Verne Gagne

[Chris]

 

[Chris]

Oh I didn't actually read this thread before moving and bumping it, this shit is hilarious lmao

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Oh I didn't actually read this thread before moving and bumping it, this shit is hilarious lmao

It's fucking hilarious, We could def remove most of those posts and just make you the OP

 

[Chris]

It's fucking hilarious, We could def remove most of those posts and just make you the OP

I just didn't feel like making a thread myself with accolades and what not like I usually do if they haven't been made yet so idc lol whatever you wanna do is fine (in other words I also don't feel like moving anything)

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Now that that's fixed.

I think Verne's legacy for professional wrestling is ultimately a positive if not misguided one. He ultimately was good in that he helped wrestling reach the mainstream by just somehow getting his program on ESPN of all places. He also at one time held the top promotion in the country and AWA's roster from 1979-1984 is legendary for the territory era.

Not to mention the group of guys he trained and his unspoken partnership with Eddie Sharkey helped make a lot of careers.

 

[Swerve]

A real man wouldn't have accepted it.

 

[Bobby Barrows]

A real man wouldn't have accepted it.

I'm confused what you mean lol

 

[Swerve]

I'm confused what you mean lol

It says they awarded it to him like they just gave it to him.

 

[Necro]

Verne held on too long, and lost mostly everything in the process. He had a great run though, AWA was a powerhouse at one point.

 

[Bobby Barrows]

It says they awarded it to him like they just gave it to him.

Well I mean, yeah. He owned the company so why wouldn't he give himself the championship.

Not only that, the circumstances of his first AWA Championship was supposed to be mired in controversy. The first official AWA Champion was Pat O'Connor, who also held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Pat wasn't under contract and thus wasn't obligated to defend a title that he technically wasn't under contract for. Verne successfully propogandized that Pat O'Connor didn't deserve the title (that again, he didn't even really hold) and had the "championship committee" (read: Verne himself) award him the title by forfeiture.

Additionally, Verne also held the Omaha version of the World Heavyweight Championship (a legally recognized world title at the time), thus the AWA title was considered more or less an extension of that and the NWA title.

The history of wrestling in the 50s and 60s is all full of stories like this but Verne's derring-do is legendary for good reasons. He set the blueprint for Vince McMahon Jr. down the line.

 

[Swerve]

My mistake!

 

[Bobby Barrows]

My mistake!

Not a problem lol, it's definitely a WWE narrative that Verne only cared about Verne.

 

[Swerve]

Well I mean, yeah. He owned the company so why wouldn't he give himself the championship.

Not only that, the circumstances of his first AWA Championship was supposed to be mired in controversy. The first official AWA Champion was Pat O'Connor, who also held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Pat wasn't under contract and thus wasn't obligated to defend a title that he technically wasn't under contract for. Verne successfully propogandized that Pat O'Connor didn't deserve the title (that again, he didn't even really hold) and had the "championship committee" (read: Verne himself) award him the title by forfeiture.

Additionally, Verne also held the Omaha version of the World Heavyweight Championship (a legally recognized world title at the time), thus the AWA title was considered more or less an extension of that and the NWA title.

The history of wrestling in the 50s and 60s is all full of stories like this but Verne's derring-do is legendary for good reasons. He set the blueprint for Vince McMahon Jr. down the line.

It was actually a genius move.