Posted on 04/28/2015 5:05:03 AM PDT by TurboZamboni
In this from 1998, Vern Gagne is shown in his Edina home with his championship belt, circa 1960. Gagne, who died Monday, April 27, 2015, fostered the business of entertainment wrestling in Minnesota through his American Wrestling Association. (File photo) Minnesota pro wrestling legend Verne Gagne has died, the WWE announced Monday night. He was 89. Gagne, of Robbinsdale, was a University of Minnesota wrestler and competed in the 1948 Olympics before turning to pro wrestling in 1950. He joined the America Wrestling Association in 1960 and eventually became sole owner of the Minneapolis-based association. "Sad to hear my longtime friend Verne Gagne has passed today," "Mean" Gene Okerlund, the pro wrestling announcer who worked for Gagne for 13 years in the Twin Cities, said in a Twitter post. "To me their was never anybody quite like him." Gagne was a successful promoter and talent recruiter, drawing sell-out crowds to the St. Paul Civic Center during the AWA's biggest years in the 1970s and early '80s.
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Gosh, he had a full life. He was way before my time of watching wresting. I didn’t get started until around the original Wrestlemania.
But where’s Haystack Calhoun on the list?
He was before my time, as were some of the other wrestlers mentioned by people up the thread. I’ve heard of Haystack, but never saw him wrestle.
My earliest memories of Vern have him around 50 years old and still wrestling. Nick Bockwinkel was his arch-nemesis in those days.
Verne Gagne...”The World’s most scientific wrastler” ...
RIP. Could never forget the Gagne Sleeper hold.
Verne Gagne put together a great promotion, with the AWA producing some of the biggest stars in wrestling. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon drove him out of business by the late 80s/early 90s.
Verne Gagne put together a great promotion, with the AWA producing some of the biggest stars in wrestling. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon drove him out of business by the late 80s/early 90s.
Wow, that brings back memories. How about “Axel and his dog” along with Carmen the nurse?
I had an aunt who was a super avid fan of Gagne and wrasslin’in the early 60s. She was totally convinced that all of it was real.
Bong.
I read an interview with an old rassler who claimed that the Vachons were members of the Communist Party (of Canada, I'm assuming). That doesn't make any sense to me! Anyone else out there ever hear this?
#12 so true. Now I could not name a player and there is no personalities like Casey Jones and Roundhouse Rodney and Clancy the Cop who ran tv shows with the 3 Stooges, WC Fields, Abbott & Costello and Our Gang series and Marx Bros and Laurel and Hardy etc.
“The Sheik” is a pretty good documentary about Iron Sheik.he was a gifted Olympian wrestler from Iran.
A buddy of mine was related to Verne and saw him at a family reunion. My friend was 250 lbs when he was 16 and liked to drink and approached Verne and stated “That wrestling is a bunch of crap” whereupon Verne stood up and put one of his famous moves on my friend leaving him staring up at the sky wondering what just happened. My buddy was sore for several days after and hated Vernes guts for that. The rest of us loved AWA and went to every match and told out friend that he should get into wrestling since he was really big and knew Verne but he hated him too much.
Funny! Mouthing off to a Marine, All Big Ten football player and NCAA wrestling champion? Lucky he lived!
Verne got up and put Jim Klobuchar in The Sleeper Hold until Jim was unconscious. Verne then set the sleeping Klobuchar on the floor, grabbed the microphone and took over the show talking about how real wrestling actually was.
WE need a thread on the American Dream!
As always, if you'd like ON or OFF my wrasslin' ping list, let me know
Damn, two legends gone.
I remember as a small kid going to a wrestling event at our high school.. Names I can’t remember today.. That was fun! Booing the Moose and the Crusher.. And DR X on TV.
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