Photo: WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel Backstage at WWE Raw at Madison Square Garden
Curt Hawkins took to Instagram on Monday at Madison Square Garden to post a photo of himself, Zack [...]
Curt Hawkins took to Instagram on Monday at Madison Square Garden to post a photo of himself, Zack Ryder, Dolph Ziggler, Heath Slater and Cesaro alongside WWE Hall of Famer and legendary ring announcer Howard Finkel.
"One of the all time greats," Hawkins wrote in the caption. "It was so good to see The Fink today!"
Finkel first broke into wrestling when he was hired by Vince McMahon Sr. for the WWWF back in 1975. He debuted as the show's ring announcer in 1977 and within two years he was the lead announcer for the company. By the mid-2000s Finkel began working a less strenuous schedule while Lilian Gracia and Tony Chimel began working more shows for Monday Night Raw and SmackDown, respectively. He would still appear at every WrestleMania event up through WrestleMania 32 in 2016, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
The legend's health has been a topic of concern in recent years. He was scheduled to appear at the RAW 25 special in early 2018 but due to poor health was only able to appear via voice recording. Details of his health have been few and far between, though reports began popping up last year that he had suffered a a stroke in recent years.
This week's Monday Night Raw will mark the first time WWE has held the Red Brand inside MSG since 2009. The card will include a King of the Ring semifinal match between Ricochet, Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin, Rey Mysterio vs. Gran Metalik, AJ Styles vs. Cedric Alexander and a tag team match pitting Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch against Sasha Banks and Bayley. The show will also feature a contract signing for the WWE Universal Championship match at Clash of Champions between Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will be involved in the signing as the special guest moderator.