There aren’t too many sports documentaries made about announcers. Typically, documentary subjects tend to focus on the athletes that play the games inside the lines, not those who are speaking into the microphone. But there are many individuals across sports media who are certainly worth getting to know beyond the red lights.One of those individuals is MMA, boxing, and WWE announcer Mauro Ranallo. The fan favorite announcer has built up a cult following over the years thanks to his energetic work calling everything from Pride Fighting Championships to NXT to Strikeforce to Showtime Championship Boxing. And he’s built a successful career all while battling mental health issues.
On May 25th, as part of Mental Health Awareness month, Showtime will air a documentary entitled “Bipolar Rock ‘N Roller” that features Ranallo opening up about his daily battle. Here’s the trailer for the documentary, which features rarely seen clips of Ranallo from the early days of his career in All-Star Wrestling in Canada as a teenager.
And more from Ranallo about the documentary via MMA Weekly:
“I have always tried to do my part to bring awareness to mental health issues,” Ranallo said in a press release. “Over the last several years, I allowed my best friend, Haris (Usanovic), to film me at my lowest points as well as at my highest. The idea is simply to show others who suffer that they are not alone and that, even when the outlook is bleak, you can overcome and achieve success.
This looks like it’s going to be an incredibly powerful program that will certainly be worth setting your DVRs for ahead of time. Even if you aren’t a fan of combat sports or professional wrestling, it’s likely that you know someone in your life that is going through a battle with mental illness.The fact that Ranallo opened up his private life for both the highs and the lows must have taken a lot of courage. Hopefully, the documentary will be an inspiration to those individuals and a teaching tool for others about everyday life with mental illness.
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