"Mean" Gene Okerlund leaves behind an unmatched impact on wrestling: He took WWE seriously, so viewers could too

SB Nation

"Okerlund was seemingly built in a lab to do just that specifically for the sport of professional wrestling," says Spencer Hall, noting that the late WWE announcer, who died Wednesday at age 76, "sounded like the voice of God (yet) e looked like God’s grumpy, slump-shouldered, balding personal assistant Kevin." Hall adds: "Okerlund played the role of The Serious Adult in the Room on WWE and WCW’s biggest shows. He was the one who asked the questions, demanded answers, and served as the pivot for every beef, rivalry, feud, and outright war between the giants and bit players of wrestling. He hectored wrestlers like an investigative reporter. He was pushy, ornery, sometimes outright hostile to his subjects, playing up the drama while never forgetting to mention that the show was at the National Guard Armory in Nashville this coming Saturday, and that tickets were still available — but selling fast. That was his job: giving the impression that this was serious, serious business."