The WWE explanation for why commentator Mauro Ranallo was absent from Survivor Series this Sunday was that he blew his voice out calling the previous night’s NXT TakeOver: War Games. However, reports emerged during the pay-per-view that the real reason Ranallo wasn’t on the show had to due with Smackdown announcer Corey Graves’ criticism of his work on Twitter. More details have since been revealed about this incident
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Ranallo is expected to call NXT on Wednesday (which was believed at the time of the initial report as well) and that both the commentator and WWE were upset about Graves’ tweet. Ranallo was reportedly the one who removed himself from the Survivor Series announce team. Meltzer compared this incident to a milder version of the last time another commentator had issues with Ranallo, the situation with JBL in 2017 that many believed temporary drove Ranallo out of WWE, though Ranallo later said it did not.
Graves has responded to this report by tweeting at Meltzer, calling him “you uninformed, false narrative pushing liar. My phone works. You’re a ‘journalist,’ right? You can find my number.” Graves has been a big advocate for solving issues in private rather than in the media or on social media lately and ironically if he took his own advice, it looks like this weekend’s commentator drama probably would not have happened.
