David Penzer

Last updated

David Penzer
DavidPenzer (cropped).JPG
Penzer in 2017
Born (1966-05-22) May 22, 1966 (age 57)
The Bronx, New York, New York, U.S.
Education University of Florida
Occupation(s) Realtor, podcaster, ring announcer
Organization(s)Global Wrestling Alliance
(1988–1993)
World Championship Wrestling
(1993–2001)
Impact Wrestling
(2006–2010, 2017, 2020–2023)

David Penzer (born May 22, 1966) is an American professional wrestling ring announcer. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 to 2001, and Impact Wrestling from 2006 to 2010 and then return from 2020 to 2023. Outside of ring announcing, he is also a realtor and hosted the podcast Sitting Ringside.

Contents

Early life

Penzer attended the University of Florida. While there, he operated a mobile disc jockey company.

Announcing career

Global Wrestling Alliance (1988–1993)

Penzer debuted as a ring announcer in 1988, appearing with the Global Wrestling Alliance in the South Florida metropolitan area.

World Championship Wrestling (1993–2001)

Penzer first became involved with World Championship Wrestling around mid-to-late 1993 or early 1994 while acting as a booking agent for Floridan jobbers who appeared at WCW events. He was eventually hired by Tony Schiavone in 1995 and was mentored by Gary Cappetta. When Cappetta was released from WCW in 1995, Penzer was appointed main ring announcer by WCW President Eric Bischoff. His announcing attire was notable in that, rather than the traditional black, Penzer often wore a vibrantly colorful cummerbund with his tuxedo.

Penzer's place at wrestling events was usually restricted to announcing; however, in late 1997, Chris Jericho found himself on a losing streak and would repeatedly attack Penzer for announcing the winner's name, often taking Penzer's steel chair and repeatedly bash it against the ring post. Jericho would then give humorous apologies and even gave Penzer a new suit jacket as a gift, yet he would once again throw a tantrum soon after. [1] Penzer remained with WCW until the promotion was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation in March 2001. In the course of his WCW career, he attended every single taping of WCW Monday Nitro as well as Thunder .

Post-WCW (2001–2005)

Following the sale of WCW, Penzer worked with the Xcitement Wrestling Federation until it closed. He then began working on the independent circuit as a booking agent, in addition to acting as the manager of Rowdy Roddy Piper's book tour and appearing with the short-lived World Wrestling All-Stars promotion. In 2001, he was the ring announcer for the main event of a NWA Florida show where Steve Corino defeated Mike Rapada to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. [2] In 2004, he became Vice President of an airbrush tattoo company.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2006–2010)

DavidPenzer-1.JPG
Penzer at No Surrender 2008.

In 2006, Penzer joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a ring announcer, making his debut on the pre-show of Against All Odds pay-per-view on February 12, 2006, replacing Jeremy Borash, who became a backstage interviewer in the process.

On the October 16, 2008 edition of TNA Impact! , Kurt Angle beat up Penzer and then put the Ankle lock on him. [3] Penzer was legitimately injured as his face became swollen. [4] Jeremy Borash took over ring announcing duties for the rest of the night.

On May 16, 2010, Penzer was released from TNA as a cost cutting measure, with Borash returning to his previous position. [5] Penzer's final show during this tenure was the May 13, 2010 edition of Impact!.

Returns to Impact Wrestling (2017, 2020–2023)

Penzer at Slammiversary XV. Dave Penzer (35203871063).jpg
Penzer at Slammiversary XV.

Penzer returned to Impact Wrestling as a ring announcer at the April 21 Impact Wrestling television tapings, replacing Rockstar Spud. [6] He was the ring announcer for much of 2017 up until Bound for Glory in November. In December 2017, Penzer announced on his Sitting Ringside podcast that he would not return to Impact Wrestling in the near future due to their ongoing budget cuts.

Penzer was supposed to be the ring announcer for the TNA: There's No Place Like Home pay-per-view before it was called off due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [7] However, Penzer later got signed full-time, making his second return to the company, starting in March 2020 at the Impact! tapings in Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, Georgia, where he also did commentary work with Scott D'Amore for the TNA on AXS TV special, which was a preview broadcast for the aforementioned pay-per-piew. [8] In addition to becoming the ring announcer once again for Impact Wrestling, Penzer also became the host of the weekly interview segment Around the Ring on Impact! Xplosion beginning with the May 23 edition. [9]

Penzer's ring announcing for Impact is mostly done with him outside the ring except for some championship matches where he introduces in-ring the participants after their entrances. During several months in 2021, Moose used this method to his advantage after he declared himself TNA World Champion at Rebellion and would instruct Penzer to introduce several of his matches in-ring as championship matches to validate his reign. [10]

On December 10, 2023, Penzer confirmed his departure from Impact Wrestling during Final Resolution, before the company rebranded back to TNA. He was replaced by Jennifer Chung. [11]

Post-wrestling career

In 2014, Penzer became a real estate agent in the Tampa, Florida area with Exit Elite Realty.

In 2017, Penzer began to appear regularly on the YouTube channel THE HANNIBAL TV , recalling his experiences in wrestling or interviewing other stars on their experiences. It was the first time in seven years he was seen in the wrestling business.

In April 2024 Penzer published the first of a two volume memoir titled Sitting Ringside.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Bischoff</span> American wrestler and television producer (born 1955)

Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and subsequently, the on-screen General Manager of WWE's Raw brand. During his time in WCW, Bischoff was known as “Easy-E.” Notwithstanding the standing of that moniker, in other circles he is best known as nothing more than “B-Dawg”. Bischoff has also worked with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) where he served as Executive Producer of Impact Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Nash</span> American wrestler (born 1959)

Kevin Scott Nash is an American retired professional wrestler, podcaster and actor, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is also known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Wrestling All-Stars</span> Australian professional wrestling promotion

World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company. WWA was one of several promotions to come into existence shortly after the closings of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The company was in existence from October 2001 to May 2003.

<i>TNA Impact!</i> American professional wrestling TV program

TNA Impact!, is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) that debuted on June 4, 2004. The series currently airs on AXS TV in the United States, owned by parent company Anthem Sports & Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWF Invasion</span> 2001 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WWF Invasion was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on July 22, 2001, at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. This event was initially planned to be the fourth Fully Loaded PPV, as it was advertised at the King of the Ring event, which immediately preceded Invasion, although the decision to replace Fully Loaded was made in May. Invasion was the first pay-per-view to feature the ongoing Invasion storyline, which featured wrestlers from the WWF taking on The Coalition, a combined force of wrestlers from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), later known as The Alliance. The event featured WWF wrestlers facing WCW and ECW wrestlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SoCal Val</span> American professional wrestler and manager

Paige Nicole Mayo is an American professional wrestling valet, occasional professional wrestler, interviewer, ring announcer, model and ringside attendant who is better known by her ring name SoCal Val.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Borash</span> American wrestling announcer (born 1974)

Jeremy Borash, is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, and producer, currently working for WWE. He is known for his work in TNA Wrestling as a multifaceted staff member since the company's inception in 2002 until his departure in 2018. In March 2017, he was appointed as the lead play by play commentator for TNA Wrestling after being mentored by Mike Tenay for many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tenay</span> American podcaster and former professional wrestling play-by-play announcer

Michael William Tenay is an American podcast presenter and retired professional wrestling play-by-play announcer known for his time as an announcer for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Tenay, according to Impact, "is known as 'The Professor' for his extensive knowledge of the sport". Former Impact Executive Producer and WCW president Eric Bischoff has described Tenay as "a walking encyclopedia of knowledge".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Michael Cappetta</span>

Gary Michael Cappetta is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, author, voice over artist, screenwriter, stage performer, and teacher. For years, he was dubbed "The World's Most Dangerous Announcer" by longtime friend and colleague Jim Cornette. Having spent more than 20 years in the middle of the pro wrestling ring, he then wrote and self-published Bodyslams: Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman. The autobiography was later re-released by ECW Press in 2006, this time adding chapters that covered 10 additional years of his wrestling experience. Cappetta was the ring announcer on World Wrestling Federation broadcasts from 1974 to 1985, followed by stints with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling shows. He was released from WCW in May 1995 due to budget cuts. Later on, he worked backstage for Ring of Honor, doing backstage interviews for their DVD releases. He also was the ring announcer for the 2004 wrestling game Showdown: Legends of Wrestling. On the February 26, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite, Cappetta presided over the AEW Revolution main event weigh-in as the Master of Ceremonies between AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley.

<i>TNA Xplosion</i> Professional wrestling television program

TNA Xplosion is a professional wrestling television program that is produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Launched in 2002, the show features highlights from TNA's flagship television program Impact!, exclusive taped matches, and other content. It was mainly produced for international markets, though in later years, episodes would be distributed in the United States on Impact Plus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel McGuinness</span> British professional wrestler

Steven Haworth, better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English professional wrestling commentator, retired professional wrestler and magician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he serves as a color commentator on Collision. He is best known for work with Ring of Honor, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah and WWE.

A ring announcer is an in-ring employee or contractor for a boxing, professional wrestling or mixed martial arts event or promotion, who introduces the competitors to the audience.

<i>TNA Today</i> American TV series or program

TNA Today was an online professional wrestling program produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It was hosted by interviewer Jeremy Borash, with occasional appearances by Don West. The show purported to feature "exclusive footage, interviews, previews, reviews, news updates, merchandise deals and more," and was, in fact, used as a supplement to TNA's main program, Impact Wrestling, and was used to further angles, debut wrestlers, and advertise merchandising deals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Jarrett</span> Professional wrestling manager

Karen Jarrett is an American professional wrestling valet and personality currently appearing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is the former wife of professional wrestler and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle and the current wife of AEW wrestler Jeff Jarrett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacrifice (2008)</span> 2008 Total Nonstop Action Wrestling pay-per-view event

The 2008 Sacrifice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion that took place on May 11, 2008 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fourth event in the Sacrifice chronology and fifth event in the 2008 TNA PPV schedule. Ten professional wrestling matches, two for championships, were featured on the card.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Aldis</span> English professional wrestler (born 1986)

Nicholas Aldis is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is a producer and the on-screen general manager of the SmackDown brand. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Magnus from 2008 to 2015, and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 2017 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide (wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling gimmick

Suicide is a professional wrestling persona, used by multiple wrestlers in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Suicide first appeared as a character in the 2008 video game TNA Impact!. In December 2008, the Suicide character was introduced on television as a real-life wrestler. Originally portrayed by Frankie Kazarian, Christopher Daniels held the role for a time in early 2009 and went on to win the X Division Championship. In June 2010, Kiyoshi became the third man to use the gimmick.

MaryKate Duignan Glidewell is an American retired professional wrestler. She is known for her work in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Sage Beckett at their developmental territory NXT. She is also known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Rosie Lottalove. She previously retired on June 24, 2012, due to injuries before resuming her career in October 2014 after losing nearly 130 pounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethan Carter III</span> American professional wrestler

Michael Hutter is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Ethan Carter III. He is currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is the current NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion and is a former NWA National Heavyweight Champion. He also performs on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenures with Impact Wrestling and WWE, where he performed both under his EC3 ring name and, earlier, as Derrick Bateman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slammiversary XV</span> 2017 Impact Wrestling pay-per-view event

Slammiversary XV was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Impact Wrestling. It took place on July 2, 2017 at the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the thirteenth event under the Slammiversary chronology and celebrates the fifteenth anniversary of the promotion. It was also the first PPV event to be held under the Impact Wrestling name.

References

  1. ↑ Chris Jericho (2007). A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex . Grand Central Publishing. pp.  310. ISBN   978-0-446-40890-5.
  2. ↑ McNeill, Pat (2002). The Tables All Were Broken. iUniverse. p. 166.
  3. ↑ Gerweck, Steve (October 17, 2008). "Impact: Angle snaps". Slam Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  4. ↑ Csonka, Larry (August 10, 2017). "David Penzer Explains How He Got Injured Working With Kurt Angle In 2008". 411Mania. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  5. ↑ Gerweck, Steve (May 16, 2010). "TNA releases Dave Penzer". WrestleView. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  6. ↑ Rift, Aaron (April 21, 2017). "Impact Wrestling spoilers from 4/21 taping". Archived from the original on February 26, 2018.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Jeremy (February 13, 2020). "David Penzer Announced as Ring Announcer For Impact's TNA Throwback PPV". 411Mania. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  8. ↑ Harris, Jeffrey (April 22, 2020). "David Penzer Officially Rejoins Impact Wrestling as Ring Announcer". 411Mania. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Impact Xplosion" . Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Impact Wrestling Recap 6/30". The Overtimer. July 1, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  11. ↑ "David Penzer Parts Ways With IMPACT Wrestling". PW Mania. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.