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There have been additional staff let go from World Wrestling Entertainment on Friday, PWInsider.com has confirmed, mostly logistical and behind the scenes staff working out of Stamford, CT. One source believed it was 10-15 staffers in total.
The most well known name who has been let go is former ring announcer Tony Chimel, who has been with the company officially since 1991 and was the first announcer for the Smackdown brand. A friend of Gino "Gorilla Monsoon" Marella's family, Chimel got his first break announcing local WWF events in the Northeast and helping at events dating back to 1983.
In 1991, Chimel was brought into the company on a full-time basis working behind the scenes as a technician. He was soon tapped to become a ring announcer full-time. Although most connected to the Smackdown brand, Chimel moved onto the WWE version of ECW in 2007 when Justin Roberts took on the Smackdown announcing duties. He would return to Smackdown and may be best celebrated for his announcements for Edge and Christian. Chimel also took part in storylines where he was "fired" by then-Smackdown General Manager Kurt Angle, an ongoing interaction with Mr. Kennedy and even being on the wrong side of a Boogeyman feeding frenzy. In recent years, Chimel had moved behind the scenes, working as a production manager and helping to oversee the WWE ring crew. He would still make various cameos on the air, usually related to Edge or the WWE Network's Edge & Christian Show.
The other name that seemed most shocking to those we spoke with was Derek Casselman, who had been the Director of Venue Merchandise, Remote Operations for WWE and had been with the company since 1993, who was also let go. Casselman had worked there over 27 years and was well liked by many in the company in front of and behind the scenes.
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