When taking a look at the years that saw WWF burst forth\ninto a national entity, crushing their opponents with reckless abandon, a lot\nof the focus naturally goes to Hulk Hogan\u2019s arrival and the rise of Hulkamania.\nDigging a little beneath the surface, two other acquisitions helped to cement\nthe promotion\u2019s position at the top of the proverbial tree. One was Bobby\nHeenan, the motor mouth manager whose \u2018Family\u2019 saw him pitched opposite Hogan\nthroughout the majority of the decade in some of the Federation\u2019s most\nmemorable programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second was \u2018Mean\u2019 Gene Okerlund, sadly departed at the\nage of 76 mere days into 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a time when more eyes were going to be on the WWF product\nthan ever before, Okerlund\u2019s experience in the AWA \u2013 alongside time spent as a\nDJ \u2013 gave him a touch of believability and gravitas that echoed that of\nluminaries such as Gordon Solie and Lance Russell. Though not always required\nto hold the show together in that same fashion as the aforementioned duo,\nOkerlund was crucial to helping develop both storylines and characters through\nhis deft skills behind the microphone. At a time where promos and interview\nsegments were the driving force behind pretty much every promotions\u2019 offerings\nin terms of television, Okerlund helped to create an eminently engaging product\nas he debated with and argued against some of the biggest names in the\nbusiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Okerlund\u2019s ability to laugh at himself allowed him to easily\nbridge between the more serious and the increasingly over the top offerings of\nthe WWF; always happy enough to be presented as the butt of the joke, but\nequally as effective when reporting on the latest assault to put Hogan\u2019s WWF\nTitle reign in jeopardy. Indeed, it was his relationship with Hogan, just as\nHeenan\u2019s did in time, which helped to support an initial run with the belt that\nlasted four years. It is debatable how much of this would have been possible\nhad Hogan not had someone like Okerlund to play off of for so many years.\nSimilarly, Okerlund\u2019s work with Randy Savage and Ric Flair often showcased the\nman at his very best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is hard to talk about Okerlund without considering some\nof the more humorous moments within his body of work, from chewing out someone\nfor smoking a cigarette at Royal Rumble 1992 to telling Sean O\u2019Haire to \u2018blow\nit out your ass\u2019 in a memorable moment of late-era WCW. Neither can you truly\navoid mentioning the hotline that Gene shilled so voraciously in his time in\nthe latter promotion. At times it skirted close to some moral and ethical\nboundaries, but it became somewhat of a calling card for Gene in the dying\nyears of WCW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many today, the passing of Okerlund represents somewhat the death of a part of their collective childhood. \u2018Mean\u2019 Gene was synonymous to a significant selection of wrestling fans with quality work on the microphone and a touch of class in all that he did. Coupled with the stories that suggest he was one of friendliest men to ever involve themselves in the wrestling business, it isn\u2019t difficult to see why Gene Okerlund\u2019s death has been met with such a genuine outpouring of emotion and celebration of his life\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RIP Gene Okerlund \u2013 a true legend in the world of wrestling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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