JohnCenaFan28
01-18-2009, 10:27 PM
Gene Okerlund was interviewed by Brian Fritz of the Orlando Sentinel today to promote the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony over WrestleMania weekend. Highlights of the interview.
Being Inducted in 2006: “It’s a great feeling. Number one – I was the first announcer ever to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame but to get inducted in with guys who were at the top of the game for so long like Bret “The Hitman” Hart and, believe it or not, Verne Gagne is the guy that I started for. He was one of the great amateurs in the ’48 Olympics and became a top professional wrestler back in the old, embryonic days of wrestling television. It was a real kick in the head and then the fact that (Hulk) Hogan had to trash me, you know. No, he presented me into the hall and it just a very, very special night and one that I won’t forget.”
Steve Austin’s Induction: “What an announcement that is. And sitting here in San Antonio which is kind of a second home for Steve Austin people here are very, very excited about. To tell you the truth, so am I. That’s going to be one of the headliners for the Hall of Fame event which has become such a big part of WrestleMania.”
Other Texans Worthy of the Hall: “Well, I can rattle off a few names right off the top of my head and that would be the Funk family out of, of course, West Texas out around Amarillo - Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr., longtime NWA champion. And how about the late great Dick Murdoch? Wouldn’t you want to throw him into the mix?”
Bobby Heenan: “Yeah, those are some residual issues that Bobby is probably going to have to deal with for the rest of his life. He was very sick and contracted throat cancer and he had a number of subsequent operations. As a result it affected his speech and for a guy that made a living out of talking, and made a damn good living and was a good talker, it’s kind of a sad, sad thing to see. Same thing that happened to Gordon Solie.”
Ric Flair’s 2008 induction: “I covered Ric’s very first match. We were both from Minneapolis, Minnesota and I was working for Verne Gagne at that time and Ric was just a fresh as a daisy. He was what they called “green” back in those days. To think what he accomplished in three decades really makes me proud of the association I’ve had with the guy down through the years. The match the following night in the Citrus Bowl between he and Shawn Michaels, in my mind, it has to go down as one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history. One of the greatest matches of all times.”
To read the entire interview, visit http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/wrestling/2009/01/interview-with.html.
Being Inducted in 2006: “It’s a great feeling. Number one – I was the first announcer ever to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame but to get inducted in with guys who were at the top of the game for so long like Bret “The Hitman” Hart and, believe it or not, Verne Gagne is the guy that I started for. He was one of the great amateurs in the ’48 Olympics and became a top professional wrestler back in the old, embryonic days of wrestling television. It was a real kick in the head and then the fact that (Hulk) Hogan had to trash me, you know. No, he presented me into the hall and it just a very, very special night and one that I won’t forget.”
Steve Austin’s Induction: “What an announcement that is. And sitting here in San Antonio which is kind of a second home for Steve Austin people here are very, very excited about. To tell you the truth, so am I. That’s going to be one of the headliners for the Hall of Fame event which has become such a big part of WrestleMania.”
Other Texans Worthy of the Hall: “Well, I can rattle off a few names right off the top of my head and that would be the Funk family out of, of course, West Texas out around Amarillo - Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr., longtime NWA champion. And how about the late great Dick Murdoch? Wouldn’t you want to throw him into the mix?”
Bobby Heenan: “Yeah, those are some residual issues that Bobby is probably going to have to deal with for the rest of his life. He was very sick and contracted throat cancer and he had a number of subsequent operations. As a result it affected his speech and for a guy that made a living out of talking, and made a damn good living and was a good talker, it’s kind of a sad, sad thing to see. Same thing that happened to Gordon Solie.”
Ric Flair’s 2008 induction: “I covered Ric’s very first match. We were both from Minneapolis, Minnesota and I was working for Verne Gagne at that time and Ric was just a fresh as a daisy. He was what they called “green” back in those days. To think what he accomplished in three decades really makes me proud of the association I’ve had with the guy down through the years. The match the following night in the Citrus Bowl between he and Shawn Michaels, in my mind, it has to go down as one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history. One of the greatest matches of all times.”
To read the entire interview, visit http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/wrestling/2009/01/interview-with.html.