Gene Okerlund

Eugene "Mean Gene" Okerlund (born November 29, 1938 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota), is a former American professional wrestling interviewer and announcer.

A graduate of West Virginia University, Okerlund got his start at an AM talk radio station KOIL-AM 1280 in Omaha, Nebraska as a DJ. He segued out of radio into a position at the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the early 1970s when he occasionally filled in for ailing ring announcer and interviewer Marty O'Neill, eventually becoming O'Neill's permanent replacement by the end of the decade. He would stay with the AWA until 1984, when he was one of many AWA personnel to join the expanding WWF. He would stay with the WWF for nine years as their top interviewer, and was host of such WWF shows as All American Wrestling. In 1993, he left the WWF, and would become an interviewer for World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was with WCW until it was sold in 2001 to the WWF.

Okerlund then returned to WWF (renamed WWE in 2002), as his first post-WCW assignment for the company was as a commentator for the Gimmick Battle Royal during WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001, along with Bobby Heenan. He would go on to host WWE Confidential in 2002, and was there during its entire two-year run. In 2004, he received a kidney transplant, and fully recovered from the operation. As of 2005, he still makes occasional appearances for WWE.

Okerlund is perhaps most famed for interviewing Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. During the interview, Hogan would get all fired up and say, “Well you know something, Mean Gene!” and Flair would often say “Meeeean Gene” or “‘Mean,’ WOOOOOOOOOO, by God, Gene!”. The Iron Sheik referred to Okerlund as "Gene Mean."

Hulk Hogan inducted Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006 in Chicago.

In the summer of 2006, Mean Gene hosted WWE Madison Square Garden Classics, a weekly series, airing on the MSG Network, featuring classic WWE matches that took place at Madison Square Garden from the last four decades.

Mean Gene is also the host for the WWE 24/7 Hall Of Fame section, which takes a look at a different WWE Hall Of Famer each month.

Trivia
His name has been associated with fast food chain, Mean Gene’s Burgers, and a chain of pizzerias located within bowling alleys, Mean Gene's Pizza. These are owned by Hot Stuff Foods, which was headed by two of his nephews. Early in 2006, Okerlund and Hot Stuff split. Okerlund and one of the nephews were planning to start their own food company on the brands, but Hot Stuff sued, claiming they had "Mean Gene" trademarked. Okerlund lost, with the judge saying that Okerlund can't use the name "Mean Gene" for his new food company. Okerlund succeeded in cancelling the trademark registrations held by Orion, but remains enjoined from competing with Orion.
 * He was given the nickname “Mean Gene” by Jesse Ventura.
 * He sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the first WrestleMania.
 * Gene's son Todd starred on the University of Minnesota hockey team from 1983-87. Todd played on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Calgary.  He played four games with the NHL's New York Islanders.  A chronic knee injury ultimately forced his early retirement.
 * In 1984 Okerlund was a one-time wrestler as he and Hulk Hogan faced Mr. Fuji and George Steele in Minneapolis. He was supposed to stay on the apron and let Hogan fight, but when Hogan gave him a high-5, the referee mistook it for a tag. Okerlund had to go in, but before his opponent touched him, he quickly got out of the way and tagged Hogan back in.  The result: Okerlund pinned Mr. Fuji for the victory.
 * Okerlund was also part of one of the most infamous bloopers in pro wrestling history at WWF SummerSlam '89. Okerlund was set to interview WWF Intercontinental Champion Rick Rude and Rude's manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan prior to Rude's title defense against The Ultimate Warrior when the SummerSlam backdrop fell backwards. The shot of the Summerslam backdrop falling can be seen in the video induction of Mean Gene at the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. An off-camera Vince McMahon could be heard saying "Nice move", followed by Okerlund yelling "Fuck it". The cameras immediately cut away to a live shot of the crowd, with play-by-play announcer Tony Schiavone and color commentator Jesse "The Body" Ventura attempting to restore order. After a short while, Okerlund's interview with Rude and Heenan went as planned.
 * Always considered a neutral commentator throughout his career, he was given a "dirty old man" gimmick by Vince Russo in WCW, where he would stare at the breasts of the women he interviewed and would lust after WCW interviewer/announcer Pamela Paulshock.
 * Due to a neck injury he suffered in WWE/WWF during his first stint there, he couldn't take any punishment from wrestlers to further angles or characters, as it is common practice for wrestlers to "rough up" announcers to do so. The best example of this is when he was about to be the recipient of a "Cutter" move from Chris Kanyon, only for the camera to cut away.  By the time the camera shifted its way back to his position he was already down, indicating he didn't really take the move.