Tag: Howard Finkel

WOR: Remembering Howard Finkel, Dr. Patel talks COVID-19 in sports

Posted on by Jim Valley

On a Friday Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and I remember WWE and Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame ring announcer Howard Finkel, who passed away on Thursday at 69.

Dave has fond memories of Howard announcing in Madison Square Garden, particularly from the mid 70s to the early 80s. Every time WWE would tour northern California, the two would always speak and he was one of the first subscribers to the Observer newsletter.

From there, it’s the second WOR appearance with Dr. Alex Patel, a critical care doctor and wrestling fan from the Toronto, Canada, region. We talk about the latest on COVID-19 and its effect on MMA, pro wrestling, and the sports world in general.

FYI: Dr. Patel had to share space with his family during the interview and some of the background noise caused interference. 

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WOL: WWE talent cuts update, death of Howard Finkel, Kevin Gill interview

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back today with tons to talk about including the death of Howard Finkel, the greatest of all time, thoughts on his career, more on WWE cutting so many different wrestlers, writers and producers yesterday, plus, after some TECHNICAL ISSUES, Kevin Gill joins the show for his first appearance talking GCW and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WWE’s Howard Finkel passes away at 69 years old

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

One of the most recognizable voices in wrestling history has passed away as WWE announced Thursday that Hall-of-Fame ring announcer Howard Finkel has died at 69 years old.

No cause was given for his death, but his health condition had worsened in recent years.

Finkel was WWE’s first employee after being hired by Vince McMahon Sr. in 1975 for the then-WWWF. The voice of Madison Square Garden house shows, he eventually became the company’s primary ring announcer until 2000 when Lillian Garcia and Tony Chimel took over on Raw and SmackDown, respectively. By the mid 2000s, he was taken off pay-per-views and did mainly voiceovers with occassional appearances throughout the years on various shows while remaining employed as a WWE historian.

Through the years, Finkel got involved in several in-ring angles including one with Harvey Wippleman that culminated in a tuxedo match on Raw and another where he lost to Garcia in a tuxedo/evening gown match, also on Raw.

He also came up with the name “WrestleMania.”

He was inducted into the WWE Hal of Fame in 2009 and the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2018.