Laverne Clarence Gagne net worth is $1.5 Million. Also know about Laverne Clarence Gagne bio, salary, height, age weight, relationship and more …
Laverne Clarence Gagne Wiki Biography
Laverne Clarence Gagne was born on 26 February 1926, in Corcoran, Minnesota USA, and was a professional wrestler, wrestling trainer and promoter, best known to have been the owner of the American Wrestling Association (AWA) being head of the company until it folded in 1991. All of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it was prior to his passing in 2015.
How rich was Verne Gagne? As of early-2017, sources inform us of a net worth that was at $1.5 million, mostly earned through a successful career in professional wrestling. He held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship 10 times and holds the record for the longest combined reign as a world champion. All of these achievements ensured the position of his wealth.
At the age of 14, Verne left home after his mother died, but attended Robbinsdale High School and excelled in numerous sports including wrestling. He won various championships while wrestling for his school, and was also named to the All-State football team. He was recruited to become part of the University of Minnesota, and played there for one year, but then enlisted with the Navy Underwater Demolition Team, although later returning to the university. There he played as an amateur wrestler and won two titles. He also became part of the US freestyle wrestling team as an alternate during the 1948 Olympic Games. He also joined the National Football League (NFL) and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 16th round of the 1947 NFL Draft, but was forced to make a decision between wrestling and football, and since wrestling paid higher at the time, that settled the matter.
In 1949, Gagne started wrestling professionally and made his debut in Texas. A year later, he would win the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Junior Heavyweight title. In 1953, he won a Chicago version of the championship, and started to become one of the most popular names on television, increasing his net worth somewhat. He continued wrestling for the promotion in the 1950s, but in 1960 he focused on his own promotion, establishing the AWA and quickly becoming the top star of the promotion. He won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, going on to win the title nine more times throughout his career. He had one of the longest title reigns in history, holding the belt from 1968 to 1975 with only two other people in wrestling history to hold a belt for a longer time. He feuded with other popular wrestlers such as The Crusher, Ray Stevens, and Larry Hennig, but lost a lot of wrestlers to the WWF after Vince McMahon decided to go national and make his company one of the largest in North America. AWA tried to compete by getting national exposure as well, however, disagreements with ESPN made it difficult for the company. In the 1980s, a lot of wrestlers would shy away from the company, and in 1991 it folded.
In 2009, Verne was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his son, making him one of only six people to have been inducted in the Professional Wrestling, WWE, and WCW halls of fame.
For his personal life, it is known that Gagne was married to Mary until 2002, with whom he had two children. He was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, apparently mainly caused by the head injuries he received throughout his career. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 89.
IMDB Wikipedia $1.5 million 1926 1926-2-26 2015 2015-04-27 5′ 11″ (1.8 m) 97.52 Actor April 27 AWA All-Star Wrestling (1960) AWA: WrestleRock (1986) Bloomington Catherine Gagne Corcoran Director Donna Gagne February 26 Greg Gagne Hennepin County Larry Hennig Laverne Clarence Gagne Mary Gagne Minnesota Pisces producer Professional Wrestler Ray Stevens The Crusher The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling (1999) United States University of Minnesota USA Verne Gagne Net Worth Vince McMahon WrestleMania 22 (2006)
Laverne Clarence Gagne Quick Info
Full Name | Verne Gagne |
Net Worth | $1.5 Million |
Date Of Birth | February 26, 1926 |
Died | April 27, 2015, Bloomington, Minnesota, United States |
Place Of Birth | Corcoran, Minnesota, United States |
Height | 5′ 11″ (1.8 m) |
Weight | 97.52 |
Profession | Professional wrestler |
Education | University of Minnesota |
Nationality | American |
Spouse | Mary Gagne |
Children | Greg Gagne, Donna Gagne, Catherine Gagne |
IMDB | http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0300928/ |
Movies | The Wrestler |
TV Shows | AWA All-Star Wrestling, The Wrestler |
Laverne Clarence Gagne Trademarks
- Signature wrestling move: “The Sleeper.”
Laverne Clarence Gagne Important Facts
- In September 1953, Gagne won the Chicago version of the NWA United States Championship. Gagne became one of the most well-known stars in wrestling during the golden age of television, thanks to his exposure on the Dumont 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.
- WWE Hall of Famer.
- Owner and president of Verne Gagne Reality, Inc. in Minniapolis, Minnesota. [November 2003]
- Trainer of many notable stars of professional wrestling including Ric Flair, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Curt Hennig, Sgt. Slaughter, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Bob Backlund, Khosrow Vaziri (aka “The Iron Sheik”), Ole Anderson and Paul Ellering.
- Produced vitamins in about the late 60s or early 70s called “Gera Speed”, which he sold at a store he had in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
- Inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004.
- Notable title wins include: Big Ten Wrestling Champion (4); NCAA Wrestling Champion (2); Member of the U.S. Olympic team l948; AAU Wrestling Champion; NWA junior title; AWA World title (10); AWA World Tag Team titles
- In 1949, Verne was asked to play in the college all-star game in Chicago against the NFL Champions the Philadelphia Eagles. He also enjoyed a brief stint playing professional football with the Green Bay Packers.
- He was an unlikely professional wrestler: balding, lacking a bodybuilder physique or a flashy ring character. It was his strength, stamina and genuine wresting skill (he was a championship college wrestler and former Olympian) that made him one of the most respected wrestlers in the business. He has been regarded as a “wrestler’s wrestler.”
- Inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame on May 23, 1993.
- Father-in-law of Curt Hennig and Larry Zbyszko.
- His son, Greg Gagne, worked as a wrestler in the AWA and behind the scenes in talent relations in WCW until 2001, when World Wrestling Entertainment purchased the faltering promotion from AOL Time Warner.
- Father of three children: one son (Greg Gagne) and two daughters (Donna Gagne and Catherine Gagne).
- Longtime professional wrestler. Father of wrestler Greg Gagne.
- Four-time AWA World Tag-Team Champion with four different partners (Moose Evans, The Crusher, Billy Robinson & Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon).
- Retired as AWA Heavyweight Champion in 1981.
- Held championship for a total of 13 years, 10 months.
- Nine-time AWA Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.
- Member of the 1948 United States Olympic wrestling team.
- Two-time NCAA wrestling champion.
Laverne Clarence Gagne Filmography
Title | Year | Status | Character | Role |
---|---|---|---|---|
AWA Superclash III | 1988 | TV Special producer | Producer | |
POWW: Powerful Women of Wrestling | 1987 | TV Series associate producer | Producer | |
SuperClash II | 1986 | TV Movie executive producer | Producer | |
Superclash ’85 | 1985 | TV Movie executive producer | Producer | |
Pro Wrestling USA | 1984 | TV Series executive producer | Producer | |
The Wrestler | 1974 | executive producer | Producer | |
AWA All-Star Wrestling | 1960 | TV Series executive producer | Producer | |
AWA: WrestleRock | 1986 | Video | Director | |
AWA All-Star Wrestling | 1960 | TV Series | Director | |
The Wrestler | 1974 | Mike Bullard | Actor | |
Bad Guys | 1986 | consultant | Miscellaneous | |
WWE King of the Ring | 2015 | TV Special in memory of | Thanks | |
The Claw | Documentary post-production | Himself | Self | |
E! True Hollywood Story | 1999-2008 | TV Series documentary | Himself | Self |
The Most Powerful Families in Wrestling | 2007 | Video | Himself | Self |
The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA | 2006 | Video documentary | Himself | Self |
WrestleMania 22 | 2006 | TV Special | Himself | Self |
WWE Hall of Fame 2006 | 2006 | TV Special | Himself | Self |
The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling | 1999 | TV Movie documentary | Himself | Self |
WCW Slamboree 1994 | 1994 | TV Movie | Himself | Self |
WCW Slamboree 1993 | 1993 | TV Movie | Himself | Self |
AWA Superclash III | 1988 | TV Special | Himself | Self |
AWA: WrestleRock | 1986 | Video | Himself | Self |
Pro Wrestling USA | 1985 | TV Series | Himself | Self |
ABC’s Wide World of Sports | 1976 | TV Series | Himself – Referee | Self |
The Mike Douglas Show | 1976 | TV Series | Himself – Pro Wrestler | Self |
AWA All-Star Wrestling | 1960 | TV Series | Himself | Self |
Eric Bischoff: Sports Entertainment’s Most Controversial Figure | 2016 | Video | Himself | Archive Footage |
It’s Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story | 2015 | Video | Himself | Archive Footage |
WWE King of the Ring | 2015 | TV Special | Himself | Archive Footage |
WWE: The Top 25 Rivalries in Wrestling History | 2013 | Video | Himself | Archive Footage |
WWE: Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan | 2010 | Video | Himself | Archive Footage |
WWE Raw | 2010 | TV Series | Himself | Archive Footage |
WWE: History of the World Heavyweight Championship | 2009 | Video documentary | Himself | Archive Footage |
The Glory Days of Wrestling | 2009 | Video | Himself | Archive Footage |
Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection | 2008 | Video | Himself | Archive Footage |
WWE: McMahon | 2006 | Video | Himself | Archive Footage |
Road Warriors: The Life and Death of Wrestling’s Most Dominant Tag Team | 2005 | Video documentary | Himself | Archive Footage |