When I was a kid I would tune in to every WWF wrestling show I could consume. Whether it was Saturday Night’s Main Event or the Superstars of Wrestling. No matter what WWF program you tuned in too, there was usually one man behind the microphone, “Mean” Gene Okerlund. “Mean” Gene Okerlund was just as much a part of the show as any of the wrestling greats in the ring.
“Mean” Gene Okerlund brought the color commentary and he did it extremely well. So it’s a sad day when you find out that one of the greats has left the building. That’s right folks, “Mean” Gene Okerlund has passed away.
“Mean Gene”, as he was named by fellow Minnesotan, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, first came to prominence as an interviewer in the American Wrestling Association. In 1984, Okerlund made the move to WWE where he became as recognizable as the Superstars he asked the tough questions to, including “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and, perhaps Okerlund’s greatest guest, Hulk Hogan. Countless Hulkster interviews included the indelible phrase, “Well you know something ‘Mean’ Gene!”
Okerlund left the WWF (now known as the WWE) for WCW for a few years, but like most people that left, he returned to the fold. Wrestling isn’t what it used to be. There
I enjoyed the years I watched wrestling and “Mean” Gene Okerlund was one of the figures of my childhood that remains in my memory. He will be missed. Rest easy Gene and godspeed.
Tell us what you remember about “Mean” Gene Okerlund. Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook. You can also comment on our MeWe page by joining the MeWe social network.
[button link=”https://www.wwe.com/article/mean-gene-okerlund-passes-away” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: WWE[/button]Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
