Howard Finkel (June 7, 1950 - April 16 2020) was an American Professional Wrestling ring announcer from New Jersey known for his long run with WWE. He would occasionally get involved in storylines, including taking a bribe from "The Million-Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase to let him take over as the guest ring announcer for the match where Mr. Perfect defeated WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion
"The Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 and The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2018. Sadly, The Fink passed away on April 16 2020 at the age of 69.
"The Fink's Tropes":
- Arch-Enemy: "The manager, (smug, condescending) Dr...Harvey...Wippleman."note .
- Commuting on a Bus: Only made a few sporadic appearances before his death.
- Gimmick Matches: Following a Face–Heel Turn, he lost a Tuxedo Vs. Evening Gown Match to Lilian Garcia due to interference from Trish Stratus and Stacy Keibler.
- Hammy Herald: He is a wrestling ring announcer, so it's to be expected.
- Large Ham (The winner of the bout... and NEW!!! World Wrestling Federation Champion!)
- Red Baron: "The Fink"
- The Reliable One: He's mostly known for being a ring announcer, but Jim Cornette revealed that he played an important role in the WWE offices too. In a video commenting on Finkel's passing, Cornette described how Finkel would come into the office every morning and go through the various wrestling dirtsheets, hotlines and (later) websites for articles and news that he thought WWE management would want to know about. He compiled this information into the "Finkel Report", which was distributed to Vince McMahon and other senior officials. Finkel was extremely punctual in delivering the Reports, to the extent that Vince would actually get agitated on the rare mornings when Finkel was late.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Briefly tried to introduce the Ultimate Warrior during his Squash Match of the Honky Tonk Man, but immediately got out of the ring and dropped his mic once Warrior dove into the ring.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Always wore a tuxedo.
- Summon Bigger Fish: CM Punk brought him back as his personal ring announcer for his match against Alberto Del Rio as a counter to Del Rio's announcer Ricardo Rodriguez.
