Verne Gagne: Verne Gagne. Producer: The Wrestler. An amateur and professional wrestling legend, Verne Gagne's career covers the entire period of wrestling from the "real" to "fake" to "entertainment" eras. Gagne won two NCAA wrestling championships while at the University of Minnesota, and was a member of the 1948 Olympic Wrestling team for the United States. He soon turned pro and became champion of the new American Wrestling Association (AWA). He was...