I Hate Gene Okerlund

[Y 2 Jake]

Even more so than Mike Tenay. Which is a coincidence because I hate ''Mean'' Gene for pretty much the same reason. The guy never showed any fear. The guy used to do half the backstage interviews, with all the big stars, while the more talented Sean Mooney got the undercard wrestlers.

Gene used to interview Hogan like he was his best friend. I didn't mind that, because that was pretty much Hogans gimmick. Nice, friendly guy, who's everybodys friend. But what I had a problem with, or developed a problem with after watching WAY too many early WWF PPV's recently. Is that the guy was never intimidated by the heels. He's also never back down. He's be talking to Heenan & Andre, and would hardly bat an eyelid. He's talk at them, not to them. Andre was the biggest, most intimidating wrestler in WWE at the time. You would think that if he so much as raised a hand, Gene would flinch. Not so. He stands tall. He even reprimands Heenan over some things. It's exactly what Mike Tenay does now when he's talking to heels. They don't need to be a shivering wreck, but then need to convey the occasionl bit of fear.

 

[HighFlyingAddict]

Gene is very much respected in the wrestling industry and also sports industry as well. He respected each wrestler he ever interviewed and the feeling was mutral. Gene would be dismayed to see what you have posted as well as many others.

Your feeling is not correct but I respect your opinion.

 

[Ryukuma]

I agree to this, Gene was a very annoying person in that way. Why shouldn't he be afraid of someone he knows is going to beat him up? Does he think Hogan is going to magically appear and Leg Drop them? It was a problem with Joey Styles as well, if you have seen his interviews with certain people. Announcer need to at least show that they are afraid on some level. The only people who should be allowed in my opinion to talk at who they are interviewing would be anyone with an actual wrestler background.

 

[Shocky]

That was half of Gene's gimmick though. Nothing beats the don't touch me pal because I have a fleet of lawyers.

You also have to remember, this is when Monsoon was telling everybody that people got paid based on if they won or lost the match. Short end of the payday. Money was a driving force as to why heels didn't want to lose and always begged with the referees.

The same thing goes with Gene Okerlund, different time frame. If a heel were to attack an announcer (which never would have happened unlike today), the heel would have been suspended automatically. Okerlund didnt have to act intimidated because there was a zero percent chance that a heel would attack him. Fear of being suspended and not getting money is something even a small child could relate to, and it worked.

 

[Testicular Claw]

Okerlund once legitimately freaked out at vader when they were both in WCW and said some swear word, I think it was "god damn it". But yeah I never thought he was bad, but didn't like him either. He was just kind of there, and a lot of other people could have filled his role. I think Tenay is much worse in terms of yelling at the heels when he is all of about 105 pounds soaking wet and the heels should be able to crush him. Tenay bugs the piss out of me sometimes when he goes off on unnecessary emotional tangents.

 

[klunderbunker]

As far as Tenay or Okerlund goes, I think I'd rather have neither. Tenay takes things way too seriously as a face announcer. He babbles on and on and really says nothing. I keep picturing him in a cheerleaders outfit when a face gets a big win. Back to Okerlund, I never really got a lot of what he was supposed to be doing/saying. He was just kind of there all the tiem doing everything and talking to everyone. The only time I could ever really like him was when he was doing something with Heenan, and that was mainly due to Heenan's amazingness. Okerlund's screaming and ranting got old fast, but he's part of my childhood memories as a wrestling fan, so I can't say much bad about him.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

This is the main reason why I dispise Mike Tenay, and why I dispised Gene Okerlund in W.C.W. Neither guy did their job, of selling any type of heel character. They (as announcers/interviewers) acted like these big badass types that weren't afraid of anything.

My favorite W.C.W. segment was with Jeff Jarrett and Mike Tenay, when Tenay mouthed off to Jarrett, claiming to not be scared of him and he'd sue Jarrett's ass if Jarrett laid one finger on him, so Jarrett replied with a beautiful guitar shot straight to Tenay's balding head.

Meanwhile, Okerlund in the final portions of W.C.W. got downright attitude filled and lippy. He mouthed off to everyone, including telling Jarrett when replying to a "Slapnuts" comment, to "Blow it out your ass." Okerlund said that! I couldn't believe it. I sat there in shock that I just heard this aging dinosaur just mouth off with foul language, to one of the top rated heel wrestlers of that time.

It makes me sick when these two believe they should be bigger than the talent. Neither one felt they should "back down" because in their own character designs they felt they were strong announcers. When the fact is, they were suppose to play off being "average, everyday guys" compared to "super powerful monsters" better known as Professional Wrestlers.

Instead, you'd have guys like Vampiro lighting people on fire.. then Okerlund mouthing back to him, saying hes a freak. You'd have Scott Steiner literally hurting people left and right with a steal pipe, and Tenay saying hes a pathetic sport and he won't flinch to a pipe staring him in the face. If I was Steiner, I would've busted him upside the head, just to prove the placement of announcer to wrestler.

 

[detroitking02]

I can't believe what I see . Gene Okerlund is a legend in the wrestling business he's from the old school wrestling days when backstage interviewers didn't get attack by wrestlers. I like that he showed courage and didn't back down and run in a corner and hide like today interviewers

 

[Agrex]

Sure, Gene was annoying. But that was his gimmick. He wasn't supposed to be scared, or intimidated by the heels, and he was supposed to be "friends" with all the faces. Annoying, or not, he did his job. And because of what he did he became a legend in this business. But then, I also agree with the posters above. As they commented Gene was becoming too mouthy in his final years in WCW. From not being intimidated by heels, he started calling them, every name in the book. And that doesn't give a heel credibility to be trash talked to be an old man. In my opinion, that's very disrespectful to the wrestlers who bust their asses out week in, week out to get their character over. Only to have it all wrecked by someone who doesn't even wrestle.

Even though I don't like him, his snappy gimmick made him a legend in the pro wresling business.

 

[JerryvonKramer]

Surprising thread to read. A lot of you don't seem to get Mean Gene's character. He's meant to be a slightly cynical, slightly world weary, street-wise guy -- the sort of guy who would never get swindled by a 2nd hand car salesman, y'know? It just wasn't in his character to be the sniveling Jonathan Coachman type.

I don't know why you rate Sean Mooney so highly, because he was a more straight-laced, blue-collar version on the Mean Gene prototype. The role of the interviewer was not to be intimidated or get people over but to keep the show rooted (however slightly) in reality -- to represent the average fan at home.

 

[Diamond Dallas Cage]

What do you guys want him to be ... Michael Cole?

How many times did/is Cole mocked during his time as an interviewer. The Rock ridiculed Cole on a weekly basis and always punked him out to the point Cole would always cower down when Rock would act like he was going to lay the "smackdown" on him.

How many times did he act like a 5 year old when DX would bully him around, saying "come on guys! stop please" while getting shoved around and wedgied.

Mean Gene is an announcing legend!

 

[Miko]

I prefered Lord Alfred Hayes, that guy was quality, he could put over a heel pretty well from behind the announce table and he interviewed Hulk Hogan like he was the greatest of all time and he was merely the interviewer. He also admitted to being intimidated by guys like Earthquake, all this coming from a former wrestler himself I believe.

So if he could do it, why cant Mean Jean and Tenay?

Also one time when Alfred interviewed Hogan, Hogan compared Sid Justice to Charles Manson, Alfred's respectfully surprised reaction got a chuckle from me.