He also worked as an announcer for Smoky Mountain Wrestling toward the end of their existence. He went into semi-retirement in 1997. He has been called "one of the greatest wrestling announcers of all time" by SLAM Wrestling and "integral" to Memphis Wrestling. Steve Bowden, a professional wrestling manager, said of Russell, "In my heart, he's the announcer equivalent of [former world champ] Lou Thesz." Jim Ross included Russell in his top 10 list of favorite wrestling announcers and commentators, calling him a "class act" and "southern legend". Mike Mooneyham, a professional wrestling journalist, has called him "the voice of Memphis wrestling". His style and delivery has been described as earnest and smooth. He was known for his euphemisms such as "Sam Hill" and "Don't start with the smart stuff." Russell's work in Memphis Wrestling is shown in the 1989 documentary, "I'm from Hollywood". He is also interviewed in regards to the film's primary subject, Andy Kaufman. Russell appears in the 1999 Kaufman biographical film "Man on the Moon" as the Memphis ring announcer. Russell's original commentary of the Lawler/Kaufman match can be found on the WWE Home Video DVD release "Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80's", as part of the profile of Lawler. Russell was married for 67 years to his wife Audrey until her death in 2014. They met in high school. They had three children: William, Valerie, and Shane. On October 3, 2017, Russell died in Memphis of complications from a broken hip sustained after a fall, at the age of 91, just days after his daughter Valerie died from cancer on September 29.