RIPPA Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thee Reverend Axl Future Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 My favorite announcer ever, I am legit choked up. Never heard a bad word about him. His calling of thee Funk/Lawler Empty Arena March is a highlight of the biz. - come on now, RAF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Lance's daughter also died within the past week, which is why he was in Memphis in the first place. The way Meltzer started eulogizing him Sunday night, I'm guessing this was expected to happen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 1 minute ago, Ace said: Lance's daughter also died within the past week, which is why he was in Memphis in the first place. The way Meltzer started eulogizing him Sunday night, I'm guessing this was expected to happen. Well he had a fall right around the time of his daughter's death (who passed away from cancer) It seems that Lance passed due to complications from the fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hagan Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 The absolute best wrestling announcer of all time and, from all accounts, one of the truly nicest men ever. Apparently he lived around my parts and, though I never met him, I always got a kick on Twitter when he would be posting from local restaurants around town enjoying his life. What a miserable couple of weeks for the country and wrestling. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 That was Lance's son tweeting that Lance only started his account in March and had less than 200 tweets. And even in that brief time it was such a joy. It was like everything that Twitter SHOULD be used for 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwoy2j Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 My favorite Lance Russell tweet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwoy2j Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 If a 90 year old announcer cutting a promo talking about waiting 25 years to give a receipt to a manager for pouring flour on him isn't pro wrestling than I don't know what the fuck is. 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 wwe.com story http://www.wwe.com/article/lance-russell-passes-away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenalysis Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Sent a message to him on Twitter the night before wishing him the best as they had sent a message saying he was in bad shape. He replied to everyone who wished him well in the past- he seemed to be a really nice guy and class act all around, just like Heenan. Memphis and Lance was as much a part of my formative fandom as was World Class- which is why Super Clash III was as big as the Flair/Funk/Steamboat stuff was in 89. Really sad day all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 My favorite Lance Russell moment. The guy was just the best. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I've got nothing. Watching old Memphis always feels like Lance and Dave welcoming us back into their home. We're always guests. We always belong. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 With Lance's passing, we've reached the true end of the territories as well as the death of credible wrestling announcers. Lance was a southern-fried Gordon Solie, minus the gravitas but just as believable and with a warmer personality... he was your kindly grandpa, ever-friendly but not afraid to lay down the law on those rare occasions. Tom K once had the great line about how Memphis Wrestling was like the Muppet Show and Lance its Kermit the Frog, trying desperately to stick to the format while the show inevitably broke down into chaos on a weekly basis. RIP Banana Nose. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Lord Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 The thing I love about watching these old Memphis matches, when the bad guy does something truly horrible it's Lance Russel with his moral outrage that you know is 100% genuine that sells the hell out of it. His emotion for matches was perfect and there will never be anyone ever like him again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 There's an awesome anecdote that Lance told Meltzer on his radio show a few years ago about that angle where a fan kept badgering him about who was the guy who attacked him on Memphis TV, and Lance kept telling him that it never happened, that there's no way he'd ever agree to take a bump. And the fan was so adamant that Lance eventually looked it up on YouTube and was shocked to see it actually did happen. "Can you believe that I have no memory of that?...I mean, of course...at my age you probably CAN believe that..." 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintthecrippler Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 33 minutes ago, Phantom Lord said: The thing I love about watching these old Memphis matches, when the bad guy does something truly horrible it's Lance Russel with his moral outrage that you know is 100% genuine that sells the hell out of it. His emotion for matches was perfect and there will never be anyone ever like him again. I also loved that being the moral compass of the show, Lance would also express disappointment when the faces lowered themselves to some of the same tactics in combating the heels. I like to imagine that at the Pearly Gates, St. Peter was on minute ten of listing Lance's accomplishments and good deeds in life, when Lance calmly and politely interrupted him to say "Aw, c'mon now St. Peter, I have a show to run here." And then St. Peter smiled and opened the gates. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Jimmy is now permanently suspended Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death From Above Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I remember years ago, uh, *cough* downloading a shoot interview that was an audio only file, which contained the Lawler/Funk empty arena match. So you have no visuals, just Lance's commentary plus the noises from the ring. It was still an incredibly expressive piece. Maybe it was one of those had to be there in the moment things, but it really felt like what listening to old-fashioned radio drama must have been like. You were still invested in it. Every detail is there, nothing is missed, without a single visual. It always stuck with me as a really powerful statement about the quality of that work. There are very few pieces in wrestling you could attempt that with, really. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great ML Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I am sad, Lance was like the grandfather I never had...if that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarChief EagleDemon Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I was introduced to Lance and Dave later on than most by watching USWA wrestling in the mid 90s on WJYS (yes) in Chicago. Even though it was on at 5AM during the school week, I still got up to watch it. Lance as the exasperated parental figure, but at the same time being a fan just like us was such a wonderful thing to watch. I think this clip is a pitch perfect example of it: irritation over dealing with the First Family, disappointment over the mess Lawler was making, but also sneaking in a "WAS kind of funny..." with a snicker at the end of the segment to sell the heel's comeuppance. So good! RIP Lance Russell. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shibata Is My Homie Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Best announcer I've ever heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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