 Show:
The Interactive Interview
Guest: "Mean" Gene Okerlund
Date: 4/03
Your Hosts: Daniel Edler & James Walsh
Transcript By: James Walsh
Now the host on WWE Confidential, 'Mean' Gene Okerlund
has always been at the forefront in wrestling, be it in his time in the WWF,
WCW or his second reign in the now WWE.
Aside from his wrestling ventures, Gene also owns his own food chains, Mean
Gene's Burgers and Mean Gene's Pizza.
During this interview Gene opens up on his views on the best and worst of
Gene Okerlund, as well as the best and worst from WWF, WCW and WWE. Pulling
no punches, we can say safely that Gene isnt best friends with quite a few
people inside the business.
"MEAN" GENE OKERLUND
-- Verne Gagne was running the AWA, and Gene began working there. He became
an announcer when he covered for an employee with an illness for the live
show on Saturday evenings.
-- Okerlund feels that to be on top of this industry you have to have an
ego. Gene tells a story about one time when Harley Race made the crowd sit
on the edge of their seats for 15 minutes, during an armbar.
-- Greed reared its head, and when Vince McMahon offered him a huge sum of
money he left AWA in an instant. All he had to do was go to New York 3 days
every 3 weeks, one trip every 3 weeks, for the money.
-- Gene feels Vince certainly has changed since he first met him, but he
had to. Vince is 24/7 in this business; he enjoys spending weekends throwing
up ideas for future angles.
-- Okerlund said that he wasn't supposed to be involved in the Hogan/Himself
vs. George Steele/Mr. Fuji tag match. Hogan promised Gene that he wouldn't
be involved; all he had to do was stand on the ring apron. However, during
the match he high-fived Hogan and the referee took it as a legal tag.
-- During the training videos for that match, Gene dropped a barbell on his
foot giving him an injury he still holds to this day.
-- Working on the Wrestling Albums 1 + 2 was fun for Gene given his musical
background. He did a cover of Little Richard's Tutti Frutti for #1, and
thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
-- When the Gobbeldy Gooker was brought up, his memories were that it was
a "disaster of monumental proportions". Vince's instructions were to go in
the ring and do crossovers with it. He did two, then fell onto the ropes
and cracked his ribs.
-- Jesse Ventura was working for WCW and informed Mean Gene that he could
make good money and contribute in WCW. Gene asked his agent (the same Agent
as Ventura's), and the deal was done.
-- Gene feels that once the nWo had 20+ guys, it was no longer elite. It
had to have a few select members like The Four Horsemen, and the nWo angle
eventually got tired and repetitive.
-- Okerlund feels that since WWE is live every week of the year, some of
the booking and storyline writing NEEDS to change to keep the company successful.
-- On the topic of Vince Russo, Gene has no personal problems with the man
but feels he has no talent, and his 'help' for the early WWF is even questionable
in Gene's mind.
-- The Hogan/Russo incident from Bash At The Beach 2000 is then brought up,
and Gene feels that Russo was completely out of line.
-- Okerlund says that he has not a clue as to why he had to wrestle Mark
Madden (who Gene calls 'a big tub of… well he's a little on the heavy
side). They weren't going to give a good wrestling match, and thus he is
bemused at that booking.
-- When it comes down to favourite interviews, Mad Dog Vachon, Ric Flair,
Hogan all come up. On the topic of least favourite interviews, Gene mentions
both the British Bulldogs and Bret Hart!
-- About working for WWE now, he loves hosting Confidential and making periodic
appearances on RAW or Smackdown!. Gene misses not being able to work with
Bobby Heenan, but then hints that a possible Heenan return could happen.
-- A very good source informed Gene that Kevin Dunn and Hulk Hogan both mentioned
Okerlund's name when the issue of Confidential hosting was brought up. When
quizzed as to whether Confidential exposes the business too much, Gene says
it's "BS", and goes on a deep rant about it.
-- Mean Gene then talks about his other non-wrestling ventures, 'Mean Gene's
Burgers - The Burger That Says Bite Me' and 'Mean Gene's Pizza - Better Because
It's Fresh'. The slogan from Mean Gene's Burgers came from the late 90's
slogan Bite Me, something that McDonalds couldn't use as they found it offensive.
-- Gene has hundreds of notes from his life in wrestling on his computer,
and will certainly come out in book-form some day. Gene says if he tells
everything he knows, it will blow the industry wide open.
-- We then play word association, and Gene gives us some of the most candid
answers of any of our guests. Below are just a couple:
" Vince McMahon: "Creative Genius".
" Bobby Heenan: "The quickest wit in television, period. Not just wrestling
television, television".
" Mark Madden: "Needs to go on a diet".
-- Gene then has insulting comments for Brad Siegel, Vince Russo & Triple
H, and some emotional words about Curt Hennig. Gene signs off with a message
to his fans, and a little banter with the show's hosts. We then go into the
after show wrap up.
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