Verne Gagne(1926-2015)
- Producer
- Director
- Actor
An amateur and professional wrestling legend, Verne Gagne's career
covers the entire period of wrestling from the "real" to "fake" to
"entertainment" eras. Gagne won two NCAA wrestling championships while
at the University of Minnesota, and was a member of the 1948 Olympic
Wrestling team for the United States. He soon turned pro and became
champion of the new American Wrestling Association (AWA). He was a
nine-time heavyweight champion in the AWA, winning his first title in
1960, and retiring as champion in 1981. In between he also was a
four-time AWA Tag-Team champion with various partners. One of the most
beloved "scientific" i.e. "good guy" wrestlers in the AWA, Gagne had
some legendary feuds with some of the greats in the sport including The
Crusher, Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon (both of whom he later teamed with to
win the tag-team belts), "Wicked" Nick Bockwinkel, Gene Kiniski, Mr. M,
and Doctor X. Gagne was never flamboyent, but he didn't really need to
be as he let his wrestling do the talking. After his career, he took
over the promotion of the AWA, staying in that capacity until the
league folded in 1990.
