Remembering ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund
If you were a pro wrestling fan in the mid-1980s through the 1990s, then chances are that 鈥淢ean鈥� Gene Okerlund played a major role in your fandom without you even realizing it.
The best interviewer in the history of pro wrestling, or sports entertainment as it is now known, Okerlund made the biggest stars larger than life with his style and could even carry the worst interviewees through segments to make them seem important.
It was announced Wednesday that Okerlund passed away at the age of 76 after some recent health issues. Okerlund鈥檚 health had been in decline as of late and really took a hit in December when he fell and broke several ribs.
Tributes were shared via social media after Okerlund鈥檚 passing was made public and the news made several shows, like ESPN鈥檚 缅北禁地Center, Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption, as well as other major news outlets.
鈥淎 voice and soundtrack to an entire era of our industry. He was the star of some of WWE鈥檚 most memorable segments,鈥� said Triple H on Twitter. 鈥溾�楳ean鈥� Gene was beloved by all who got to work with him.鈥�
Okerlund interviewed all of the major stars during his career.
He started with the AWA before making his way to WWE in 1984, where he stayed until he left for WCW in 1993.
Okerlund had a quick wit and sarcasm that very few people in any walk of life have, and his witty one-liners were always good to make people laugh.
If you name a star from the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s, Okerlund interviewed them: Andre the Giant, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Randy 鈥淢acho鈥� Man Savage, Dusty Rhodes, The Ultimate Warrior, Harley Race.
Those were some of the stars he interviewed when they were in their primes, and others, like The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, were carried through interviews during their early days by Okerlund while they were still working on their craft.
People often credit Hogan the main reason that professional wrestling went from a niche form of entertainment to a legit mainstream entity.
For those old enough to remember the wrestling boom of the 1980s, it can be argued that Okerlund may have been the fourth or fifth biggest star in the business behind Hogan, Andre, Savage and maybe Flair.
But that鈥檚 it, in terms of star power in the mainstream world, and it could be argued that Okerlund had a bigger name value than Flair since the 鈥淣ature Boy鈥� and the NWA was not as big nationally as the WWE.
Perhaps Okerlund鈥檚 biggest talent was being able to change and adapt to the talent he was interviewing.
Always one to call it down the middle, Okerlund could simply ask a simple question to Hogan, and his real-life close friend would simply go into his patented and legendary, 鈥淲ell, let me tell you something, 鈥楳ean鈥� Gene,鈥� before the pair would go back and forth for a few minutes.
It is said that Okerlund and Hogan never rehearsed their promos. If true, that is amazing.
But if Okerlund was interviewing Flair, he would approach the interview different than if he was interviewing Hogan. Or Savage, or Andre, or Rhodes, or whoever.
If you get the chance, watch some of his interviews with different wrestlers and you will see what I mean.
Announcers today are molded to get from point A to point B by using a straight line.
Okerlund not only took fans on a ride by ignoring the straight line, he would do it by taking fans on a ride and made every turn mean something so that fans would invest in the good guys, or against the bad guys, simply by changing the tone in his voice.
Okerlund鈥檚 style was natural and simply cannot be taught.
In any form of life, sometimes people have 鈥渋t,鈥� or they don鈥檛.
Okerlund not only had it, he may have been the most gifted talent, in terms of doing his or her specific job, that the world of professional wrestling and sports entertainment has ever seen. Okerlund was to interviewers what Jim Ross has been to announcing, what Bobby Heenan was to color commentating and to what Flair, Michaels and Ricky Steamboat were to in-ring talent.
WWE will honor Okerlund this Monday on Raw and Hogan will be there, more than likely to give one last, 鈥淲ell, let me tell you something, 鈥楳ean鈥� Gene.鈥�
Those eight words are synonymous with both Hogan and Okerlund, but there are four words that every fan who was lucky enough to watch Okerlund are saying right now, and they are, 鈥淭hank you, 鈥楳ean鈥� Gene.鈥�
2018 awards next week
Originally, we were going to look at the 2018 awards for the wrestling world in this column, but with the passing of Okerlund, we will look at them next week.
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