“Mean” Gene Okerlund
Inducted by Mizfan
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Has there ever been anyone quite like Gene Okerlund? The man is not only literally synonymous with his position in wrestling, but if you’ve watched anyone hold a microphone in front of a wrestler in the last 20 years, you probably spent a moment wishing we had a Gene Okerlund type in wrestling today.
From his rise in AWA to his best known role in the WWF, and still going on to do an admirable job in WCW (call that hotline!), Okerlund excelled where ever he went. Often linked closely to the prime of Hulk Hogan, he’s far more than just one of the most recognizable Hulkamaniacs. The greatest thing about Okerlund is the way he added subtly to his interviews without being overt about it. If the wrestler gave him grief, he pushed back. If the wrestler got lost, he’d help them along. He added this incredible intangible, this air of professionalism and credibility, that perhaps nobody in wrestling history could match.
And if you’ve never seen him tango with Don Muraco and his doughnuts, you’re really missing a trick.
I’m very, very pleased to welcome a man who deserves all the recognition in the world we could give him to the LOP/WH Hall of Fame. You know, Mean Gene, you deserve it!
Career Accomplishments
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- Host of WWF’s All-American Wrestling & Tuesday Night Titans
- Main interviewer for WWF 1984-1993
- Main interviewer for WCW 1994-1996
- WWE Hall of Fame, 2006
Lords of Pain.net/Wrestling Headlines.com welcomes “Mean” Gene Okerlund into the Hall of Fame class of 2020.
Related Links:
Bruce Prichard Reflects On Mean Gene Okerlund
LOP Hall of Fame column archives