Laverne Clarence Gagne

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

  1. 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