Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Bas Rutten was a guest on The Luke Thomas Show on SiriusXM Rush this week, and gave a brief update on the status of his friend Mauro Ranallo. Rutten noted that Mauro, who has missed the last two week’s of WWE Smackdown television tapings, is doing “okay” and is expected to be back to work soon.
“He’s doing okay. As everybody knows – he’s very vocal about it – Mauro is bipolar. Sometimes, a couple of times a year, things are going too fast and he simply just needs to slow down.” … “I think he will be back very soon.”
Ranallo was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive illness, in 1989 at the age of 19. He has since become a strong advocate for mental health awareness and wellness through his many careers, as well as his generally busy social media accounts. When he missed the first of two Smackdown tapings in early March, and went radio silent on Twitter, many began expressing their concerns for the pro wrestling and boxing announcer. Breaking his silence after 10 days, Mauro tweeted out the following on Thursday:
I’m deeply touched by your tweets of support. My doctor wants me to stay off social media for now but I wanted to thank you.
— Mauro Ranallo (@mauroranallo) March 24, 2017
Author’s Note:
I just wanted to explain briefly, for those who may not understand why something like bipolar disorder could keep a high-profile announcer like Mauro out of work for several weeks, and how dangerous and blatantly ignorant some of the negative remarks from his colleagues in the industry have been. As someone also diagnosed with the mental disorder, I can tensity to the extreme duality it creates in a person.
At first glance I would guess Mauro leans towards the “manic” end of the spectrum, which is what gives him the seemingly endless supplies of energy to work so many jobs and side projects at once. A typically “normal” brain may be able to work a single 40-50 hour work week under moderate stress; a bipolar brain set to “manic”, in my own experience, can mean sleeping 1-2 hours per day without tiring, for weeks on end, feeling physically uncomfortable if I’m not constantly moving or engaging with something. But once that switch is flipped into the “depressive” state, the shift on your mental state can be pretty drastic. Personally my sleep schedule will go from 10 hours total in one week, to 14 hours in one day. Your ambition, energy, everything is sapped from you, and feelings of hopelessness, extreme emotional highs and lows, and even suicidal tendencies are common.
Bipolar disorder is not the same for everyone afflicted however, and I wouldn’t dare speak for someone like Mauro and what he may or may not be going through currently. Some gravitate towards the manic state, others tend to stay in a more depressive state; some switch between the two every week, while others may go years without feeling that unease. If you’re interested in learning more, I would start with the incredibly well-written piece on Mauro Ranallo by Joseph Santoliquito on our sister website Sherdog.com, entitled “Mauro Ranallo: Battling a Stigma”.
