Wrestling legend Verne Gagne

**ouch** · 03-06-2009, 05:11 AM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29534404/

Ooh, boy. Another sad end.

**Black Adder** · 03-06-2009, 06:16 AM

It is a sad story.

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!

Don

**burnwood** · 03-06-2009, 06:17 AM

RIP big guy.

**mk-ultra** · 03-06-2009, 06:23 AM

It is truly a sad story and shows how awful Alzheimer's can be.

I used to watch AWA Wrestling every Saturday in the early 1970's and saw Verne all the time. I'm sure I saw him live a few times.

I'm sure that he helped make "wrestling" what it is today.

I nearly cried when I read that story.

**Mr. Clean** · 03-06-2009, 06:37 AM

Sad story for both families involved. Alzheimer' s in all of its forms is a cruel disease.

**theperfectstorm** · 03-06-2009, 06:51 AM

What's up, 'Clean?

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"