The passing of “Mean” Gene Okerlund has been picked up by a ton of mainstream outlets.
For the younger wrestling fans, you should know that Okerlund was a major figure in the business. For millions of fans, Okerlund was the voice that people heard on Saturday mornings.
He was the guy that was trusted to make sure that interviews stayed on track, especially with wrestlers that weren’t so good on promos. Okerlund was also the guy in the ’80s and early ’90s that would tell fans to go out to see the live events. If “Mean” Gene was saying it then it was a big deal.
Vince McMahon commented on Okerlund’s passing in a Twitter post:
It was impossible not to crack a smile whenever “Mean” Gene Okerlund entered a room. He was the voice behind so many of WWE’s most iconic and entertaining moments, and the WWE family will miss him immensely. pic.twitter.com/zbrkQAvtug
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) January 3, 2019