- 03/03/2010 (7:24:07 pm)
- Bob Mulrenin
….
Broadcast Live & Worldwide On The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network
www.ITunes.com
"Mean" Gene Okerlund Discusses His Role At WrestleMania XXVI, This Year's WWE Hall Of Fame Class, How The Bret "Hitman" Hart/Vince McMahon Saga Should End, The Return of "The Monday Night Wars" (Between The WWE & TNA), Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff At The Helm Of TNA, Why It's Important To Not Turn TNA iMPACT Into "The Hulk Hogan Show" Or "Thunder In Paradise," & The Legacy Of World Championship Wrestling As Compared To World Wrestling Entertainment
Courtesy: www.MondayNightMayhem.com
"Mean" Gene Okerlund/Monday Night Mayhem Interview (MNM Podcast On ITunes): http://www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/mar10/030110.mp3
Whether TNA has enough (with the likes of Hogan, Bischoff, & "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair) to really compete with the WWE, like WCW had the credibility with "Mean" Gene when he jumped ship from the then-World Wrestling Federation to World Championship Wrestling: "As long as Vince McMahon is sitting in that creative chair with his writers, I think it's gonna be very tough if they depend on riding this Hulk Hogan pony into the sunset. I just don't think now's the time when your main even next week is Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair, and God knows I love them both. But we're a little long in the tooth; they're not Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase, they're not John Cena, not even The Undertaker as current WWE stars are, and thus I think it's gonna be an uphill battle...but what would you expect?"
Bret "The Hitman" Hart's WWE return, what he feels will happen between the two at WrestleMania XXVI, & in what way this "saga" should end: "The Montreal Screwjob was such a hot item with wrestling fans & the industry, that this type of a return & closure, with the involvement of these two men, I think is a main event in itself. I think the set up for this is going to be great because I remember this happening 25 years ago, and it came off immaculately. I think this is going to be a very good storyline."
The WWE Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2010: I had tremendous respect for Wendi (Richter) when I worked with her both in the AWA & the WWE. It wouldn't surprise me if some lady that had a million dollar seller "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" might be the inductor for Ms. Richter. That would not be a surprise to me, and it would be good creatively. Antonio Inoki is a worldwide piece of talent that has virtually done everything, plus he's the founder of New Japan Wrestling. Ted DiBiase...long overdue. I think the time is right for Mr. DiBiase to enter the hall. And he was a great piece of talent because I worked with him all those years when he had Virgil as his sidekick. He was a legend, and he came in a little later. He wasn't part of WrestleMania 1 or 2; he came in during the late '80's and made a big impact in the company as 'The Million Dollar Man.' He is going to make a good addition to the Hall Of Fame."
How WCW was different from his days in the WWE in the late '80's/early '90's in regards to putting on a show: "I thought it was very chaotic & very unprofessional compared to the WWE. Everything was very tight; all of the matches were gone over in advance along with camera angles & everything, and we pre-taped a lot of the interviews that you saw. As a comparison, I would have to say that the WWE were on top of their game in terms of the production values; the way things were organized, backstage with the talent...and I mean with all the talent: with the on-air & the performers in the ring...just so much more superior to what we saw on WCW. There were a lot of shoddy matches, even though they enhancement matches, nothing was really planned."
More is contained is this exclusive interview with arguably one of the greatest announcers & voices of all-time, including "Mean" Gene's candid thoughts on his current role working with the WWE Classics On-Demand & WWE's "Vintage Collection," his plans for WrestleMania XXVI weekend in Phoenix, what he has been doing since his full-time retirement from the business, his memories of the Buffalo area, & so much more. Plus, you can experience an on-air reunion of two of WCW's most-tenured announcers for the first time since the final telecast of Nitro: featuring "Mean" Gene Okerlund & The Mayhem's National WWE Correspondent, Scott Hudson!



