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WWE announced today that Howard Finkel has died. The Hall of Fame announcer was 69 years old. The cause of his death was not revealed.
Finkel served as a full-time ring announcer from the late 1970’s until the year 2000, and he is regarded by many as the greatest ring announcer in the history of professional wrestling. His booming delivery of the phrase “and new world champion” has been lovingly imitated by fans for decades.
Not only was Finkel the first official WWF hire in 1980, but according to F4Wonline, he’s also the person who coined the term “WrestleMania.”
Howard Finkel was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2011 he returned to WWE pay-per-view at Survivor Series 2011 as CM Punk’s personal ring announcer at Madison Square Garden, which is where he made his name starting in the late 1970’s.
WWE has provided a photo gallery to help fans remember and celebrate some of Finkel’s best moments in the company.
Please share with us in the comments below your thoughts and favorite memories of Howard Finkel and his incredible career in pro wrestling.