Verne Gagne Net Worth

Laverne Clarence Gagne net worth is
$1.5 Million

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.

Verne Gagne Net Worth $1.5 million

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.


Full NameVerne Gagne
Net Worth$1.5 Million
Date Of BirthFebruary 26, 1926
DiedApril 27, 2015, Bloomington, Minnesota, United States
Place Of BirthCorcoran, Minnesota, United States
Height5' 11" (1.8 m)
Weight97.52
ProfessionProfessional wrestler
EducationUniversity of Minnesota
NationalityAmerican
SpouseMary Gagne
ChildrenGreg Gagne, Donna Gagne, Catherine Gagne
IMDBhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0300928/
MoviesThe Wrestler
TV ShowsAWA All-Star Wrestling, The Wrestler
#Trademark
1Signature wrestling move: "The Sleeper."
#Fact
1In 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.
2WWE Hall of Famer.
3Owner and president of Verne Gagne Reality, Inc. in Minniapolis, Minnesota. [November 2003]
4Trainer 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.
5Produced 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.
6Inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004.
7Notable 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
8In 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.
9He 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."
10Inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame on May 23, 1993.
11Father-in-law of Curt Hennig and Larry Zbyszko.
12His 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.
13Father of three children: one son (Greg Gagne) and two daughters (Donna Gagne and Catherine Gagne).
14Longtime professional wrestler. Father of wrestler Greg Gagne.
15Four-time AWA World Tag-Team Champion with four different partners (Moose Evans, The Crusher, Billy Robinson & Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon).
16Retired as AWA Heavyweight Champion in 1981.
17Held championship for a total of 13 years, 10 months.
18Nine-time AWA Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.
19Member of the 1948 United States Olympic wrestling team.
20Two-time NCAA wrestling champion.

Producer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
AWA Superclash III1988TV Special producer
POWW: Powerful Women of Wrestling1987TV Series associate producer
SuperClash II1986TV Movie executive producer
Superclash '851985TV Movie executive producer
Pro Wrestling USA1984TV Series executive producer
The Wrestler1974executive producer
AWA All-Star Wrestling1960TV Series executive producer

Director

TitleYearStatusCharacter
AWA: WrestleRock1986Video
AWA All-Star Wrestling1960TV Series

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Wrestler1974Mike Bullard

Miscellaneous

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Bad Guys1986consultant

Thanks

TitleYearStatusCharacter
WWE King of the Ring2015TV Special in memory of

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The ClawDocumentary post-productionHimself
E! True Hollywood Story1999-2008TV Series documentaryHimself
The Most Powerful Families in Wrestling2007VideoHimself
The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA2006Video documentaryHimself
WrestleMania 222006TV SpecialHimself
WWE Hall of Fame 20062006TV SpecialHimself
The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling1999TV Movie documentaryHimself
WCW Slamboree 19941994TV MovieHimself
WCW Slamboree 19931993TV MovieHimself
AWA Superclash III1988TV SpecialHimself
AWA: WrestleRock1986VideoHimself
Pro Wrestling USA1985TV SeriesHimself
ABC's Wide World of Sports1976TV SeriesHimself - Referee
The Mike Douglas Show1976TV SeriesHimself - Pro Wrestler
AWA All-Star Wrestling1960TV SeriesHimself

Archive Footage

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Eric Bischoff: Sports Entertainment's Most Controversial Figure2016VideoHimself
It's Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story2015VideoHimself
WWE King of the Ring2015TV SpecialHimself
WWE: The Top 25 Rivalries in Wrestling History2013VideoHimself
WWE: Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan2010VideoHimself
WWE Raw2010TV SeriesHimself
WWE: History of the World Heavyweight Championship2009Video documentaryHimself
The Glory Days of Wrestling2009VideoHimself
Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection2008VideoHimself
WWE: McMahon2006VideoHimself
Road Warriors: The Life and Death of Wrestling's Most Dominant Tag Team2005Video documentaryHimself

Known for movies

Source
IMDB Wikipedia

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