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RIP "Mean" Gene Okerlund (1942-2019)


Guest Edwin

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3 minutes ago, Log said:

Surprised no one has posted this yet.  Not sure if this is where the band got their name, but listen to that voiceover!

 

From Hüsker Dü's wiki page:

The new name originated during a rehearsal of the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer". Unable to recall the French portions sung in the original (e.g. Qu'est-ce que c'est?), they instead started shouting any foreign-language words they could remember, including the title of the popular 1970s memory board game Hūsker Dū? (the phrase meaning "do you remember?" in Danish and Norwegian).

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On 1/2/2019 at 9:16 PM, Swiftian said:

Not necessarily of the same ilk, but isn't Howard Finkel still alive? They should be rolling him out every year for the Royal Rumble introduction. (I'm gonna be real sad if someone tells me he already died, in which case they should have recorded his voice and played it as the intro every year, or better yet as a hologram)

Two people that I'd include, but not necessarily on the same tier would be Finkel and Mooney. I'm referring more to the tier that Monsoon/Heenan/Hayes/Okerlund were on. I think Ventura is the only one left at that level.

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On ‎1‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 10:51 AM, LoneWolf&Subs said:

RIP

Watching old Nitro’s makes you realize how much you need a Gene Okerlund out there to make sure wrestlers don’t drown on live TV. Like just think how much better RAW would be if Baron Corbin wasn’t “Acting” in the ring.

Its been said multiple places besides here, but Gene really never got enough credit for how damn good he was at this. He could hold together interviews like literally no one else. Plus, he could react to anything thrown his way. 99% of the backstage interviewers are basically human mic stands. Gene registered disgust at the heels, took joy in celebrating with a babyface, and had great, "this man is crazy" reactions to some of the lunatics he had to interview. We need more like him, but there's no one you could ever do better.

Now can we please protect the Fink? Please?

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7 hours ago, The Green Meanie said:

Two people that I'd include, but not necessarily on the same tier would be Finkel and Mooney. I'm referring more to the tier that Monsoon/Heenan/Hayes/Okerlund were on. I think Ventura is the only one left at that level.

Hayes? I'm sorry, my dude, but you're going to have to defend your tier system.

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4 hours ago, West Newbury Bad Boy said:

And before you do, we’ll need you to be clear about who you’re referring to: Alfred or Michael?

Clearly we know who he’s talking about...

spazzydok.gif

But seriously, I can’t put a lot of those dudes in the same tier as Gene when it comes to interviewer, and the guy at the update desk presenting the week in storylines. Only guy that comes close is Sean Mooney. Who added his own little spin as a Sam The Eagle annoyed straight man type to wrestlers.

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Jeremy Borash always did a pretty decent Gene imitation for TNA. Which I just found out from this is because he grew to idolizing Okerlund and then was mentored by him in WCW. I always forget Jeremy was even in WCW.

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3 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

Jeremy Borash always did a pretty decent Gene imitation for TNA. Which I just found out from this is because he grew to idolizing Okerlund and then was mentored by him in WCW. I always forget Jeremy was even in WCW.

Borash is from Minnesota, right? That's where he was working in radio when he used to do that show with Scherer & Ryder, iirc. 

Is he old enough to remember AWA Mean Gene? 

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11 hours ago, odessasteps said:

Always fun to see who they choose to honor big time, who gets a graphic and gets nothing. 

I’ll call it:

They’ll give Gene a segment consisting of a stand up shot with the three announcers. Renee and Corey sulk, while Cole spews a crap-ass bit about his legendary status, he nods, clasps his hands as they fade to a pre-tape reel. Which consists of Gene screwups, that song Jimmy Hart wrote for Piledriver(?) and him with Hogan to close. 

Fade out to the crowd, Cole says he was one of a kind. Then, they cut to Corbin, moaning about something, while reciting poorly written dialogue. He complains, they go to break. Then we get to wonder what the fuck Chrisley knows best.  

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57 minutes ago, odessasteps said:

I wonder if they will show a clip of his match in the awa. 

I didn't know he had a match in AWA. I know him and Hogan teamed up in a match in 84 in Minnesota to compete against AWA.

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1 hour ago, PetrolCB said:

I’ll call it:

They’ll give Gene a segment consisting of a stand up shot with the three announcers. Renee and Corey sulk, while Cole spews a crap-ass bit about his legendary status, he nods, clasps his hands as they fade to a pre-tape reel. Which consists of Gene screwups, that song Jimmy Hart wrote for Piledriver(?) and him with Hogan to close. 

Fade out to the crowd, Cole says he was one of a kind. Then, they cut to Corbin, moaning about something, while reciting poorly written dialogue. He complains, they go to break. Then we get to wonder what the fuck Chrisley knows best.  

Speaking of a show about nothing

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On 1/4/2019 at 7:43 AM, MORELOCK said:

Hayes? I'm sorry, my dude, but you're going to have to defend your tier system.

Gladly! It's purely a personal opinion. The first commentary team I remember seeing/hearing as a kid was Lord Alfred and Sean Mooney. That combination worked really well together, and over the years I just enjoyed Lord Alfred more and more. He was versatile, well spoken, and humorous. I loved hearing Mooney tell more stories about the man himself as he was away from television/PPV. I realize he may not be as high on the list as others, but I always enjoyed him.

On 1/4/2019 at 12:10 PM, West Newbury Bad Boy said:

And before you do, we’ll need you to be clear about who you’re referring to: Alfred or Michael?

Alfred, but I do enjoy some DOOT DOOT DOOT every now and again.

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I’ll give you this... Lord Alfred, and quite a few personalities that weren’t typical commentators were way better than Gene at commentary. Who never fit in as color man because he had such a commanding voice, and couldn’t fit as a play by play man because he just for whatever reason never was able to call a match well.

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