Former WWE ring announcer Tony Chimel recently spoke with the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast for an interview covering all things pro wrestling. Here are the highlights:
His reaction to being let go by WWE after 38 years with the company:
“I was shocked. I went through all sorts of different phases of getting let go. When the pandemic hit, I was willing to go and travel and do shows and do whatever and just continue to do my job. Obviously, they weren’t running shows all over the country because of that, but they started running shows in Orlando, only two or three hours from where I live now and where I lived. I offered to go there and they were saying, no, they didn’t want me there and things like that. Finally, I got a call saying that I was furloughed and I still offered to go back and work there and do what I was doing and all that and then finally got a call from Kevin Dunn saying that I was being let go.”
He doesn’t believe Kevin Dunn ever liked him:
“I don’t think he ever really liked me. I don’t really have anything bad about him. I’ve gotten two calls from him in my 38 years there, one telling me I was furloughed, the other one telling me I was fired. I don’t hate anybody. I just don’t think that he was, I don’t know, I don’t want to say he wasn’t happy with me because all my bosses were and all of my people that I worked with were. I always had good reviews and things like that. I just don’t think he liked me for whatever reason, I don’t know.
Working with Vince McMahon:
“I always had a good relationship with Vince. Vince was always nice to me. Vince never had a problem with me. Vince would always joke around with me and stuff like that. Vince gave me a career for 38 years. I got no ill will toward Vince or for Vince. He always treated me great and was always nice to me and even stuck by me when I had an issue with one of my bosses a long time ago. He stuck with me and stuck up for me, which I really appreciate and still grateful for to this day.”
His thoughts on if Vince McMahon still has input into the company:
“I do not see Vince sitting on a beach in Florida and not doing anything. He can be retired. That’s fine. I refuse to believe that he’s not having any input in anything in that company. It would be interesting to see if he’s still on the payroll, or he got a severance package, or what goes on with that when you become owner of the company? Is he now not the owner? Does he not now not own any stock? Does he have nothing to do with the company? Does he not talk about business to Steph or Shane or Hunter or anybody? I don’t know about that. That’s his world. That’s his life, that business. He created a great business and he created a great career for me for 38 years. He can be retired or not in the input or not backstage or anything like that. There’s no way I’m believing that he doesn’t have any say or no comments about any of that stuff, or is he getting paid by the company? I don’t know.”
You can listen to the complete podcast below:
