Pro Wrestling Legend Verne Gagne Linked To Murder

[beejmi]

Didn't see this one coming.

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S795127.shtml?cat=206

 

[Fishhead]

Wow

Verne was a good friend of my fathers, and actually stayed a couple times at our house in northern Iowa.

It seems that "old age" may have been the culprit here more than anything else.

 

[Buster]

wonder if it was the sleeper hold?

 

[bellyputter]

My father had to spend a few months in a rest home(skilled-care) last year, where I saw a few people with alzheimer's have to be tied to their wheel chairs. Sad.

 

[OAKAS]

Thanks for posting this, beej.

I can remember watching Verne and Mad Dog Vachon fighting for the AWA title many times.

Does anyone remember when Verne would do the live ads on tv for Gera-speed? He and Joe Zwiback would crack me up everytime they did these live spots.

 

[JoeFalls]

saw vern play in an exibition football game once. vern played for the minnesota allstars and they played the college allstars. a tuneup for the college allstars before they played the nfl champs.

 

[quantumleap]

Thanks for posting this, beej.

I can remember watching Verne and Mad Dog Vachon fighting for the AWA title many times.

Does anyone remember when Verne would do the live ads on tv for Gera-speed? He and Joe Zwiback would crack me up everytime they did these live spots.

Did you ever see those commercials Roger Kent (announcer for All Star Wrestling) did for jacuzzi? I'll never forget him saying "almost scared the bejabers out of me!"

 

[OAKAS]

Did you ever see those commercials Roger Kent (announcer for All Star Wrestling) did for jacuzzi? I'll never forget him saying "almost scared the bejabers out of me!"

Oh yeah, quantum, I remember them well. Roger Kent and Mean Gene were great.

My favorite from Roger was when a wrestler was getting his ass kicked and old Rog would say "He doesn't know if he is foot or horseback".

Mean Gene would have some classic interviews with Bobby Heenan and the East/West Connection (Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis).

 

[BCTTWR]

I loved it when Mean Jean would tell Heenan & Bockwinkel who there next match would be. Jean would say something like the wrestler you thought you were wrestling is injured...then he would pause to let Heenan say good we get a win by default or we are heading to Palm Springs. Then Mean Jean would say, "your opponent Mr Bockwinkle is none other than Andre the Giant". Heenan would go berserk--NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY! am I letting Nick get into the ring with that man". Hilarious stuff.

 

[arniesarmy]

Did you ever see those commercials Roger Kent (announcer for All Star Wrestling) did for jacuzzi? I'll never forget him saying "almost scared the bejabers out of me!"

Was Marty O'Neal, wearing sunglasses, standing alongside?
"Now remember, on May 17, we'll be at Lourdes High School in Oshkosh, and on the 19th at the Brown County Coliseum in Green Bay...now lets bring in Blackjack Lanza who will be meeting the Crusher in Oshkosh.....

 

[arniesarmy]

Oh yeah, quantum, I remember them well. Roger Kent and Mean Gene were great.

My favorite from Roger was when a wrestler was getting his ass kicked and old Rog would say "He doesn't know if he is foot or horseback".

Mean Gene would have some classic interviews with Bobby Heenan and the East/West Connection (Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis).

or, "He's on Rubberleg Street!"

 

[billhill999]

Opie and Anthony are talking about right now.
He helped form the AWA.

 

[noPunter]

wonder if it was the sleeper hold?

Nope, just a hip toss. Really a sad story. Verne has dementia and he worked a 97 year old violin player and it killed the guy.