{"id":5927,"date":"2019-01-06T03:10:18","date_gmt":"2019-01-06T03:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringtimeprowrestling.com\/?p=5927"},"modified":"2019-01-08T15:49:05","modified_gmt":"2019-01-08T15:49:05","slug":"rip-mean-gene-the-voice-of-a-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringtimeprowrestling.com\/?p=5927","title":{"rendered":"RIP Mean Gene The Voice of a Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The professional wrestling universe lost a true legend this week with the passing of Mean Gene Okerlund. For a generation of fans, he was the voice of sports entertainment. Any major promo from the heyday of the WWF involved Mean Gene. He was the host of the company\u2019s major Saturday morning syndicated programming.<\/div>\n
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Gene broke into the business in 1970 working for Verne Gagne\u2019s American Wrestling Association (AWA). Coming over from a career in radio, Okerlund became the lead broadcaster for the popular wrestling promotion. Working with the likes of Pat Patterson, Jesse \u201cThe Body\u201d Ventura and Nick Bockwinkel, he became one of the most well known broadcasters in the business.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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In 1983, the famous broadcaster joined many of the top AWA talents in their exodus to the WWF. Vince McMahon was building a juggernaut at the time and Okerlund became one of the crucial pieces. He became a household name the territory went national and his segments drove the product. There was not one important promo from the golden era of 1980s WWF that didn\u2019t involve Okerlund. He knew when to push back on the heels and let the outgoing personalities shine.<\/div>\n