Bang Bang Bart
Ozymandius
The King of North America
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Post by Bang Bang Bart on Jan 2, 2019 13:31:44 GMT -5
The great thing about Gene was just how he would engage with the interviewee and call the heels on their BS. Now we have cardboard cut-outs. My favorite was when the NWO formed and he’s just giving Hogan shit for turning heel. Made the moment even more of a big deal.
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Post by abjordans on Jan 2, 2019 13:33:18 GMT -5
Two of the top 5 GOATS essentially had catchphrases using his name.
“LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING, MEAN GENE”
“MEEEEEAAAAAN WOOOOOOO (sometimes a BY GOD followed by some dancing if he was feeling himself) GENE”
One of the voices of my childhood. The mere sound of his voice is instant nostalgia and takes me to a happy place. I got to shake his hand at WrestleCon and tell him thanks. RIP to him.
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Fade
Patti Mayonnaise
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Post by Fade on Jan 2, 2019 13:35:05 GMT -5
One of the most iconic people synonymous to wrestling, IMO. No hyperbole. May he RIP.
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Post by Cyno on Jan 2, 2019 13:39:39 GMT -5
Let me tell you something about Mean Gene, brother. This guy was THE backstage interviewer for me. He was there when I remember watching WWF as a little guy on the little TV in the McDojo locker room after my Taekwondo classes. He was there when I got more seriously into wrestling when I started watching WCW. And then he was like an old friend returning when I started watching wrestling again with WWE after the Monday Night Wars ended. I don't remember ever hearing a single bad thing about him and the guy was always a consummate professional and just a presence. Someone like that comes once in a lifetime and no other backstage interviewer has come since that can approach his greatness.
RIP Mean Gene.
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Post by willywonka666 on Jan 2, 2019 13:40:16 GMT -5
So sad. Mean Gene was right there at the start of fandom and he was so witty and clever, and of course the perfect voice for announcing.
A friend of mine on FB shared my post and I like what he said-he said that Gene was so good at what he did that my friend believed it was all real. They don’t really even try anymore, but those were simpler times. R.I.P.
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Eunös ✈
Dalek
Duck Feet Expert
Tolerated, just not practically liked.
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Post by Eunös ✈ on Jan 2, 2019 13:41:19 GMT -5
Wonder if they will bury him face down now so his critics can kiss his arse.
(This is from his Hall of Fame speech back in 2006 just in case you don't get the ref)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2019 13:42:40 GMT -5
RIP Mean Gene
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2019 13:42:51 GMT -5
RIP Mean Gene- seems like out of nowhere. Thoughts to family and friends.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2019 13:44:40 GMT -5
People say “there will never be another one like him/her/them” whenever someone passes away, but it’s never been more true than with Mean Gene. In today’s media where everything has to be young and exciting to keep peoples’ attention, they wouldn’t put Gene in a high profile role on TV, and that’s such a shame. He brought more humor and gravitas to each interview that anyone before or since him. The man is an absolute broadcasting legend and someone that every person who aspires to have an on-camera role should look to and learn from. He walked with giants and he was never overshadowed by them.
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repomark
Unicron
For Mash Get Smash
Posts: 3,050
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Post by repomark on Jan 2, 2019 13:49:59 GMT -5
A true legend and a big loss. Wrestlemania 8 was my first experience of WWF and Mean Gene was a big part of that - the interview with Bret and Piper, the explaining that Macho Man was unavailable for comment about Flair and Elizabeth then the post match interview with him, and the Sid interview. Looking back he was such a big part of advancing the storyline narrative and adding that big match feel with whoever he was involved with. He was a big part of the beginnings of my love of wrestling, and this is a really sad one
Such a great voice - and even did a good job of the Star Spangled Banner at Wrestlemania 1. Was lucky enough to meet him at Wrestlecon in Dallas a few years back, and it is sad how many I have met through the years are now away.
RIP Gene, You will be in good company, and amongst long time, close personal friends.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2019 13:50:47 GMT -5
Thinking about Mean Gene at lunchtime, and I've come up with (for me) the perfect tribute..... Cole is at the Raw booth, babbling about what not, and then says "Back to you, Cathy Kelley!" She does a brief promo, then says "Over to you, Sean Mooney!" Sean Mooney's elsewhere in the backstage area, maybe with an older wrestler who Mean Gene used to interview (maybe Booker T, who gets his mouth covered as he starts to talk ), he talks a bit, then says "Over to you...." And this goes on for a while. Bring in present day interviewers and past, as well as commentators and wrestlers. Coach. Todd Grisham. A chair with Josh Mathews name on it. Sam Roberts. Ray Rougeau. Dress up PS Hayes as Dok Hendrix and put him out on an elevated stage for a few seconds. Bring in Schiavone. Bring in Tenay. Have Ric Flair yell "MEAN WOOOOOOOOOOBYGOD GENE!!!" at El Dandy yells angrily to someone off camera "Who are you to doubt me, I said put that cigarette out!" Finally, it ends with Vince at a rebuilt Event Center set. He starts to hype the new WWE Hotline when the entire set collapses and he yells "f*** IT!" as the camera cuts to the RIP Mean Gene place card.
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Post by Seth Drakin of Monster Crap on Jan 2, 2019 13:52:23 GMT -5
This sucks.
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Post by Oh Cry Me a Screwball on Jan 2, 2019 13:56:57 GMT -5
Man, what a doozy to start out the year. Possibly one of the most iconic voices of wrestling period.
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Post by rnrk supports BLM on Jan 2, 2019 13:57:55 GMT -5
The great thing about Gene was just how he would engage with the interviewee and call the heels on their BS. Now we have cardboard cut-outs. My favorite was when the NWO formed and he’s just giving Hogan shit for turning heel. Made the moment even more of a big deal. I loved that one, he sounds disgusted and devastated that someone he'd considered a friend had sunk so low. Mean Gene's was an iconic part of pro wrestling for decades, and still the gold standard for onscreen interviewers. RIP
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CMWaters
Ozymandius
Rolled a Seven, Beat the Ads.
Bald and busy
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Post by CMWaters on Jan 2, 2019 13:58:23 GMT -5
Man, what a doozy to start out the year. Possibly one of the most iconic voices of wrestling period. For that time period WWF, of who we still have left, it'd be down to him and Howard Finkel, who according to Lawler isn't doing that well himself.
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Bang Bang Bart
Ozymandius
The King of North America
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Post by Bang Bang Bart on Jan 2, 2019 13:59:44 GMT -5
My favorite was when the NWO formed and he’s just giving Hogan shit for turning heel. Made the moment even more of a big deal. I loved that one, he sounds disgusted and devastated that someone he'd considered a friend had sunk so low. Mean Gene's was an iconic part of pro wrestling for decades, and still the gold standard for onscreen interviewers. RIP “You see this trash in the ring? That will be your future if you continue to hang around this guy Nash and this guy Hall...”
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Jan 2, 2019 14:02:44 GMT -5
The great thing about Gene was just how he would engage with the interviewee and call the heels on their BS. “Oh, blow it out your ass, O’Haire!” (That’s a latter-day WCW one that I saw on the timeline that cracked me up)
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Wieners=$$$
Hank Scorpio
Gif Master Extraordinaire
I Miss You Peanut😥
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Post by Wieners=$$$ on Jan 2, 2019 14:06:42 GMT -5
RIP to an icon.
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Post by sdoyle7798 on Jan 2, 2019 14:16:26 GMT -5
Him and Finkel were essentially the hype men of WWE. One of the major players in the wrestling business. He made it seem so legitimate and as said before, helped wrestling go mainstream Thanks for everything Gene. Back to you. And isn't Fink in bad health? I seem to remember hearing about that a while back. Nothing more than that though.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2019 14:18:30 GMT -5
I've been thinking about Mean Gene a lot lately and am sad to see the news that he has passed. He's the greatest back stage personality of all time. No one has even come close to filling his shoes when it comes to conducting interviews. I would say that I will miss him, but the truth is I've been missing him for a long time.
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