Verne Gagne, WWE Hall of Famer, Dies at Age 89

WWE Hall of Famer and American Wrestling Association founder Verne Gagne died late Monday night at the age of 89.  

WWE.com was among the first to announce the 10-time AWA champion's passing.

After being a standout amateur wrestler at the University of Minnesota and an alternate in freestyle wrestling on the 1948 United States Olympic team, Gagne embarked on a long and successful career that was highlighted by the AWA from 1960 through 1991.

In addition to being the owner and promoter of the company, Gagne was also its top star in the ring. He gave Hulk Hogan his first big-time exposure and helped train a number of legends in the business, including Ric Flair, Bob Backlund, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Curt Hennig and The Iron Sheik, among others.

Following the news of Gagne's death, WWE chairman Vince McMahon expressed his condolences on Twitter:

McMahon was far from the only one to comment, though, as there has been a large outpouring of support for Gagne from the wrestling community.

That includes former pupil The Iron Sheik, who owes a great deal of credit for his success to Gagne:

WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross tweeted a nice message regarding Gagne, too:

As did current WWE commentator JBL:

Due to the many hats that Gagne wore in the wrestling business and the amount of time that he was part of it, he inevitably made a huge impact on the sport and many of the biggest names to ever grace it.

Gagne left an indelible mark on professional wrestling, and his contributions will undoubtedly stand the test of time for many years to come.

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