Hulk Hogan made his return to WWE Monday Night Raw to pay tribute to his long-time friend “Mean” Gene Okerlund, who passed away last week. Hogan appeared on WWE television in November as part of the Crown Jewel event but this is his first appearance on Raw since 2015.
There was a 10-bell salute for Okerlund before Hogan came out. Hogan said that he went out to the ring in character because that is how Gene would have wanted it and Gene loved entertaining everyone. That was followed by an excellent music tribute with clips from Gene’s career.
After the tribute, Hogan got choked up and then a classic “let me tell ya something Mean Gene” promo. He also mentioned Andre The Giant, Mr. Perfect, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Fabulous Moolah, and Mae Young. Specifically, he said that Gene would be in heaven for the Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior vs Mr. Perfect and Roddy Piper match with Andre The Giant as the special referee.
It was an excellent and fitting tribute to one of the most famous wrestling announcers in wrestling history.
“Mean” Gene Okerlund was 76 years old.
ONE MORE TIME for "Mean" Gene!#RAW @HulkHogan pic.twitter.com/H8n4bFdW2V
— WWE (@WWE) January 8, 2019
