You can blame the COVID-19 pandemic for this major change. These days, wrestling announcer Tony Chimel works an incredibly normal job after so many years with WWE. Fans may remember when, in 2004, the host was down on his knees begging for his job as Kurt Angle “fired” him. That was just classic showbiz razzle-dazzle, known in the pro-wrestling industry as “kayfabe.” Years later, the pandemic would sweep the globe and according to Wrestling-Edge, this led to Chimel losing his beloved gig for real. He was let go from his hosting role by the WWE due to budget restraints.
He may have been beaten down by his bump, but Chimel refused to lose face. He was soon back on his feet and back at it again, albeit in a decidedly different kind of business: the grocery business, working for Trader Joe’s. The veteran announcer sat down for an interview with TV and audio personality Chris Van Vliet to talk about life post-wrestling and how his new job mirrors his old one in many ways, without the grappling.
“I found out that there is life after WWE,” he said. “I found a job at Trader Joe’s, which I never really knew about. I’d heard of Trader Joe’s, but I didn’t know what it was. I thought it was like an antique store or like a Pier One import store or something like that,” Chimel admitted. He explained that there were a lot of “similarities” between the WWE and the grocery chain because both organizations strive to make people happy.