Verne Gagne
| Verne Gagne | |
|---|---|
Gagne in 1964.
|
|
| Birth name | Laverne Clarence Gagne |
| Born |
February 26, 1926 Corcoran, Minnesota, United States |
| Died | April 27, 2015 (aged 89) Bloomington, Minnesota, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Verne Gagne |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Billed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Trained by | Joe Pazandak Tony Stecher |
| Debut | 1949 |
| Retired | 1981 |
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne (/ɡænjeɪ/; February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA), the predominant promotion throughout the Midwest and Manitoba for many years. He remained in this position until 1991, when the company folded.
Gagne was a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, having held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship ten times, the World Heavyweight Championship (Omaha version) five times, and the IWA World Heavyweight Championship once. He holds the record for the longest combined reign as a world champion and is third (behind Bruno Sammartino and Lou Thesz) for the longest single world title reign. He is one of only six men inducted into each of the WWE, WCW, Professional Wrestling, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter halls of fame.
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