X-Pac opens today’s show by discussing the passing of “Mean” Gene Okerlund. He notes that Okerlund was the voice of WWE and the voice of his childhood. Okerlund was on the scene long before X-Pac wrestled his first match, and X-Pac was devastated to hear of his passing today.
X-Pac notes that Okerlund came to WWE from the AWA when Vince McMahon scooped up some of the AWA’s talent in the 80s. Other talents to jump ship from AWA to WWE at that time were Mad Dog Vachon and Hulk Hogan. He notes that Okerlund leaving was a huge hit for AWA to take at that time.
X-Pac points out that Okerlund had a great, but tough job. Not everyone that Okerlund interviewed was good on the mic, and X-Pac includes himself in that boat. One of Okerlund’s greatest strengths was his ability to keep the train from going off the rails when things started to go sideways.
He continues by pointing out that while Okerlund had obvious and legendary chemistry with Hulk Hogan, he also had a lot of chemistry with Ric Flair. Those two legends would always make magic when they worked together. He adds that Okerlund will always be remembered in pop culture due to Hogan’s constant opening line, “Let me tell you something Mean Gene!”
X-Pac comments on Becky Lynch interrupting John Cena on this week’s episode of Smackdown Live. He thought the entire segment was very well done, adding that those two had been interacting in the ring during Smackdown house shows throughout the week to make sure the kinks were worked out before the Smackdown taping.
X-Pac thinks WWE is doing all the right things with Becky Lynch right now, and even when they misstep slightly, Lynch corrects the mistake herself. He loved the way the mixed tag match was laid out and loved how it ended, with Lynch throwing Cena out of the ring before picking up the win. He also loved Lynch’s refusal to shake Cena’s hand after the match.
NWA tweeted out today that they will be partnering with ROH for the Crockett Cup Tag Team Tournament. X-Pac is quite excited about this news, adding that the Crockett Cup tournaments were always great years ago. He notes that this tournament could bring together some of the top tag teams from around the globe, and he’s excited to see how it plays out.
X-Pac comments on the news that Impact Wrestling will be moving from PopTV to the Pursuit Channel. Impact officials are praising this move publicly, but X-Pac points out that they need to react that way publicly regardless of how they feel internally. This feels like a lateral move to him, as the Pursuit channel is not readily available to all Americans.
He points out that the Impact roster is very talented and he thinks everyone in that company is working hard to put out a good product. He wishes them the best of luck, and he truly hopes that this move benefits the company in the months to come.
X-Pac comments on the announcement of AEW (All Elite Wrestling). The announcement was made on New Year’s Day via the “Being The Elite” Youtube show, and Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks will serve as Executive Vice Presidents on the show. X-Pac is thrilled for those guys but wonders whether this product will lose its “indie/rebel” feel now that there’s Billions of dollars behind it.
He sure hopes that doesn’t happen, adding that people have been asking for a secondary option to WWE for years now. There are reportedly multiple television deals on the table, and Dave Meltzer has reported that this is the best news for wrestling talent since the Monday Night Wars two decades ago.
That sums up today’s episode of X-Pac 1, 2, 360. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!
