WWE Renames Audio Studio In Honour Of Mean Gene

WWE's Scott Stamford reveals the Mean Gene Okerlund Studio.

by Andrew Pollard
Mean Gene Okerlund
WWE

In a classy move, WWE has renamed its Audio Studio 2 in honour of the legendary ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund – who tragically passed away this January at the age of 76.

To many long-time wrestling fans, Gene was a huge part of their childhood as he would anchor so many memorable backstage interviews or in-ring segments – his professionalism, cadence, and wit always making him stand out as one of the best non-wrestling figures in the wrestling business.

Now, WWE has moved to rename its Audio Studio 2 to the Mean Gene Okerlund Studio.

Advertisement

WWE’s Scott Stamford took to Twitter to reveal the change.

Advertisement

Gene had a career that saw him appear for the AWA, the then-WWF, WCW, and then even sporadic appearances with WWE during his later years – including being the narrator for the ever-fun animated WWE Story Time show that features on WWE Network.

For some perspective on the longevity of Mean Gene, his initial venture into the wrestling business began way back in 1970 when he left his radio career behind to take up a position with the American Wrestling Association.

Advertisement

Okerlund’s final wrestling appearance came at last year’s Raw 25 show, where he interviewed AJ Styles.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.