American wrestling interviewer and announcer (1942–2019)
Gene Okerlund
Okerlund in 2009
Birth name
Eugene Arthur Okerlund
Born
(1942-12-19)December 19, 1942 Brookings, South Dakota, U.S.
Died
January 2, 2019(2019-01-02) (aged 76) Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater
University of Nebraska
Spouse(s)
Jeanne Okerlund
(m. 1964)
Children
2; including Todd Okerlund
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
Gene Okerlund
Billed height
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Billed weight
212 lb (96 kg)[1]
Billed from
Robbinsdale, Minnesota[1]
Debut
1970[1]
Retired
2018
Eugene Arthur Okerlund[2] (December 19, 1942 – January 2, 2019) was an American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He was best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling. Okerlund was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan. He was signed to a lifetime contract with WWE and later worked for promotional programs. He has been described by some journalists as the best interviewer in the history of professional wrestling.[3]
^ abcd"Gene Okerlund bio". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2007.
^"Eugene Arthur Okerlund obituary". Star Tribune. January 6, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
a radio host under the alias of Gene Leader. He later left that position to become Program Director at KDWB. Okerlund also worked in Minneapolis for a...
Wrestling (OVW). Snisky wrestled in OVW as "Mean" Gene Mondo (a name inspired by "Mean" GeneOkerlund), and was presented as the kayfabe brother of Mike...
of 2012, Okerlund lived in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota area and worked in advertising. Okerlund is the son of "Mean" GeneOkerlund, a longtime...
The Undertaker in an unrelated segment at the same event. Announcer GeneOkerlund appeared next to the egg at Survivor Series and speculated that it contained...
later. WWF announcer GeneOkerlund sang the national anthem, and Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura performed commentary. Okerlund also did interviews backstage...
no original ceremony, the 1993 induction of André was discussed by GeneOkerlund and Renee Young as part of the 1994 commentary. WWF Hall of Fame (1994)...
Okerlund is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: GeneOkerlund (1942–2019), American wrestling announcer and former wrestler Ralph Okerlund...
was replaced by Action Zone. The longest running host of the show was GeneOkerlund, who hosted it for nine years of its run. All American Wrestling went...
Damien. Ring announcer Howard Finkel then introduced "Mean" GeneOkerlund to the crowd. Okerlund then announced the reported attendance of the event, which...
Al DeRusha and interviews were conducted by both Kent and GeneOkerlund. By 1979, Okerlund had permanently replaced O'Neill, who died a couple of years...
days of the WWF. On January 19, 1987, Finkel was presented a plaque by GeneOkerlund, commemorating ten years of announcing at Madison Square Garden. In...
1994, Hogan began making appearances on WCW television, as interviewer GeneOkerlund—who was now a WCW employee—visited him on the set of Thunder in Paradise...
critics, then-WCW president Eric Bischoff, and former company announcer GeneOkerlund. Bischoff has disputed the rumor that he hired Warrior merely to give...
Junkyard Dog wrestled Randy Savage. Shortly after the match began, GeneOkerlund joined the commentary team. JYD hit a back body drop on Savage off the...
old rival Earthquake last, then went backstage to be interviewed by GeneOkerlund. During the course of the interview, the word was relayed to the two...
Gimmick Battle Royal match at WrestleMania X-Seven alongside "Mean" GeneOkerlund. Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 (WWF changed...
Sensational Sherri was trademarked by the WWF. In an interview with GeneOkerlund, she said her goal was to find a man that can bring her the WCW World...
Superstars, which aired on September 24, 1988, featured a vignette with GeneOkerlund on-location in an American ghetto that was dubbed "The Deepest Darkest...
Giant to form a tag team with Earthquake. When asked by interviewer GeneOkerlund to confirm, André denied the claims, leaving Hart angry and humiliated...
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