WWE Hall of Famer 'Mean' Gene Okerlund dies

WWE Hall of Famer "Mean" Gene Okerlund has died at the age of 76.

Okerlund got his start in the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association in the early 1970s before joining WWE as an interviewer and announcer in 1984. He hosted several shows during his time with WWE, including "All-American Wrestling," "Tuesday Night Titans," "Wrestling Challenge," and "Prime Time Wrestling."

Jesse Ventura is credited with coining Okerlund's "Mean" nickname.

"Jesse and I were talking on the air in Minneapolis with the AWA," Okerland recalled in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso in 2017. "Jesse said something about once serving as the bodyguard for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and I said, 'Tom Petty, that's a pretty big name.' Jesse didn't miss a beat and responded, 'You don't even know who Tom Petty is!' I corrected him and said, 'I certainly do, Jesse, he is the famous race car driver.'

"That's when Jesse said, 'That's mean, Gene,' and that is how the origin of 'Mean Gene' started."