royal Rumble. The AmericanAirlines Arena, home of the three-time NBA champion Miami, will host Raw on Monday, Jan. 25. It will be broadcast live on the USA Network.
- NXT at UCF
To drop kick off Royal Rumble weekend, NXT TV tapings are Friday, Jan. 22 at the CFE Arena on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando. The CFE Arena is the home of the NCAA Division I UCF Knights basketball team.
WWE NXT is 8 p.m. EST Wednesdays on WWE Network.
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- More WWE in Florida
WWE will be at the Germain Arena, home of the Florida Everblades hockey team, for a super house show (no TV) on Saturday, Jan. 23 in Estero/Fort Myers. Bell time is 7:30 p.m.
WWE visits the Amalie Arena, home of the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning, on Tuesday, Jan. 26 in Tampa for a SmackDown TV taping. Bell time is 7 p.m.
- About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms.
WWE programming reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide in 35 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all 12 live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 170 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at
wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
For information on its global activities, go to
http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
- Pro Wrestling On The Web
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/
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This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 12:27 AM with the headline "Mauro Ranallo joins broadcast team when WWE SmackDown moves to USA Network in January."