10 Things You Didn't Know About 'Mean' Gene Okerlund

10. Jesse Ventura's 'Mean' Nickname Was A Playful Jibe

Some younger fans may be a little confused as to why such a gentlemanly looking fellow could be nicknamed 'Mean' Gene. That ol' prankster Jesse Ventura is the one to blame. It was he who came up with the playful moniker when both worked together in the AWA, and it was first uttered with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

According to Jesse during his RF Video shoot, literally everybody liked Gene, and that's why the name worked.

Okerlund was a consument gent to everyone, from top-tier talent to the lowest grunt on the totem pole cleaning up beer and popcorn from the stands after the show. That caught Ventura's attention, and he decided to coin the announcer's iconic nickname. At first, 'Gene-O' didn't care for it.

In his own RF shoot, Okerlund admitted that the 'Mean' name got on his nerves slightly, and he couldn't understand why it caught on. Once it did, he was powerless to stop it, and so he embraced it. Get used to those RF shoots, 'cause they're a goldmine of Gene info.