Every time you saw Gene Okerlund (above, centre) in the back talking about upcoming matches or pay-per-views or whatever, he was basically coming up with material on his own. The WWE would tell him to talk for x amount of minutes to fill time, and hed do it as though the entire thing was scripted. The timing was always fluidic, and the subject matter was ever-evolving, but Mean Gene was the consummate professional, and someone who could take the ball and run with it perhaps better than anyone in the history of the industry. A lot of announcers today are tasked with similar things, but Gene was the originator of the role. And remember, he had no one to help him. No one to converse with. It was just him, a microphone, and a camera. Gene made it all look so easy. So seamless. He took the backstage interview to new heights. His promotional work became the golden standard for the industry. Oh, and remember his hotline? Only he could pull that off. Gene is a Hall of Famer, inducted in 2006, and deservedly so. The guy set the industry standard for event promotion, and remains to this day one of the most respected people ever to be involved with professional wrestling.
