Gene Mean. He come to my wedding. He always make the Sheikie

In the words of The Iron Sheik—“Gene Mean. He come to my wedding. He always make the Sheikie Baby look No. 1 on the promo. He know the camera zoom... it make the legend the real. Forever nobody better than the Gene Mean. I love him forever.”—we hear not the polished voice of rhetoric, but the raw cry of loyalty and love. Behind the fractured grammar shines a truth greater than eloquence: that friendship, when bound in respect and memory, surpasses all ornament. The Sheik speaks not only of a man, but of a bond that made him immortal in the eyes of the world.

The name “Gene Mean”, spoken with affection, belongs to Gene Okerlund, the interviewer whose voice and presence lent dignity to the spectacle of wrestling. In Sheik’s eyes, Okerlund was not merely a reporter, but an alchemist: through the art of the camera zoom, he transformed characters into legends, giving them substance beyond the stage. The Sheik confesses that without such a companion, his own myth—the legend of the Sheikie Baby—would not have been as radiant. Thus, gratitude here is eternal: the craftsman of one’s image is remembered as dearly as family.

The ancients too understood the power of storytellers to shape legacy. Consider Alexander the Great, whose deeds, though mighty, would have been dust without the pen of Arrian and the verses of poets. It is not only the warrior who makes history, but also the herald who proclaims it. Just as bards raised Achilles from man to myth, so too did Okerlund raise wrestlers from athletes to eternal figures in the theater of the ring. The Sheik, in honoring him, honors all who wield the unseen tools of legend-making.

There is also here a sacred remembrance of kinship: Okerlund came to the Sheik’s wedding, stepping not only into the spotlight of the ring but into the private circle of life. This is no casual acquaintance, but a brotherhood woven through work and sealed by love. To invite a man into one’s wedding is to declare him family, and the Sheik’s words remind us that fame may fade, but loyalty, once given, endures forever.

Thus, let us learn from this: never forget the ones who helped craft your story. For no legend is born alone, and no greatness endures without those who give it voice. The Iron Sheik’s tribute to Gene Mean is more than nostalgia—it is a teaching for the ages: cherish the friends who make you more than yourself, for they are the guardians of your memory, and through them, your name may live forever.