Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves Should Be WWE Raw’s Commentators
By AJ Balano
As the New Era kicks in, WWE perhaps missed a golden opportunity at the next great wrestling commentary duo in Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves
Lost amid all of the Draft news, it was revealed that both Raw and Smackdown would be getting their own respective commentary team. Monday Nights kept longtime voice of the WWE Michael Cole, as well as Byron Saxton, and much to everyone’s surprise, promoted Corey Graves from his usual digs in the NXT commentary table to the bright lights of Raw. Over on Smackdown, Michael Cole’s partner-in-crime, JBL would be seated alongside WWE newcomer Mauro Ranallo, and David Otunga, who has been primarily known for his work on the Raw Pre-show as of late.
It goes without saying that JBL and Cole, the successors of JR and King during the PG Era, are both getting up there in age, and much like every commentary duo before them, it’s only a matter of time before they too will have to step down and pass the torch. Initially, the future of WWE commentating did not look too promising as the company had not really delved deep into figuring out who would eventually replace both JBL and Cole. However, in recent months, it has become clear that the future of play by play and color commentary for WWE resides in the voices of Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves.
Some of Graves’ signatures include an overtly excessive fandom and appreciation for Eva Marie, as well as belting out “KINSHASA!” at the top of his lungs in reference to Shinsuke Nakamura’s finishing move
Corey Graves fell into the role of a color commentator as the result of an unfortunate set of circumstances: a concussion he suffered ultimately prompted WWE and its doctors to suggest to Graves, who was a rising star in NXT, that he would have to prematurely end his in-ring wrestling career. While the news was a sudden, shocking end to a fledgling, promising career, Graves made a quick and almost seamless transition to the commentary table, where he has been the sole constant voice of NXT since late 2014 among a revolving door of commentators including Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, Jason Albert, Alex Riley, before finally settling in with Tom Phillips. Graves’ borderline-heelish, albeit humorous and wildly entertaining approach to color commentary is reminiscent of a tried and true style in JBL’s (knowledgeable and informed of the action in the ring), Jerry Lawler (preferring the heels over babyfaces), and Bobby Heenan (hilarious and creative insults to certain competitors as well as his commentary partner). Some of Graves’ signatures include an overtly excessive fandom and appreciation for Eva Marie, as well as belting out “KINSHASA!” at the top of his lungs in reference to Shinsuke Nakamura’s finishing move, and finally telling his broadcast partner Tom Phillips to shut up.
Ranallo brings a richness in diction as well as encyclopedic knowledge of the holds and maneuvers, much like his predecessors JR and Gorilla Monsoon, something that many criticized Cole for lacking
Mauro Ranallo is newer to the WWE commentary table, although he is a highly decorated and accomplished announcer, calling a variety of sports over the duration of his career, including boxing and MMA. Despite his relatively unknown status to the large majority of WWE wrestling fans, he has slowly become more and more comfortable in the role of the next great WWE commentator and the rightful heir to Michael Cole’s spot on the table. Ranallo brings a richness in diction as well as encyclopedic knowledge of the holds and maneuvers, much like his predecessors JR and Gorilla Monsoon, something that many criticized Cole for lacking during his stint as the voice of the WWE. In addition, Ranallo is extremely in tune with pop culture, frequently making references to other sports and world events while calling the action in the ring. This has resulted in a sweltering favorable opinion of Ranallo and his work from fans on social media, which has grown exponentially since the announcement of his involvement the Cruiserweight Classic, which he calls alongside Daniel Bryan.
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However, in the aftermath of the Draft, the two men find themselves on opposing shows; Ranallo on Smackdown and Graves on Raw. WWE may have potentially missed a perfect chance to give the New Era and its flagship show, Monday Night Raw, the future voices of WWE with Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves as the commentary team. With the way the brand split is set up, the only way we could possibly have such a combination play out is through hypothetical inter-promotional matches between the two brands during the “Big Four” pay-per-views: Wrestlemania, Summerslam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble. As Raw’s Brock Lesnar is set to face Smackdown’s Randy Orton, we may get our chance to hear Ranallo and Graves calling the same match.
Having listened to both of their work and their styles and approach to commentary thus far in WWE, it’s hard to not compare a possible Ranallo and Graves pairing to a modern day Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan, widely regarded as the greatest announcing team in WWE history, even ranking above the venerable and iconic JR and King.
Next: WWE Reveals New Raw and SmackDown Commentary Teams
If WWE is truly serious about overhauling the company from top to bottom in the name of change, perhaps they should reconsider their current commentary configuration and truly put on new voices on the headsets for their flagship show and have Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves give the play by play and color commentary, respectively, to the millions watching around the world moving forward in this New Era.