Quotes from Mauro Ranallo

I was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder at 19, which I thought would derail my career. Thankfully, I was able to get help and continue the path, and I think, for me, the buzzword is perseverance.

My 20s were gone, my 30s were recovery, my 40s is where I am self-sufficient.

I love to consume information of all kinds, and I think that also hopefully helps with my broadcasting, that I always try to bring up a fact that maybe will connect to a person who's not a big fan, or maybe a pop culture reference.

Vince McMahon is an intimidating individual because of the amount of respect he commands because of what he's done for entertainment, turning the business into a billion dollar success story. He rarely sleeps. He's a workaholic. He's passionate. He loves what he does.

I was as much at first probably against Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather as anyone else but... as soon as I turned off the purity of the combat sports thing, this is a business. Guys, we're all trying to make a living, we're all trying to entertain people and guess what, it's the second-biggest PPV in history regardless of how you feel about it.

I'm not a fan of my own work. People ask why I do it, but it's because I actually love what I'm doing in the moment. I live for it. It's a release.

I believe every one of us has a gift, I believe every one of us human beings has a path in this life, and it is up to each of us, through circumstance, through knowledge, through awareness, through luck - and luck does play a huge part - to hopefully achieve that path and walk the path and realize the gift.

I know, to some, I am always a little over the top, but that's just who I am, and I'd rather be that way than monotone or less than scintillating in my presentation.

Everything is WrestleMania to me.

Pride was a date night - the cool thing to do at the time - so people were dressed to the nines, and they got quite an experience, visually and otherwise. It was Cirque du Soleil meets the Super Bowl meets WrestleMania meets your favorite rock n' roll concert.

The titles aren't merely props in New Japan. They're actually the focus of the company, and that's how it should be if you're going to be in this world, this business. After all, it is professional wrestling. It is presented as an athletic competition, and the titles should mean something.

I would say Chael Sonnen would be a natural for professional wrestling.

Some of the brightest, most creative minds have been touched by mental illness.

There is so much to be celebrated about mental illness. I do believe that there is something to be said about the truly artistic, the truly brilliant, those of us who have been 'touched by fire' that should be celebrated, not stigmatized.

I was brought into the life of one Bas Rutten in 2001 at a grappling tournament that I was attending to support a friend of mine. I had never met Bas before but, of course, knew who he was: the King of Pancrase, UFC Heavyweight champion, and the commentator with Pride.

My first full-time radio job at 21, I was there for only a couple of months before I was hospitalized. I wrote a resignation letter. My dad wouldn't give the letter to my boss at the time.

In New Japan, it is kept very simple. It's about proving to the other man or woman that you are the better person. And guess what? It's about championships.

I'm a highly intelligent, highly articulate, very empathetic, down-to-earth person. But man, my thoughts are incredibly dark. Incredibly dark.

I don't think there's a good or wrong way of broadcasting. The more unique you are, the more opportunities you're going to get.

One of my first heroes was Jim Robson, the hall-of-fame broadcaster with the Canucks and Hockey Night in Canada, and Jim Ross with the WWE and Howard Cosell was a big influence on me.

WWE, in the back of my mind, was always the dream job, and most people don't get their dream jobs.

I know I'm not everyone's cup of tea, and not everyone is going to approve of me being in WWE, but I guarantee every Thursday on 'Smackdown' you're going to get the most prepared and the most passionate broadcast that I'm capable of giving you.

Joining WWE has always been a lifelong dream of mine.

All I can say is that WWE and its entire machinery has been nothing but a joy to work with. I'm not just saying that because I'm paid to or that I'm a member of the company. I have criticized WWE in the past, but I am still a big fan of the product.