Verne Gagne's Nursing Home Fight That Led To A 97 Year-Old Man's Death
Verne Gagne is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in professional wrestling from the 20th century. From his beginnings as a successful collegiate athlete to his time running the American Wrestling Association, Gagne is remembered for both his mentorship of stars like "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and 'Mr. Perfect' Curt Hennig, as well as his fiery personality.
According to his WWE bio, Gagne won multiple NCAA wrestling titles during his time at the University of Minnesota, and even served as an alternate on the United States' 1948 Olympic wrestling team. He also saw success as a football player, becoming a draft pick for the Chicago Bears in 1947.
However, it was professional wrestling that would become Gagne's true calling. Gagne came up in the NWA during the 1950s, but the company never capitalized on his growing national popularity. In 1960, Gagne helped found the American Wrestling Association, the promotion that he is most associated with and would later come to own.
Verne Gagne's later years were not without their notable moments as well.
Gagne's Later Years
Verne Gagne would, unfortunately, face some controversy in the latter years of his life. After the AWA shut down in the early 1990s, Gagne left the industry, settling down for a time before eventually being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
In 2009, Gagne was living in the memory loss ward at Friendship Village in Bloomington, Minnesota, when an altercation occurred between himself and another man, Helmut Gutmann, according to the Star Tribune. Gagne reportedly picked the 97-year-old man up and threw him to the ground, breaking the man's hip. A few weeks later, Gutmann died as a result of the injury he sustained.
After the altercation, it was reported that neither man could remember what had occurred. According to Gutmann's daughter, Ruth Hennig, the two men had previous confrontations, though details have never been made public, if they're known at all. In the end, no charges were filed against Gagne, with Gutmann's family saying to do so would "be inhumane."
After the incident with Gutmann, Gagne spent the rest of his days living with family members. Verne Gagne died on April 27, 2015 at the age of 89. To this day, he is fondly remembered by many for the massive impact he had on the professional wrestling industry as a whole.