Lee Marshall
Encyclopedia
Lee Marshall is a professional wrestling
announcer formerly of the American Wrestling Association
(AWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
(WCW) to co-host WCW Thunder
alongside Bobby Heenan
and Tony Schiavone
. He interviewed and announced alongside Mike Tenay
and Scott Hudson on WCW Saturday Night
as well. A staple of WCW Monday Nitro
was his regular cracking of "Weasel" jokes directed at Heenan, which would conclude his road reports. He was also known for traveling across the country to host Nitro parties for WCW, while keeping in contact with WCW Nitro through updates by telephone.
Marshall was also one of the announcers at the 1996 World War 3 Pay-per-view
at the Norfolk Scope
, working Ring #3 with Larry Zybysko. During the early stages of the Three Ring, 60 Man Battle Royal, the Four Horsemen
and the Dungeon of Doom
battled outside of the ring and in the ensuing fight, Marshall was knocked down and repeatedly kicked legitimately by the Dungeon's Faces of Fear
(The Barbarian
and Meng) while laying on the floor and could be heard yelling "What the heck is going on out here?". After the fight moved back toward the locker room, Marshall managed to get himself up and, after some difficulty, finished commentating the match from his designated announce position.
WrestleMania 2
.
Marshall was also involved in the Great Western Forum
based Women of Wrestling
promotion and served as its play-by-play announcer. He was partnered with company owner David McLane
, who served as the color commentator on the syndicated TV show, and worked with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
who was the color commentator on the WOW pay-per-view
on February 4, 2001. He received by far the most votes in the fan based WOW-FAN awards beating out David McLane and Julie Day as the "Announcer of the Year".
and KGFJ (now KYPA
) and KBLA
and KHJ in Los Angeles
and CKLW
in Windsor, Ontario
, Canada
(Detroit). At CKLW, he was one of the anchors for the station's "20/20 News" updates, and at KGFJ/KBLA, he was "King News," bringing attention to the issue of gang violence.
(succeeding the legendary Thurl Ravenscroft
), a position for which Marshall is contracted until 2014.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
announcer formerly of the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
(AWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
AWA
Joined the broadcast when the AWA Championship Wrestling show was on ESPN. A big deal was made by Rod Trongard about Marshall being from Los Angeles. During his AWA stint he called matches alongside the likes of Eric Bischoff, Verne Gagne, Greg Gagne and Ray Stevens.World Championship Wrestling
He later joined World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW) to co-host WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001...
alongside Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
and Tony Schiavone
Tony Schiavone
Noah Anthony "Tony" Schiavone is an American sports broadcaster. He is the play-by-play broadcaster for the Gwinnett Braves of the International League...
. He interviewed and announced alongside Mike Tenay
Mike Tenay
Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001...
and Scott Hudson on WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992...
as well. A staple of WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
was his regular cracking of "Weasel" jokes directed at Heenan, which would conclude his road reports. He was also known for traveling across the country to host Nitro parties for WCW, while keeping in contact with WCW Nitro through updates by telephone.
Marshall was also one of the announcers at the 1996 World War 3 Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
at the Norfolk Scope
Norfolk Scope
Norfolk Scope is a multipurpose culture, entertainment, convention and sports arena at the northern perimeter of downtown Norfolk, Virginia, designed by Italian architect/engineer Pier Luigi Nervi in conjunction with the local firm of Williams and Tazewell...
, working Ring #3 with Larry Zybysko. During the early stages of the Three Ring, 60 Man Battle Royal, the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
and the Dungeon of Doom
Dungeon of Doom
The Dungeon of Doom was the name of a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling that existed from 1995 to 1997.-Origin:...
battled outside of the ring and in the ensuing fight, Marshall was knocked down and repeatedly kicked legitimately by the Dungeon's Faces of Fear
Faces of Fear
The Faces of Fear was the professional wrestling tag team of Sione Vailahi and Uliuli Fifita. Vailahi wrestled as The Barbarian, and Fifita wrestled as Haku in the World Wrestling Federation and Meng in World Championship Wrestling . They appeared together several times in the WWF as part of The...
(The Barbarian
Sione Vailahi
Sione Havea Vailahi is a professional wrestler best known in wrestling as The Barbarian.-Life and career:Born and raised in Tonga, Sione was one of five teenagers sent by the King of Tonga to Japan to study Sumo wrestling in the mid 1970s. Tonga Fifita was one of the other teenagers...
and Meng) while laying on the floor and could be heard yelling "What the heck is going on out here?". After the fight moved back toward the locker room, Marshall managed to get himself up and, after some difficulty, finished commentating the match from his designated announce position.
Professional wrestling career in Los Angeles
In 1986, Marshall was the ring announcer for the Los Angeles portion of WWFWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
.
Marshall was also involved in the Great Western Forum
The Forum (Inglewood, California)
The Forum is an indoor arena, in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. From 2000 to 2010, it was owned by the Faithful Central Bible Church, which occasionally used it for church services, while also leasing the building for sporting events, concerts and other events.Along with Madison...
based Women of Wrestling
Women of Wrestling
Women of Wrestling, aka WOW!, is a professional wrestling promotion founded in 2000 by David McLane, previously the founder of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. It was based in Los Angeles, California...
promotion and served as its play-by-play announcer. He was partnered with company owner David McLane
David McLane
David B. McLane is a senior marketing executive with over 25 years experience in identifying and producing uniquely targeted live events and media entertainment properties through his company, David McLane Enterprises, Inc...
, who served as the color commentator on the syndicated TV show, and worked with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
who was the color commentator on the WOW pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
on February 4, 2001. He received by far the most votes in the fan based WOW-FAN awards beating out David McLane and Julie Day as the "Announcer of the Year".
Career as a radio announcer
Marshall is also a longtime radio announcer, working at such stations as KABCKABC (AM)
KABC is a Los Angeles radio station, and a West Coast flagship station for the Cumulus Media company. A pioneer of the talk radio format, the station went "all-talk" in 1960 and was one of the first stations to do so...
and KGFJ (now KYPA
KYPA
KYPA is a Korean-language radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting.KYPA is one of three radio stations in the greater Los Angeles area that broadcast entirely in Korean; the others are KMPC and KFOX.The format includes various shows that serve the largest...
) and KBLA
KBLA
KBLA is a radio station licensed to Santa Monica, California, with an Spanish religious radio format. It broadcasts at 1580 kHz with 50,000 watts day and night. Most of this station's signal is dumped over the Pacific Ocean, however, in order not to interfere with radio station KMIK KBLA (1580 AM)...
and KHJ in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and CKLW
CKLW
CKLW is a 50,000 watt AM radio station broadcasting on 800 kHz and located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and serving Windsor and Detroit. Additionally, its signal can be heard as far west as Belding, Michigan; as far east as Batavia, New York; as far south as Edgewood, Kentucky; and as far...
in Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Detroit). At CKLW, he was one of the anchors for the station's "20/20 News" updates, and at KGFJ/KBLA, he was "King News," bringing attention to the issue of gang violence.
Career in commercials
His bass voice is notable within announcing circles, holding the premiere position in that field, the voice of Tony the TigerTony the Tiger
Tony the Tiger is the advertising cartoon mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal, appearing on its packaging and advertising. More recently, Tony has also become the mascot for Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers and Tiger Power...
(succeeding the legendary Thurl Ravenscroft
Thurl Ravenscroft
Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft was an American voice actor and singer best known as the deep voice behind Tony the Tiger's "They're grrreat!" in Frosted Flakes television commercials for more than five decades. Ravenscroft was also known, however uncredited, as the vocalist for the song "You're a Mean...
), a position for which Marshall is contracted until 2014.
Championships and accomplishments
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Worst Television Announcer (1998)