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VERNE : Inside & Outside the Ropes
Verne Gagne is considered by many to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. His story is finally being told from his family heritage immigrating from France to Canada and the United States, losing his mother at the age of 12, becoming a star athlete at the University of Minnesota, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II, being drafted by the NFL Chicago Bears, training to become a pro wrestler, and becoming one of the greatest pro wrestlers in the history of the sport. Verne Gagne was more popular in his prime than Hulk Hogan. This is the story of Verne Gagne!
331 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2024
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November 3, 2025
By design, this book contains just about every fact about Verne Gagne that you would ever want to know. And, if you follow pro wrestling at all today, you should know Verne.
I was fascinated mostly by his earliest days, his collegiate career. I was surprised to learn how much he wrestled in college against men who would soon become major players in the professional wrestling world, people who would be his colleagues with the NWA for the next decade and a half. There they all were, in their 20s, not knowing that due to the invention of television and the instant need for programming that they were teetering on the first golden age for their sport. They became instant stars, many staying in the business for the next half century.
As interesting as all of that is the story of Verne's days away from the ring, his days trekking, hunting, fishing with friends, enjoying the outdoor life as only can be found in the Upper Midwest and the West. Verne was a man's man, there's no other way to put it. But he loved his family, too. Of that there can be no doubt.
He became a trainer of great renown, bringing legends into the sport. Like so many, he lost his empire to Vincent K. McMahon, the son of a former colleague. He held out as long as he could, but Verne did not - nor did anyone else - have an answer for the steamroller that took over the industry in the 1980s. His fortune crumbled, his American Wrestling Association faded into history, revived briefly with his election to the WWE Hall of Fame.
The author left no stone unturned in telling Verne's story, doing so with the blessing of the family.
I was fascinated mostly by his earliest days, his collegiate career. I was surprised to learn how much he wrestled in college against men who would soon become major players in the professional wrestling world, people who would be his colleagues with the NWA for the next decade and a half. There they all were, in their 20s, not knowing that due to the invention of television and the instant need for programming that they were teetering on the first golden age for their sport. They became instant stars, many staying in the business for the next half century.
As interesting as all of that is the story of Verne's days away from the ring, his days trekking, hunting, fishing with friends, enjoying the outdoor life as only can be found in the Upper Midwest and the West. Verne was a man's man, there's no other way to put it. But he loved his family, too. Of that there can be no doubt.
He became a trainer of great renown, bringing legends into the sport. Like so many, he lost his empire to Vincent K. McMahon, the son of a former colleague. He held out as long as he could, but Verne did not - nor did anyone else - have an answer for the steamroller that took over the industry in the 1980s. His fortune crumbled, his American Wrestling Association faded into history, revived briefly with his election to the WWE Hall of Fame.
The author left no stone unturned in telling Verne's story, doing so with the blessing of the family.
Displaying 1 of 1 review