Verne Gagne

Verne Gagne
Gagne in 1964 asAWA World Heavyweight Champion
Birth name	Laverne Clarence Gagne
Born	(1926-02-26)February 26, 1926 Corcoran, Minnesota,U.S.
Died	April 27, 2015(2015-04-27)(aged 89) Bloomington, Minnesota,U.S.
Alma mater	University of Minnesota
Children	4, includingGreg Gagne
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Verne Gagne
Billed height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Billed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Trained by	Joe Pazandak Tony Stecher
Debut	1949
Retired	1981
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1943–1946
Unit	Underwater Demolition Team
Battles/wars	World War II

Medal record
Collegiate Wrestling
RepresentingtheMinnesota Golden Gophers
NCAA Championships
	1948 Bethlehem	191 lb
	1949 Fort Collins	Heavyweight
	1947 Champaign	Heavyweight

Laverne Clarence"Verne"Gagne(/ˈɡɑːnjeɪ/GAHN-yay;February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015)was an Americanamateurandprofessional wrestler,football player,wrestling trainer andwrestling promoter.He was the owner and promoter of theMinneapolis-basedAmerican Wrestling Association(AWA), the predominant promotion throughout theMidwestandManitobafor many years. He remained in this position until 1991, when the company folded.

As an amateur wrestler, Gagne won two NCAA titles and was an alternate for the U.S. freestyle wrestling team at the 1948 Olympic Games before turning professional in 1949. Gagne was an 11-timeworld championin majorprofessional wrestling promotions,having held theAWA World Heavyweight Championshipten times and theIWA World Heavyweight Championshiponce as theIWA World Heavyweight Championshipwas considered aworld championshipin Japan. He has also won topprofessional wrestling promotionsWorld Heavyweight Championshipssuch as theWorld Heavyweight Championship (Omaha version)five times. He holds the record for the longest combined reign as a world champion in North America and is third (behindBruno SammartinoandLou Thesz) for the longest single world title reign.He is one of only seven men inducted into each of theWWE,WCWandProfessional Wrestlinghalls of fame.

Early life

Gagne was born inCorcoran, Minnesota,and grew up on afarminRobbinsdale, Minnesota.He left home at the age of 14 after his mother died. He attendedRobbinsdale High School,where he went on to win the state championship for high school wrestling in 1942 and 1943.In 1943, he was recruited to play football at theUniversity of Minnesotaas defensive end and tight end, while also continuing wrestling.As a freshman, Gagne won the Big Ten 175 pound wrestling title in 1944 after returning from duty in the Marine Corps.

Amateur wrestling career

Gagne's football and wrestling career was interrupted by a tour of duty with theUnited States Marine Corpsin 1943.He played on the Marines Football Team with the likes ofElroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch,Gopher GreatGeorge Franckand other NFL Stars.Gagne also served with theU.S. Navy'sUnderwater Demolition Team.He chose to return to theUniversity of Minnesota,where, as an amateur wrestler, he captured twoNCAAtitles. In 1948, he beat Charles Gottfried of Illinois in the 191-pound class to win his first NCAA championship in Pennsylvania.

The next year, he returned to the championships but had moved up a class, to heavyweight. In the final, he met futureNWA World Heavyweight ChampionDick Hutton,the two-time defending national champion in the division. The showdown ended in a 1–1 tie, but Gagne was awarded the win because he controlled Hutton for longer periods of the match.

He was also an alternate for the U.S. freestyle wrestling team at the1948 Olympic Games,after losing a closely contested wrestle-off match to the eventual gold medalistHenry Wittenberg.He earned the starting spot for the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team for the 1948 Olympics by finishing second in the U.S. freestyle wrestle-offs, but upon arriving to London, the U.S. coaches decided that the Greco-Roman team would not be competing.

Football career

Gagne in the 1940s

Gagne joined theNational Football League(NFL) soon after being drafted by theChicago Bearsin the 16th round (145th pick) of the1947 NFL draft.

In 2006'sThe Spectacular Legacy of the AWA,Verne's son,Greg,said in an interview that Bears ownerGeorge Halasprevented his father from pursuing both football and wrestling, and forced him to make a choice.In the same interview, Greg mentioned that wrestling was a much better paying job at the time than playing football and as a result, Verne chose wrestling over football.

By 1949, Gagne had signed with the NFL'sGreen Bay Packers.He went on to play three preseason games with the Packers before being released.

Professional wrestling career

National Wrestling Alliance (1953-1960)

Gagne in the early 1950s

In 1949, Gagne decided to wrestle professionally, starting his career in Texas. In his debut, he defeated Abe Kashey, with former World Heavyweight boxing ChampionJack Dempseyas the referee. On November 13, 1950, Gagne captured theNational Wrestling Alliance(NWA) Junior Heavyweight title in a tournament for the vacant championship.

In September 1953 inFred Kohler Enterprises,Gagne was awarded the newly createdChicago version of the NWA United States Championship.Gagne became one of the most well-known stars in wrestling during thegolden age of television,thanks to his exposure on theDumont Network,where he wowed audiences with his technical prowess. He was rumored to be one of the highest-paid wrestlers during the 1950s, reportedly earning a hundred thousand dollars a year.

On June 14, 1957,Edouard Carpentierdefeated NWA ChampionLou Theszin Chicago. The NWA later overruled the decision of the referee in Chicago and gave the title back to Thesz. However, certain wrestling territories of the NWA including Nebraska refused to go along with the decision and continued to recognize Carpentier. Carpentier lost his title to Gagne inOmahaon August 9, 1958,making him the recognized NWA World champion in the NWA territories that had recognized Carpentier, before dropping the belt three months later toWilbur Snyder.By early 1960, the wealthy Gagne rarely wrestled and turned his focus towards building a wrestling promotion of his own.

American Wrestling Association (1960-1991)

In 1960, Gagne formed his own promotion, theAmerican Wrestling Alliance(later it became Association). Before this, the Minneapolis territory was under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) umbrella. Setting up to pull away from the NWA, the Minneapolis territory (as it was known), gave a "story-line only" edict to the NWA in May 1960 that unless their NWA World ChampionPat O'Connordefended his title against Verne Gagne with 90 days, Verne Gagne would become recognized World Champion by default. There was never any intention of such a match taking place. At the end of the 90 day period, the AWA was formed in August 1960 and it was announced that because NWA champion Pat O'Connor failed to meet Gagne, that the AWA recognized Gagne as the firstAWA World Champion.

Some of Gagne's biggest feuds were againstGene Kiniski,Dr. Bill Miller(under a mask both as Dr. X and then Mr. M),Fritz Von Erich,Dr. X,The Crusher,Ray Stevens,Mad Dog Vachon,Larry HennigandNick Bockwinkelwhile champion and title changes. He always wrestled as afaceand utilized the sleeper hold as his finisher. His longest reign as champion was for 7 years, from August 31, 1968, to November 8, 1975, dropping the title to Nick Bockwinkel. He would regain the title from Bockwinkel on July 18, 1980, and drop it back to Bockwinkel on May 19, 1981.

After his last title lost in 1981, Gagne would wrestle occasionally for AWA until 1986. His last match was a six-man tag with his son Greg, andJimmy SnukadefeatingBoris Zhukov,John Nordand Sheik Adnan Al-Kassieon June 29, 1986.

Gagne withWWWFpromoterVincent J. McMahonand his perennial world championBruno Sammartino

As AWA head, Gagne was known for putting on an "old school" show. He sought out wrestlers with amateur backgrounds over the larger, more impressive-looking wrestlers who dominated professional wrestling in the 1980s. This led to a problem with his biggest draw,Hulk Hogan,whom Gagne had acquired after Hogan had been let go by theWorld Wide Wrestling Federationand who Gagne also felt was not championship material, due to the fact that Hogan was a power wrestler rather than a technical wrestler. Seeing Hogan as the company's top draw, Gagne did, however, let Hogan feud with Bockwinkel.

Eventually, as noted on the 2006Spectacular Legacy of AWADVD, Gagne agreed to make Hogan his champion after Hogan's feud with Bockwinkel ran its course in April 1983, but only on condition that Gagne would receive the bulk of Hogan's revenues from both merchandise sales and his matches in Japan, which Hogan refused. In late 1983, Hogan accepted an offer fromVincent K. McMahonto return to the WWF.The Iron Sheik,whom Gagne trained, alleged that Gagne bribed him to inflict career-threatening damage on Hogan's knee after it became apparent that Hogan was leaving for the WWF. What followed was an exodus of major stars from various territories and promotions, including Gagne's AWA, to the WWF. McMahon wished to take his promotion "national" and do away with the traditional territorial system that dominated the North American pro wrestling landscape for decades.

Unlike most of his contemporaries, by the mid-1980s, Gagne began promoting the AWA beyond the geographical bounds of its traditional territory. In September 1985,ESPNbegan broadcastingAWA Championship Wrestling,giving the promotion national exposure like the WWF. However, the AWA suffered numerous setbacks. ESPN did not treatAWA Championship Wrestlingas a priority; the show was sometimes not aired in its regular time slot (occasionally ESPN would change the time slot without advertising the change beforehand), and sometimes it was preempted by live sporting events. This resulted in many fans being unable to tune in on a regular basis. Gagne's booking strategies for the wrestlers themselves continued to follow more traditional themes than those of the WWF, believing as he did that the top stars should be highly gifted technical wrestlers rather than those with just charismatic personalities. Throughout the mid to late 1980s, the AWA would lose the vast majority of its top stars to McMahon, while ratings and live attendance continued to decline. By 1991, the damage had been done, and the AWA shut down after 30 years. Gagne would eventually end up in bankruptcy court.

Wrestling Halls of Fame

In April 2006, Gagne was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fameby his son,Greg Gagne.He is one of only seven people to be inducted into theWWE,WCWandProfessional WrestlingHalls of Fame.

In 2018, he was inducted into the Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Death of Helmut Gutmann

On January 26, 2009, Gagne got into an altercation with Helmut Gutmann, a 97-year-old resident of theBloomington, Minnesotanursing care facility where they both resided. According to Gutmann's widow, who was not present during the altercation, Gagne picked Gutmann up and threw him to the floor, then broke his hip by pulling back on his body. "'The attack happened quickly while the men were at a table', Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts said. 'It was more like" a push and a shove "and it caused Gutmann to fall.'"Neither man had any recollection of the incident.Gutmann was admitted to the hospital, and died on February 14 from complications of the injury.On February 25, 2009, the older man's death was officially ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County medical examiner's office.On March 12, 2009, theHennepin CountyProsecutor's office officially announced that Gagne would not be criminally charged as a result of the death as, because of Gagne's dementia, he lacked the mental capacity necessary to be criminally culpable.

Illness and death

Gagne was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease(or possiblychronic traumatic encephalopathycaused by a lifetime of head injuries)and had been living in the memory-loss section of aBloomington, Minnesotahealth care facility.In January 2012 he was living in the home of his daughter Beth and her husband Will.He continued to make public appearances in his last years, aided by his sonGreg.

On April 27, 2015, Gagne died in Bloomington at the age of 89.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

• Amateur Athletic Union
  • Northwestern AAU Championship (1942)
• Big Ten Conference
  • Big Ten Conference Championship (1944, 1947, 1948, 1949)
• Minnesota State High School League
  • Minnesota State Championship (1943)
• National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • NCAA Championship (1948, 1949)
• Olympic Games
  • Member of 1948United StatesOlympicTeam
• Robbinsdale High School's Athletic Hall of Fame
  • Inaugural Class (2013)

Professional wrestling

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Lou TheszAward (2006)
  • Other honoree (1993)
• Fred Kohler Enterprises
  • NWA United States Heavyweight Championship(Chicago version)(2 time)
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship(Chicago version)(1 time) – withEdouard Carpentier
• George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 1999
• International Pro Wrestling
  • IWA World Heavyweight Championship(1 time)
• International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2023
• International Wrestling Association (Montreal)
  • IWA International Heavyweight Championship(1 time)
• NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club / American Wrestling Association
  • AWA World Heavyweight Championship(10 times)
  • AWA World Tag Team Championship(4 times) – with Moose Evans (1),The Crusher(1), Billy Robinson (1), andMad Dog Vachon(1)
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship(Minneapolis version)(4 times) – withBronko Nagurski(1),Leo Nomellini(2), andButch Levy(1)
  • World Heavyweight Championship(Omaha version)(5 times)
  • AWA United States Heavyweight Championship(2 times)
• NWA Tri-State
  • NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship(1 time)
• New Japan Pro-Wrestling
  • Greatest 18 Clubinductee
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Stanley Weston Award(1986)
  • PWI ranked him No.158of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003
• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2004
• Southwest Sports, Inc.
  • NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship(2 times)
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship(Texas version)(1 time) – with Wilbur Snyder
• Tokyo Sports
  • Match of the Year Award(1981)vs.Giant Babaon January 18
• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW Hall of Fame(Class of 1993)
• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Hall of Fame(Class of 2006)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame(Class of 1996)

Further reading

• Dave Meltzer& John F. Molinaro (2002).Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of all Time.Winding Stair Press.ISBN1-55366-305-5.

External links

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Profile of Verne Gagne
• Verne GagneonWWE.com
• Verne Gagne's profile atCagematch.net,Wrestlingdata.com,Internet Wrestling Database