Tony Chimel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tony Chimel |
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Chimel in 2013
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| Born | October 11, 1961 Texas |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Tony Chimel Tony Chimmel |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed from | Willingboro Township, New Jersey |
| Debut | 1983 |
Tony Chimel, born on October 11, 1961, is an American who used to be a ring announcer in professional wrestling. He is now a producer for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Tony is most famous for his many years working with WWE.
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Tony Chimel's Career as an Announcer
Before Tony Chimel became a ring announcer, he worked as a main ring technician for WWE. This meant he helped set up the wrestling rings. He started announcing for the company in 1989. Tony often worked at shows that were not televised or on smaller TV shows. He would also fill in for the main announcer, Howard Finkel, when needed. This included appearing on Raw.
Announcing for SmackDown! (1999–2007)
Tony Chimel was the main ring announcer for SmackDown! right from when it started in 1999. He also announced at SmackDown pay-per-view events from 2002 to 2007. In 1999, he even won a special match against Howard Finkel to earn the SmackDown! announcer job. This was a "tuxedo match," where the goal is to remove your opponent's tuxedo.
In 2004, on Kurt Angle's last day as SmackDown! General Manager, he made Tony apologize to him. After Tony apologized, Angle fired him. However, Vince McMahon quickly hired Tony back.
Fun Storylines and Challenges
From 2005 to 2007, Tony had a small storyline with wrestler Mr. Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy felt that Tony was not announcing his name with enough respect. This led to some funny moments. Tony was once punched, hit in the groin, and even had a doughnut put in his mouth by Kennedy.
On December 22, 2006, Tony announced The Boogeyman as the winner with too much excitement. This caught The Boogeyman's attention. As a result, The Boogeyman forced worms into Tony's mouth! Tony ran away from the ring after that. This storyline allowed Tony to take a break. He needed to rest a back injury and spend time with his family. Another announcer, Justin Roberts, filled in for him until Tony returned on April 13, 2007.
Switching Brands (2007–2015)
In 2007, Tony Chimel and Justin Roberts swapped jobs. Tony became the ring announcer for the ECW brand. Tony also started announcing on WWE Superstars in 2009. When Justin Roberts moved to Raw, Tony returned to SmackDown for a second time. He later went back to ECW when their announcer left, before returning to SmackDown again.
The "Rated-R Superstar" Announcement
During this time, Tony became famous for how he announced Edge. Edge had started calling himself "The Rated-R Superstar." When Tony said "superstar," his voice would often crack. This became a funny running joke on WWE shows. Tony would sometimes appear just to announce Edge.
Tony was moved from SmackDown when Lilian Garcia returned to WWE in December 2011. He then became the announcer for NXT and the SmackDown part of Superstars. Tony announced for NXT until its original show ended.
He also announced for Main Event and WWE live events until 2014. Tony was also the announcer for the short-lived show Saturday Morning Slam. He made brief returns to Raw and SmackDown in 2013 to announce Edge. At a live event in the United Kingdom in 2013, Tony even performed a stunner move on wrestler Curtis Axel! Afterward, one of the Bella Twins gave Tony a kiss. In 2014, Tony was attacked by Alicia Fox during one of her on-screen meltdowns. He also returned to announce Edge and Christian on Raw, Main Event, and SmackDown in late 2014 and early 2015.
Later Appearances and Leaving WWE (2015–2020)
Tony Chimel took a break from announcing on WWE television. During this time, he mostly announced at live events.
He returned to WWE television on December 28, 2015, on Raw. He also appeared at the Fastlane event in 2016 to introduce Edge and Christian. After this, Tony was mainly reserved for introducing Edge whenever he appeared on TV.
Tony returned again on November 15, 2016, for the 900th episode of SmackDown. He did his famous introduction for Edge during a special segment. Tony also announced Edge's name when Beth Phoenix was inducted into the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame.
In his last years with WWE, Tony mainly worked behind the scenes. He was a production manager and part of the ring crew. On November 9, 2020, it was announced that Tony had left WWE on November 6, 2020. He had been on leave since April 2020. This ended his 38 years with the company.
What Tony Chimel Did After WWE
After leaving WWE, Tony Chimel started working at a Trader Joe's store. In April 2023, Tony shared that he was working with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He helps with production during their shows filmed in Orlando.
Tony Chimel in Video Games
Tony Chimel has appeared in several WWE video games. These include:
- WWE Day of Reckoning 2
- WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
- WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007
- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008
- WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009
- WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010
- WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011
- WWE '12
- WWE Wrestlefest
- WWE '13
- WWE 2K15 (as part of special downloadable content)
- WWE 2K16 (for SmackDown! in a special showcase mode)
See also
In Spanish: Tony Chimel para niños
