WWE Hall of Famer 'Mean' Gene Okerlund Passes Away

STAMFORD, CT — Gene Okerlund, arguably the most recognized interviewer in professional wrestling history and a member of the Stamford-based WWE Hall of Fame, has died at age 76, according to wwe.com.

Known affectionately as "Mean Gene" during his long tenure in the American Wrestling Association, World Wrestling Federation (later WWE) and World Championship Wrestling, Okerlund was seen on television on a weekly basis, interviewing stars such as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, the Iron Sheik (who always referred to him as "Gene Mean"), "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels.

Longtime wrestling fan Tom Breen said, "For anyone growing up as a wrestling fan in the 1980s, he was as instantly recognizable as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, or Roddy Piper. He came across like a legitimate newscaster trapped in a crazy three-ring circus, which only made the circus seem more fun. There will never be anyone like him again."

Okerlund, whose career spanned nearly five decades, was inducted by Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

Image via Shutterstock

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