In a move that’s as surprising as a plot twist in a soap opera no one’s watching, former TNA head honcho Scott D’Amore has refused to let a little thing like getting fired stop him from making waves in the wrestling world. After being shown the door at TNA (or is it IMPACT? It’s like they’re trying to confuse us on purpose), D’Amore decided to revive the historic Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling—a promotion so old, it probably remembers when wrestling tights were just regular pants.
In an interview with “INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet,” D’Amore revealed that he’s already snagged a big fish for his new venture—none other than former WWE NXT and SmackDown commentator Mauro Ranallo. “I mean, he’s the man,” D’Amore declared, perhaps a little too emphatically. “Mauro’s got a passion for wrestling,” which is a nice way of saying he yells really loudly when people pretend to fight.
D’Amore went on a nostalgic trip down memory lane, recalling how he first met Ranallo 25 years ago in Stampede Wrestling. “I was the bad guy coming in to feud with Sabu, and Mauro was just this young, fresh-faced kid doing play-by-play with Bad News Brown. We’ve been connected ever since,” he reminisced, probably shedding a tear at the memory of simpler times when everyone thought wrestling was still real.
And in case anyone needed reminding, D’Amore praised Ranallo’s credentials in combat sports, because if there’s one thing wrestling fans care about, it’s a guy who can scream enthusiastically during boxing matches. “He loves wrestling. He’s the best. You turned on Showtime for any big boxing fight, or you turned on to watch a lot of the big MMA fights with Pride and everything, Mauro is that voice,” D’Amore said, perhaps forgetting that wrestling fans are more likely to be found watching old Royal Rumble reruns than MMA bouts.
Of course, D’Amore’s sudden exit from TNA left many scratching their heads and wondering what happened. Just days before the Hard to Kill pay-per-view, D’Amore got the boot, proving that in the wild world of wrestling, nothing is sacred—not even a guy who’s been with the company since it had a more recognizable name.