I saw Vern Gagne in public twice while living here in the Twin Cities. He was always very cordial and accommodating to his fans. One of the funniest things I saw.... I was in a Chinese restaurant in Eden Prairie and Vern was there, too. When word got around that he was there, the oldest, tiniest Chinese cook I've ever seen came tearing out of the kitchen with a big grin on his face, and proceeded to play "wrestle" with Vern right there in the restaurant!
That is a weird story. We here in Dallas have the market cornered on strange wrestling stories, but that is crazy.
Vern was a good promoter and a good businessman who managed to keep AWA viable long after most of the old territories had vanished. Sad end to a fairly storied career.
Morale of the story: Even if they look 90 years old, don't screw with anybody named Kowalski, Race, Sammartino or any derivation on the phrase "Sheik"