Mean Gene Okerlund RIP

[Texas Turnip]

I know some are fans of rasslin, so thought you'd like to know Mean Gene passed at 76. You had to see the man to realize why he was with wrestling for half a century. They even mentioned it on the national news.

Tex

[pebra]

Sounds like a Swedish name, must be mean! 

[Guzzistajohn]

Saw him here at the Shrine Mosque a few times. That pro wrestling is sooooo realistic!

Can't understand why he passed so young, he was a healthy lookin' feller!

[fotoguzzi]

BIG NEWS in Minnesota.. shown here w/ Governor Jesse the BOD Ventura.

[Lannis]

He rassled in the Midwest and Texas in the AWA, so I never saw him ... All the rasslin' here was NWA, Ivan Koloff, Wahoo McDaniel, Tony Atlas, Ole Andersen, Ric Flair, Jimmy Valiant, Dusty Rhodes, all them guys.

All in good fun .... 

Lannis

[Guzzistajohn]

He rassled in the Midwest and Texas in the AWA, so I never saw him ... All the rasslin' here was NWA, Ivan Koloff, Wahoo McDaniel, Tony Atlas, Ole Andersen, Ric Flair, Jimmy Valiant, Dusty Rhodes, all them guys.

All in good fun .... 

Lannis

Back in "the day" we would get Andre the Giant, Skandar Akbar & Dusty Rhodes. Skandar was easy to hate 

[LowRyter]

Championship Wrestling every Saturday night on TV.  (DJ) Danny Williams and (blind) Leroy Mcguirk. 

We had all the greats from Andre the Giant, Danny Hodge (past OU Olympian), Wahoo MacDaniel (past OU football), Haystack Calhoun, Skanbar, Dusty Rhodes, Von Erik, and Cowboy Bill Watts.


Danny would always end the telecast with "look out for flying chairs."



Mean Gene was a good one.  Always the rational straight guy against crazy wrestlers,  good announcing voice too.

[Guzzistajohn]

Championship Wrestling every Saturday night on TV.  (DJ) Danny Williams and (blind) Leroy Mcguirk. 

We had all the greats from Andre the Giant, Danny Hodge (past OU Olympian), Wahoo MacDaniel (past OU football), Haystack Calhoun, Skanbar, Dusty Rhodes, Von Erik, and Cowboy Bill Watts.


Danny would always end the telecast with "look out for flying chairs."



Mean Gene was a good one.  Always the rational straight guy against crazy wrestlers,  good announcing voice too.

That's the same bunch we saw in Springpatch, couldn't pull the names out Haystacks Calhoun, yea baby! REAL RASSLIN'

[Daleroso]

And......The Great Malenko

[Shorty]

Bruno Samartino, George "The Animal" Steele, Captain Lou Albano, Jumpin' Johnny Defazio, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, Junk Yard Dog, Bob Brazile, Baron Secluna, Haystacks Calhoun, Andre the Giant, Sargeant Slaughter, just a few of the wrestlers in Pittsburgh.  De Fazio was a local champ, and also president of the United Steelworkers  of America. Paddy Grimes, referree,  was VP of the same union... .  The ring announcer, Chilly Billy Cardille, also had a Friday night horror show on TV. We loved that stuff when we were kids. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Wrestling

[LowRyter]

That's the same bunch we saw in Springpatch, couldn't pull the names out Haystacks Calhoun, yea baby! REAL RASSLIN'

yeah, it was all filmed in Okla City at channel 4.  Danny Williams was the top DJ in town and did lots of TV bits on kid's shows (3D Danny) and wrestling.   Channel 4 was WKY-TV and WKY AM radio and run by The Daily Oklahoman newspaper family (now Gaylord hotels, Thunder Basketball, Opryland and such).

McGuirk had the whole territory: OK, Misery, Ark, No La and W Tex.  Amarillo to Little Rock.

http://tulsatvmemories.com/sports2.html