Gene Okerlund - How Tough Andre the Giant & Haku were in WWF

Mean Gene Okerlund discusses his time around Andre the Giant, how Haku & Mr Saito were the two toughest guys in wrestling and the sad demise of Bruiser Brody. Stream New Shoot Interviews 📺 TitleMatchNetwork.com
RIP to the late-great Mean Gene. Mr Okerlund talks about his time playing cards and traveling with Andre the Giant. Gene also shares how sad Andre would get when fans would stare or laugh at his appearance.
When Mean Gene is asked who the toughest wrestler was back in the day he says it was Meng aka Haku and even Mr Saito. We also get a short story about the tragic passing of Bruiser Brody.
Originally produced by RF Video Inc in 2006. Licensed for exclusive distribution on Title Match Network.
Watch the full shoot ➡ titlematchnetwork.com/wrestli...
💥 Thank you for 2.36M subscribers 💥
➡ Subscribe to Title Match
👉 KZbin.com/TitleMatchWrestlin...
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @titlematchwrestling

[@TitleMatchWrestling]

RIP to the late great Mean Gene Okerlund Stream the Full Shoot Interview (2006) ➡titlematchnetwork.com/wrestling-shoot-interviews-results/

[@johnmoreno5965]

Man I loved Mean Gene back in the 80's in the WWF days!

[@Surfer041]

Well ya know Mean Gene!

[@kevinklein7164]

For me it started in the AWA, then he, Hogan, Ventura, and Heenan jumped to WWF.

[@victor03000]

I remember when Mean Gene first arrived in WWF. He helped make 80s WWF

[@FredderHoskin]

The voice of my childhood, RIP Gene.

[@michaelorr8190]

There will never be another Mean Gene. Loved him in WCW in the 90s. His interviews with Hulk, Flair, and Piper were epic and his skills should be taught to all future talent pursuing that field.

[@davidjones6470]

DAMN RIGHT BRO, 🫡💯

[@MaRkYWaHoO]

The shiek cracked him up

[@russellcampbell3500]

He was awesome where ever he was. Gene will live on forever in this old man's young mind

[@JonathanHassingerChannel]

It’s amazing anyone remembers him as a WCW guy. So cool how many generations appreciated how perfect Mean Gene was at his job.

[@zachgrace7675]

Was even better in what was then the wwf

[@irkjustice5600]

It was really sad that not many people went to Mean Gene's funeral. I saw DDP talking about it. Mean Gene was just awesome!

[@runningsuperska]

I know! I couldn't believe it. Very sad.

[@DjakedB405]

Such a treasure in the business lot I loved him as a kid

[@Me-qp8vz]

The most liked on tv are usually the least liked in the real world. Doesn't surprise me at all.

[@makaveli087]

Funerals are for the living not the deceased. It didn't mean a thing to Mr. Okerlund - I assure you.

[@williamk2257]

Especially guys like Hogan as much as they meant to each other during interviews. Well you know something Mean Gean I’m not going to your funeral. Crazy!

[@Daves_Faves]

Breaks my heart to know people hurt Andre like that emotionally. He was my childhood hero. 💔😢

[@zachgrace7675]

To be fair that's not nice for Andre but there's numerous times on record that André was a bully and not that nice of a guy.

[@Music-qt3ok]

I heard that Andre was rude to fans. That's what Jacques Rougeau said.

[@tylowe78]

​@@zachgrace7675I heard Kamala say he tried to bully him. Kamala kept a gun with him. He put Andre in check. Kamala confronted him about some things and when Andre knew he wasn't playing with him, he had no more problems out of Andre. I heard Bad News Brown say Andre used to say racist things and Bad News had to let Andre know he wasn't scared of him.

[@douglaspaterson5269]

​@@zachgrace7675 And was known to say racist things.🙈🙉🙊

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

@@douglaspaterson5269 that was said two days before yours in the SAME string--nice copying lol

[@77Sinner]

I started watching WWF wrestling as a kid in the early to mid 80's and Mean Gene was amongst my earliest memories of tuning in. He was awesome. One of a kind.

[@maximus1318able]

Still remember getting a Mean Gene action figure for Xmas along with Hogan, Macho and Andre. Mean Gene will always be 1 of my favorites

[@captaincooool]

Mean Gene was a part of many of our childhoods, it's awful the way his passing was treated. I wish the WWE would do something today to make it right.

[@logic1695]

was upset to hear nobody went to mean genes funeral. true legend deserved better

[@blacklion401]

I was also shocked by that.

[@mitchellandrews1015]

Gotta wonder why guys. Layers Look at some of the current news it’s abhorrent. Gene was a cog

[@robbie1977ful]

Yeah I thought it was shameful as well.!Top tier HOF for sure! The greatest

[@tacoma171]

Could listen to Gene all day. Mountain of information and articulates it immensely well!

[@MP-in4or]

Gene was on a another level. His career is what any broadcaster should strive for. I strongly believe, there was no golden age of WWF or WCW/NWO without him.

[@megatron4547]

This man was the voice of wrestling for so long! Mean Gene was the GOAT

[@WarriorSidMentzer]

If there was anyone to protect the giant when he was older and immobile, Haku would be the guy to hang with.

[@Scott__C]

Gene had one of the great voices for wrestling broadcast, like Solie and JR, you knew them even if they weren't onscreen or introducing themselves.

[@walterstevens5678]

Mean Gene is the voice of wrestling! God bless this man and all the crazy he got to witness.

[@crikker9447]

Mean Gene in the AWA of the 70s was untouchable

[@mrhallman64]

Mean Gene was the man when I was a kid in Wisconsin.

[@laurenced2916]

His charisma was off the charts

[@HANGRYJIMLODLIFEALWAYSLOD]

What a lovely man he seems like...true professional.

[@mikehunt9884]

could listen to mean gene telling old wrestling stories forever, he was great.

[@kellygrooverWinkle]

Mean Gene is on my pro wrestling Mount Rushmore. He elevated everybody around him by taking the most ridiculous people completely seriously.

[@stevenbean9706]

rest with the angels mister Okerlund you were cut from rare material as was Andre . you were loved by many

[@runningsuperska]

Mean Gene was the backstage star of the Fed. RIP brother.

[@leroyjones6170]

Iconic voice. Brings back so many memories

[@ricksanchez2425]

The real head of the table

[@michaelvazquez7851]

Nice interview

[@Tyrantresister]

Can't believe no one in the business aside from DDP showed up to this icon's funeral.

[@terryrussell5834]

Mean Gene was a treasure.

[@Beardo2517]

So Hogan says people were snicker at Andre everyone calls him a liar but Gene says it and it's alright

[@Scott__C]

To be fair, Hogan lies all the time, so why would you believe him?

[@TL2354]

@@Scott__CHow do you know?

[@Scott__C]

@@TL2354 Because he talks.

[@Me-qp8vz]

@@TL2354 Easy watch a Hulk wrestling match them listen to Hulk tell how it went down. Or google lies Hulk Hogan has told but be warned it's about month or more of viewing time to hear hulks lies.

[@nickcopland5186]

If I was my 5 year old self again and saw Andre walking around at an airport, I wouldn't be laughing and pointing, I'd be needing fresh underwear.

[@mitchellandrews1015]

What do you mean by that? A friend of mine suffers with acromegaly, it’s offensive what you are saying if I understand correctly. Heinous Remove your comment Now

[@nickcopland5186]

@@mitchellandrews1015 I wasn't being offensive, calm down. I was implying my 5 year old self would be terrified of seeing for the first time a living giant like Andre. Get a grip and a sense of humour. I respect Andre. I have a brother who has severe Autism. So I need a sense of humour to get me through life, okay?

[@mitchellandrews1015]

@@nickcopland5186 I’ll take you at your word good sir. With your situation I am certain you are truly a woken warrior. I salute you kind sir

[@nickcopland5186]

@@mitchellandrews1015 Not woken, certainly not that, but broken and still fighting.

[@mitchellandrews1015]

@@nickcopland5186 keep fighting my woke friend

[@JimJones762x39]

Mean Gene is the King

[@vicferrari4046]

Miss ya Mean Gene

[@frankcastle4435]

RIP Gene best in the business

[@RichardM1366]

Andre was a great man. He was terrible how people treated him because of a disease. He was a sensitive guy and it didn't take much to hurt him. He lived his life and enjoyed the good times.

[@TL2354]

How do you know?

[@fredo4070]

Lmao EVERYONE says Haku. Hilarious to hear Mean Gene say it in that golden voice

[@heatherlane8164]

Loved mean gene!

[@jans8854]

Спасибо за видео! 🇰🇿

[@msoi215]

#RIPMeanGene #RIPAndreTheGiant

[@davidmartin1949]

Great voice and missed very much .

[@mikeh5656]

Mean 'wooooooooooo' by God, Gene

[@thesting6820]

No one attended this man's funeral. Apparently, no one liked this man. Now, we the fans cannot understand it. Wouldn't it be great if a wrestler explained this?

[@poormansdemon3176]

Is this true. I’ve never heard of this but gonna look into it now

[@anson.meadows]

DDP explains it. He was very disappointed in many wrestlers that should have been there.

[@thesting6820]

@@anson.meadows I know. But, no one will say why he was hated. They called him "Scheme Gene". I think that is a.clue.

[@anson.meadows]

@@thesting6820 it’s possible but sometimes ppl are only valued for what they can provide to others and not what they ‘mean’ to others.

[@thesting6820]

@@anson.meadows I think you have a point.

[@rayishere71]

Mean Jean the greatest ever

[@jersh1981]

To think he worked with everyone and when he died......... no one showed up. brutal.

[@CrookedRosePOD]

Just recently learned about brusier brody (found out about kayfabe a few years ago) love brusier

[@TL2354]

Bruiser

[@ripperace]

Mean Gene= G.O.A.T.

[@HighScroLLa]

Mean WOOO Gene

[@joeblough6701]

He was the best.

[@wrericdog]

Andre and Haku in the wwe or anywhere else, as tag champs I remember was great!, very few person at that time could beat them in real life! Brody last of the greats also

[@dustinmichel7608]

Why didn't the boys show up to Gene's funeral?

[@petertristan5885]

They are assholes.. No Respect for Mean Gene.. 😢😢

[@Hangingwithfarrah]

The toughest tag team off all time

[@Nostalgia9478]

Nah. Thatd be Owen and Yokozuna

[@donjohn2695]

That's barbarian and haku/meng they where the faces of fear in WCW they where the toughest tag team EVER

[@SeanRankin2]

@@donjohn2695 Yes they were. I think even the Steiners would agree with that

[@jonhowell5014]

Best wrestlers in the business: Bruno Sammartino, Pat Patterson, Peter Maiva, Moon Dog Mayne, Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, George "The Animal" Steele, Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Rock, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin. I'm sure I missed some. Best non-wrestlers in the business: Gene Okerlund. RIP, Mean Gene.

[@StrongArmEntertainment]

Thank you.. Meng. That is how I know him. Who is haku lol

[@Davepool-hs7vr]

Andre loved his wine

[@baoxidiaoyu]

Unfortunately Saito got to Waukesha

[@Clownhole420]

Mean Gene was the Chris Berman of WWF.

[@bz3105]

Yeah, I will always love Andre the Giant for being an icon of my childhood but I would NOT have wanted to be him. Basically, every little thing had multiple extra steps and that just had to have been extremely tough.

[@aVerveQuest]

Having lived in Hawaii I can attest to the Samoans power to generate fear

[@AllCelebzNElitenNeckMaskz]

Well ya know Gene Mean , you an Cheeco Santana need to come party with me an Mick Jaggers party with sly an sagul lol..u know he asked me to b his personal bodygaurd .😂😂😂 Jesse the body

[@scoh840]

I always wondered..... If God made them the same age..... In an eyeball vs eyeball shoot - Haku vs Peter Maivia?

[@jasonlinton9902]

I liked the bad news brown story he said they were on a bus and bad news said andre called him the n word bad news said he got up and confronted andre and andre did nothing and said he was sorry

[@mahmud9973]

Hello

[@britpackdog4545]

Never fails to impress me how hard Americans have to, and do work.

[@TonyTerranova-ji4et]

Rene Goulet would moon you on the top of the bar

[@JohnDoe-fb1uk]

hi

[@imahustla5029]

Tama Tonga Tanga Loa Bloodline 🩸🩸

[@bloolouboyle]

6 hrs tlking wow how did u do it for 400k poor guy

[@Nostalgia9478]

Piper couldve easily taken Andre out with a leg dive Piece O Cake! lol

[@jdbankshot]

the real badass andre was when he could actually catch you in the ring. the 390 pound andre, from the early 70's. ya, piper was no slouch, homeless at 13, lived on an indian rez, learned to box, trained with judo gene lebell, etc... underrated legit tough bastard. andre liked piper, they got along, apparently because roddy wouldn't back down from him in their few matches. andre respected that, plus piper made him laugh all the time.

[@Nostalgia9478]

@@jdbankshotPiper had the best leg dive in the biz

[@TravisBrady-wn8fr]

Andre was 8 feet tall and weighed over 1000 pounds. Haku skipped lunch and ate the lunch lady brother.

[@jaybarnes8034]

Haiku was great, while Andre was too slow.

[@thaR3N]

Andre in his early prime was very agile for his size. Look it up

[@TL2354]

Haku

[@TonyTerranova-ji4et]

Andre The Giant in 1970 s was closer to 7 ft 5 possible the boots 👢 had lift's to give some more height

[@Music-qt3ok]

Why didn't Haku do real martial arts instead of pro wrestling?

[@Ifoughtpiranhas]

Money. Pro-wrestling provided a steady paycheck. Martial arts pre-MMA era, not so much. Haku was already pushing 40 by the time MMA really began to take off.

[@TL2354]

Ask him

[@cardiffemorgan5877]

We all know hogan was one of the wannabe tough guys that wasn’t tough. Most insecure wrestler ever

[@CatsClaw44]

No offense, but you sound insecure. Hogan NEVER claimed to be a tough guy even though he clearly is tough suffering through the pain that he did in wrestling, including coming back from a broken leg. Maybe wannabe clowns like you and the ones who liked your post should educate yourself.

[@TL2354]

How do you know?

[@RayRay002]

Mean Gene lying Andre was NOT a nice guy..

[@jimfrisk688]

oh so you knew Andre well? Spent time with him for days on ends year after year like Gene?

[@TL2354]

How long did you know Andre?

[@user-yl5qv2pe7i]

Glad your gone 😂

[@kellygrooverWinkle]

Mean Gene is on my pro wrestling Mount Rushmore. He elevated everybody around him by taking the most ridiculous people completely seriously.