10 Things You Might Have Forgotten About WrestleMania I

10. Mean Gene Performed The National Anthem

The tradition of performing the national anthem at WrestleMania began at the very first edition, and was scheduled to be performed by a celebrity guest. What you might not remember is that the scheduled celebrity no-showed the event, and it fell on Mean Gene Okerlund of all people to pick up the slack.

One of the qualities that endeared Mean Gene to multiple generations of wrestling fans and I imagine all of his employers throughout his career was his endless reserves of professionalism and willingness to do whatever it took to ensure the show runs as smoothly as possible.

Okerlund takes the mantle of performing the anthem and while he is clearly well out of his comfort zone, his rendition sets the tone for the show by working the crowd enough to get them participating in the event before the first bell rang. While this marks an unusual opening for one of the most historically important wrestling events, it does serve as a testament to the versatility and professional capacity of Mean Gene and a reminder of why he was a distinctive voice across two of the biggest boom periods in wrestling history.