When one thinks of the glory days of World Championship Wrestling during many fans’ peak fandom in the 1990s, you can’t not hear the voice of David Penzer. The longtime ring announcer helped build that big fight feel and excitement for matches, from Nitro to pay-per-view. With interest of yesteryear so prevalent these days, the argument could be made that WCW has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity. Maybe even renewed appreciation for what the once Turner-owned juggernaut of the industry was able to accomplish and its influence felt today.
“It really did not get a proper sendoff,” Penzer said of the uptick in interest for the promotion shuttered in 2001. “If you give [viewers] the last episode of Seinfeld or Friends and a close, and it’s like you saw this to the end and can walk away from it. They are not happy about it. They may have reruns. They may get together to make a movie or land a TV series reunion. Most people feel satisfied by that.
“One week we got two days’ notice that it was the last Nitro show in Panama City. That was it. I think the people really never got competition or satisfaction and saw it through. There were a lot we lost in the end, but for the ones who stayed didn’t get competition or finish. The ones we lost still remember the glory days of the nWo and Sting coming down from the rafters, DDP, and all that crazy stuff. It’s a lot of notstalia, but also the fact it never got a proper sendoff.”
The good news for those who long for the glory days is there is an upcoming convention aptly titled Glory Days GrappleCon 2 on Saturday, March 29. This star-studded event in Lutz features top names including Abdullah The Butcher, Arn Anderson, Nikita Koloff, Dutch Mantell, Haku/Meng, NWO Sting, Col. Robert Parker, Bunkhouse Buck, Glacier, “Nightmare” Danny Davis, April Hunter, Ivelisse, Bill DeMott, Larry Hamilton, the Barrio Brothers, “Jungle” Jim Steele, and more. Penzer himself will be moderating a special panel.
The 58-year-old wrote two books “Sitting Ringside” along with Nitro books authors Guy Evans. Penzer reflects back on backstage stories and insight, as well as old formats and never-before-scene memos. He called the experience of opening up cathartic.
“I wasn’t supposed to make it. I came in at a time you just didn’t make it if you were a wrestler,” Penzer said. “ Jody Hamilton, “The Masked Assassin”, saw something in me that wasn’t there. Thank God he did and gave me the opportunity. I took it from there with a lot of help from a lot of other people.”
Penzer remains humble about his contributions to the business. He’ll get reminded by those who watched over the decades. Even in the most unexpected places, like Game Changer Wrestling.
“I was at an event. It was right after COVID with WrestleMania in Tampa,” Penzer recalled. Game Changer was running three days outside. My adult kids are big Game Changer fans, so I reached out to Brett Lauderdale, who I had never talked to before. I said, ‘Yeah man, any chance I can get my kids some passes.’ He said, ‘Only if you open one of the shows. I’ll introduce you and put you over.’
“In the process of talking to him he said, I used to do the David Penzer voice. I said, ‘What’s the David Penzer voice?’ He told me he would imitate me during the intros. I was like, ‘No you didn’t’?’ I was blown away. Since I”ve been on Twitter I’ve heard that more times than I would ever imagine. It’s crazy, but it’s a huge honor. By the way, Brett Lauderdale might be a fan, but when I went out there and did my welcome, you could hear a pin drop. They shit all over it because they didn’t know who I was or didn’t care. That’s fine. Life will humble you at certain times.”
Beyond WCW, Penzer shared great memories working for Impact Wrestling/TNA Wrestling starting almost a decade ago. His last stretch with the company ended on a particularly special note in 2023.
“Scott D’Amore gave me a hell of a run before COVID and after COVID,” Penzer said. “The sendoff he gave me, which I go into detail in the book, is fantastic. I’m not fooling myself. I’m not going into any Hall of Fames, but the sendoff Scott gave me with a wonderful plaque and speech with my friends and coworkers and fans chanting, ‘Thank You Penzer.’ It makes me tear up even to this day. I wasn’t expecting that in any way, shape or form, but I appreciated that and enjoyed it”.
“…If I never get in the ring and the ring announced again, I have no regrets. It was 30 years living my dream. I was 11-years-old, a little kid and turned on Championship Wrestling from Florida. Dusty Rhodes, “Superstar” Billy Graham with Gordon Solie on the mic. I fell in love with it. It was my passion. By darn I was going to find a way to try to get in, but never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I would achieve what I achieved. I’m blessed and honored.”
For Penzer, conventions like the Glory Days are an opportunity to stay connected with many longtime colleagues. He couldn’t be happier for one of those in Lex Luger, who will be enshrined into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.
“The Lex Luger I knew in WCW, and I’ll be honest with you, was an arrogant prick,” Penzer said. “I’ll never forget after he went through all the stuff he had gone through I didn’t realize TNA was bringing him down to do something with Sting. It was at Universal Studios. I go into vivid detail, but I’ll never forget I was walking out of the production office and Lex was in his wheelchair about to go in about five feet apart. He says, ‘Hey Dave, how are you doing?’ I said, ‘Hi Lex, how is it going?’ He said, ‘Good, I’m glad you’re doing good. How is your family?’
“I’m thinking, ‘You never asked me how my family was’…We had this nice conversation. I called my wife as soon as I walked away and said, ‘You’ll never guess what I just went though. I was convinced he was working or had totally changed his life around. I’ve been with him so many times since then at Fan Fests and different stuff and had in-depth conversations with him that there is not a doubt in my mind that he is sincere. He is a changed person. It’s not how part of the ride goes, but how you finish the ride. He is finishing the ride with class and dignity. I’m really happy for Lex. Lex has had his issues that are well documented. There is a lot of pain in that. I wouldn’t want anybody in pian, but he has come out of the other side as a wonderful human being. I don’t think anybody deserves this more than Lex Luger.”
Today Penzer remains a fan and appreciates those who have come after him. Among them that stood out was Samantha Irvin. A fan in her own right.
“She had an emotion about her where she would introduce a match or even a winner, you could really feel that like I’ve never felt in the business,” he said. “Howard Finkel was the best of all-time. Nobody is even close. If there is a Mount Rushmore, it’s the four faces of Howard. Let’s get that out of the way, but Samantha did it a different way I never seen do it before. It’s funny because WWE and other companies didn’t usually pitch to the ring announcer in this era.
“When Samantha started catching on, announcers were pitching to her, they were acknowledging her and putting her in the ring for the main events. She did a great thing. She had to step aside and do what she needed to do with her life and live her dream. Being a ring announcer was cool but wasn’t her dream. SHe wants to be a singer, and has a hell of a voice. Why not use the notoriety while you can and record an album. Live your dream. That’s all you can ask of anybody…she is young and could come back.”
These days Penzer found a new purpose in real estate. He even sold one of Chris Jericho’s houses. Those who secure his services and purchase a home have the chance to pose with a 25-pound World Heavyweight Reality Championship belt. “I like helping people,” he said. “There is nothing more that I enjoy more in my career than helping a first-time buyer buy their first home.”
Looking back at his ring announcing career, there was one match that he really looked at as the pinnacle. One monumental episode of Nitro from the Georgia Dome in 1998.
“It was when [Bill] Goldberg beat [Hollywood] Hogan in front of 45,000 people or whatever the crowd was sold out in Atlanta. That was history,” Penzer said. ”They are still doing documentaries about it. I had so many cool moments in WCW, TNA and Impact. If I had to pick one, but that is the one that jumps up first in my head. My family was there because we lived in Atlanta at the time.
“Funny story, we were backstage at the Georgia Dome and there’s this little up-and-coming rapper singer who was kind of backstage when someone got him in and was a local guy and had a bright future. He was taking pictures with some of the guys. I went up to introduce myself to him that night. I said, “Hi, I’m David Penzer, the ring announcer.” He said, ‘Great to meet you. I’m Usher.’ That worked out pretty good.”
