Professional wrestling broadcaster Don West dies at 59
Don West, a former Shop at Home Network pitchman who later became a wrestling commentator for Total Nonstop Action and Impact Wrestling, died on Friday. He was 59 years old.
Mike Tenay, West’s partner on Impact Wrestling shows, revealed that the commentator is battling lymphoma. The company also released a statement about West’s death.
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The TNA logo in 2009.
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“Don was truly one of a kind and lit up every room he walked in,” Impact Wrestling executive vice president Scott D’Amore said in a statement. “He brought out the best in people and was an inspiration to everyone who came across him. He was one of the first people I met when I arrived at TNA Asylum for the first times, and Don immediately made me feel welcome. His warm heart and legendary sense of humor made every day at work something to look forward to.”
The rest of the pro wrestling world paid tribute to West on social media.
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West was the host of “Sports Collectibles” on the Shop at Home Network and later threw knives at those who shopped from their sofas. He was with the network from 1991 to 2001, when he left to start a local sports show in Nashville. In 2002, Jeff Jarrett offered him a spot on Total Nonstop Action (TNA) as a color commentator alongside Tenay.
TNA was born from the ashes of WWE’s takeover of rival World Championship Wrestling. Jarrett, a longtime WCW member who got his start in WWE, then known as the World Wrestling Federation, founded TNA. The company was later renamed Impact Wrestling.
West worked for the company until 2012 and later returned in 2017 to call one more match at the company’s Slammiversary XV show.
TNA’s European Tour
(Joern Pollex/Bongarts/Getty Images)
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West was on the call for some of the company’s most famous moments. AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, Christian and Rhyno were some of the most well-known names that were in the business at one time or another.
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