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RIP Lance Russell


soup23

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For me, tied with JR as greatest announcer of all-time. And maybe gets an edge because he also was so great at conducting interviews and holding the show together.

 

One of my all-time favorite wrestling memories is driving from Chicago to Memphis for the sole purpose of shaking Lance's hand. Here's the pic - https://twitter.com/SeanReedy16/status/512937649431388160.

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My favourite announcer ever. One of my favourite segments they ever ran in Memphis was when Curt Hennig had - I think - just lost the AWA belt to Lawler and came down to the studio demanding Lawler come out and face him. The longer it went without Lawler showing up the more aggressive Hennig got, and it reached the point where he even put his hands on Lance. The way Lance played his part in it was the perfect straight man performance and when he loses his own composure and calls Hennig a hoodlum I lose it every time. He was the very best. And I agree with Childs that he was as big a part of what made Memphis Memphis as Lawler or Dundee or anybody else.

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When Heenan passed, I was thinking of all the old timers we still have and I thought of Lance. I can't believe he was in his 90's. As mentioned, he was still sharp. And if you had the pleasure of meeting him, he was one of the nicest guys you'll ever talk to.

 

I'm paraphrasing here, but the 605 Podcast mentioned how the Memphis TV show wasn't just a wrestling show, It was Lance's show. This normal guy was dropped into an insane world and part of the appeal was how he reacted to the weekly chaos. And his reactions were priceless.

 

We will miss you Lance!

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When Heenan passed, I was thinking of all the old timers we still have and I thought of Lance. I can't believe he was in his 90's. As mentioned, he was still sharp. And if you had the pleasure of meeting him, he was one of the nicest guys you'll ever talk to.

 

I'm paraphrasing here, but the 605 Podcast mentioned how the Memphis TV show wasn't just a wrestling show, It was Lance's show. This normal guy was dropped into an insane world and part of the appeal was how he reacted to the weekly chaos. And his reactions were priceless.

 

We will miss you Lance!

I believe one of our fellow posters here (or maybe at DVDVR) compared him to Kermit trying to maintain order during an episode of the Muppets. I've spent hundreds of hours watching Memphis TV and never did it feel like a waste of time if Lance and Dave were announcing, even 1980 stuff which was a weird year creatively. They were the most warming and welcoming figures, poor guys always just wanted a nice clean morning of pure wrestling matches, and it never seemed to work out that way. Memphis is my favorite TV show ever and so much of it was Lance and Dave, there's never been an announce team that was as important.

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I'm devastated to hear of another legend lost.

Goodbye Lance Russell, the Greatest Wrestling Announcer of All Time, hands down. A broadcaster and TV station head for nearly 30 years. Called the action in Memphis, Louisville, and Lexington. An absolute fixture of Tennessee rasslin' and someone who brought a new level of dignity to everything he touched. Some of my favorite wrestling lines are Lance Russell lines. He was the cornerstone of every great TV angle, every Tupelo Consession Stand Brawl, every Jerry Lawler strap-down comeback. He was basically the best Grandfather a Wrestling Kid could have.

RIP BANANA NOSE

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One of the ways I try to think of announcers in a comparative light is to imagine one calling matches in other areas outside of their home or most familar territories. Lance Russell is one of the few that would I think enhance a match in any area he was in and making the call.

 

RIP to him and codolences to his family.

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I'm happy he lived to a ripe old age and that he got to hear from a younger generation how much they appreciated his work. He was always such a gentlemen when he'd appear on a podcast and completely down to earth. He may have been a performer on Memphis television but he had no gimmick other than being himself. He had a wonderful voice and thankfully his work will always be there for people to enjoy.

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