One of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling, Verne Gagne, passed away on Monday at the age of 89. Gagne’s death was originally revealed by his longtime friend, legendary ring announcer “Mean” Gene Okerlund. The news was later confirmed by PWInsider.
Verne Gagne, a native of Minnesota, was a very successful amateur athlete prior to his foray into the world of professional wrestling. A successful wrestler and football player in high school, Gagne attended the University of Minnesota to participate in both sports. Verne was originally recruited to play football for the Gophers, which he did for one year prior to entering the U.S. military. When he returned to college following his service in the Marines, Gagne concentrated on wrestling, winning two NCAA championships in the process.
Following college, Gagne was drafted by the Chicago Bears and flirted with a possible professional football career before ultimately deciding to enter professional wrestling. He would end up becoming one of the most famous and successful wrestlers of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
According to Dave Meltzer, Gagne starred in professional wrestling on the Dumont Network at a time in the 1950s when the wrestling show was a top ten rated network program in the country. A United States Heavyweight Title was created especially for Gagne so that he could rival the NWA World Champion at the time, Lou Thesz.
In 1960, Gagne founded the AWA (American Wrestling Association) out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, which would end up being his lasting legacy to the wrestling business. Originally, Gagne was both the owner of the company and its top star. He was a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, holding the top prize in the AWA, NWA-Omaha, and International Wrestling Enterprise (Japan).
By the 1980s, Gagne had transitioned to full-time promoter and trainer, and he helped some of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling get their start in the sport. Some of the many individuals who cut their teeth in Gagne’s AWA include Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig, Gene Okerlund, Jim Brunzell, Jesse Ventura, and many more.
The AWA experienced much success under Gagne’s leadership in the early 1980s, but the company eventually lost out, as so many did, to Vince McMahon’s WWF when McMahon started to raid territories around the country of their talent. It was during this time that Gagne lost his top star, Hulk Hogan.
Verne Gagne was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. In recent years, Gagne had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. A 2009 incident at a nursing home made national headlines when Gagne slammed a 97-year-old fellow resident. That man, Helmut Gutmann, suffered a broken hip and died three weeks later. Due to Gagne’s dementia, he had no memory of the event and was not prosecuted.
In addition to the WWE Hall of Fame, Gagne was also inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (New York), and the Lou Thesz/George Tragos Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Verne Gagne, a native of Minnesota, was a very successful amateur athlete prior to his foray into the world of professional wrestling. A successful wrestler and football player in high school, Gagne attended the University of Minnesota to participate in both sports. Verne was originally recruited to play football for the Gophers, which he did for one year prior to entering the U.S. military. When he returned to college following his service in the Marines, Gagne concentrated on wrestling, winning two NCAA championships in the process.
Following college, Gagne was drafted by the Chicago Bears and flirted with a possible professional football career before ultimately deciding to enter professional wrestling. He would end up becoming one of the most famous and successful wrestlers of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
According to Dave Meltzer, Gagne starred in professional wrestling on the Dumont Network at a time in the 1950s when the wrestling show was a top ten rated network program in the country. A United States Heavyweight Title was created especially for Gagne so that he could rival the NWA World Champion at the time, Lou Thesz.
In 1960, Gagne founded the AWA (American Wrestling Association) out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, which would end up being his lasting legacy to the wrestling business. Originally, Gagne was both the owner of the company and its top star. He was a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, holding the top prize in the AWA, NWA-Omaha, and International Wrestling Enterprise (Japan).
By the 1980s, Gagne had transitioned to full-time promoter and trainer, and he helped some of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling get their start in the sport. Some of the many individuals who cut their teeth in Gagne’s AWA include Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig, Gene Okerlund, Jim Brunzell, Jesse Ventura, and many more.
The AWA experienced much success under Gagne’s leadership in the early 1980s, but the company eventually lost out, as so many did, to Vince McMahon’s WWF when McMahon started to raid territories around the country of their talent. It was during this time that Gagne lost his top star, Hulk Hogan.
Verne Gagne was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. In recent years, Gagne had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. A 2009 incident at a nursing home made national headlines when Gagne slammed a 97-year-old fellow resident. That man, Helmut Gutmann, suffered a broken hip and died three weeks later. Due to Gagne’s dementia, he had no memory of the event and was not prosecuted.
In addition to the WWE Hall of Fame, Gagne was also inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (New York), and the Lou Thesz/George Tragos Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
