Friday, january 26th, 1951, at the chicago international amphitheatre. Unfollow lou thesz book to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Just watched lou thesz vs verne gagne, such an awesome. A youtube history of the nwa world heavyweight title lou thesz vs verne gagne 1952 welcome back. Verne gagnes great crusade prowrestling title histories.
It is very likely to be the best memoir we have of that early period unless someone comes across the autobiography of frank gotch, strangler lewis, or bill muldoon. He is best known for his six reigns as nwa world heavyweight champion and for inventing such moves as the lou thesz press, later used by everyone from stone cold steve austin to mickie james, the stf, popularized by masahiro chono, who in turn came up with the sts variation used by john cena. Lou thesz championship match or double title match as it wouldve been would have definitely established a new. Verne gagne american professional wrestler britannica. The nwa later overruled the decision of the referee in chicago and gave the title back to thesz. He left and formed the american wrestling association. He was 86 and had undergone triplebypass surgery and aortic valve replacement three weeks before. Verne gagne series and why it abruptly ended and why gagne was never considered for the nwa title even though hed have likely made a better champion than those chosen ahead of him. The nwa board of directors refused to let thesz wrestle verne gagne anymore due to a desire to keep the world heavyweight title belt off of gagne. The decision to have thesz win the belt back from buddy rogers lead to the formation of the world wide wrestling. Verne gagnes oneman crusade with the help of such as lou thesz and a few others to bring back scientific wrestling, is gaining ground and finding favor with the audiences who, after all.
Yes, there was a wrestling school in england by the name of wigham, near manchester, england and they developed some very fine wrestlers and i think the best of the whole bunch was billy robinson who is still in this country now, he lives in nashville, but the europeans took a lot of pride in the knowledge of straight wrestling. Lou thesz, along with stu hart, is credited with creating most of the movesholds that have been used ever since. Verne gagne ended without a winner as a double countout nwa world heavyweight title 2 out of 3 falls match 6. Apr 22, 2010 lou thesz is a legend and considered by most experts to be one of the top 10 pro wrestlers ever check any list on the internet, hes there.
He was a pro wrestler and that was his only obsession. To the audience you know, lou wrote a very good book in. The life and times of a hooker by the phantom of the ring. Find great deals on ebay for lou thesz and verne gagne. Probably the biggest difference between them is that gagne was one of the best amateur wrestlers of all time before he turned pro, whereas thesz went directly from the gym into the money ranks. Lou thesz, with his wife charlie, resides in norfolk, virginia, on the shores of chesapeake bay. What most people do not realize is that hooker is not merely the story of lou thesz, but it is also the story of professional wrestling in this country.
Verne gagne challenger 12552 chicago, il international amphitheater aired live on the dumont network. After watching some of his matches, knowing how famous he is pro wrestling, and knowing he was considered a great shooter someone who could wrestler for real and was good at submision. Its not like he can pull off a triple jump hurricanrana to show a speed or agility advantage. The son of a middleweight amateur wrestling champion in hungary, lou thesz was a oneman dynasty whose records will stand the test of time. Kiniski joined the american wrestling association awa in 1960 and defeated awa world champion verne gagne to win the title on july 11, 1961, also capturing the awa world tag team title twice with hard boiled haggerty. Thesz started wrestling in the 1930s, and from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was one of the most dominant figures in the business. Verne gagne c defeated lou thesz by countout awa world heavyweight title. Lou thesz, most celebrated professional wrestler of mid20th century and. Laverne clarence gagne february 26, 1926 april 27, 2015 was an american professional. Lou thesz is the only wrestler ever to compete in 7 different decades besides mae young. Legendary wrestler verne gagne and a tragic tale minnpost. Gene kiniski, verne gagne, pat oconnor, baron michele leone and. For nearly four decades, lou thesz was one of the biggest names in all of professional sports. Mar 15, 2016 lou thesz aloysius martin thesz faces verne gagne laverne clarence gagne in a best 2 of 3 falls match with a 30 minute time limit.
Verne gagne, 82, is a former wrestling champion who has attained folk legend status in minnesota. Thesz mentions that verne gagne claimed he was never given a shot at the belt. Sep 11, 2014 lou thesz aloysius martin thesz faces verne gagne laverne clarence gagne in a best 2 of 3 falls match with a 30 minute time limit. A youtube history of the nwa world heavyweight title lou. In october 1997, thesz was honored by a ceremony at world wrestling federations wwf badd blood as being both the youngest and oldest world heavyweight champion at ages 21 and 50, respectively technically, verne gagne holds the record for oldest champ, when he held the awa world heavyweight championship in 1980 at age 54, which was tied by wwf owner vince mcmahon in 1999. On june 14, 1957, edouard carpentier defeated nwa champion lou thesz in chicago. Find link is a tool written by edward betts searching for verne gagne 63 found 261 total alternate case.
He was a huge draw across the country, and with the right kind of promotion, a gagne vs. As a sports event promoter and television producer since 1967, he has. Thesz has since been supplanted as the oldest nwa world heavyweight champion by former champion tim storm who was. Fans from all over the midwest and this writer from north carolina flocked to meet the legendary verne gagne. Nwa world heavyweight champion lou thesz and verne gagne drew 1. If you dont know who he is check out some of his matches on youtube. Feb 22, 2020 verne gagne, laverne clarence gagne, american professional wrestler born feb. Wrestling observer figure four online wrestling observer figure four online pro wrestling illustrated 2,070 words view diff exact match in snippet view article find links to article. A fifteentime world champion, he held the nwa world heavyweight championship three times for a combined total of 10 years, three months and nine days 3,749 days longer than anyone else in history. Melbys wrestling facts edition originally published 1995 includes rare photos from the wrestling revue archives and other additional material. From time to time, during this tenyear career of his.
Verne gagne laverne clarence gagne faces dick the bruiser william fritz afflis in a best 2 of 3 falls match with a 60 minute time limit. Thesz won the nwa world title from everett marshall in 1937 in st. Just watched lou thesz vs verne gagne, such an awesome match. This book documents thesz inring appearances from 1934 up to his final match in 1990 giving dates, locations, opponent and match results. Rate this classic lou thesz vs verne gagne the video. For me, thesz topped antonino rocca in his debut at parade of champions. Louis, at the age of 21 and held the title on six occasions for a total of years, longer than any other wrestler in nwa history. That weekend along with lou thesz, verne gave folks the thrill of a lifetime, actually getting to meet and relive their memories with their hero, verne gagne of robbinsdale, minn.
Chicago promoter fred kohler promoted this big match. You can really see the influence from matt hardy throughout the match. Setting up to pull away from the nwa, the minneapolis territory as it was known, gave a storyline only edict to the nwa in may 1960 that unless their nwa world champion pat oconnor defended his title to verne gagne with 90 days, verne gagne would become recognized world champion by default. Lou thesz insisted for many years vernes lack of size was the reason gagne. Verne gagne and the creation of the american wrestling association. Verne gagne defeated gene kiniski to recapture the awa world heavyweight title national wrestling alliance. Top 20 wrestlers trained by verne gagne thesportster. He held the world title for more than years, more than any other wrestler in history, with his eightyear reign from 1948. There are icons of the professional wrestling business and then there are individuals such as verne gagne. The first female inducted into the george tragos lou thesz professional wrestling hall of fame, beth phoenix competed on the varsity wrestling team at notre dame high school in elmira, new york. Lou thesz insisted for many years verne s lack of size was the reason gagne never held the nwa title.
The debate is a real one among those who seriously study the history of this american popculture creation. Followers 0 19520125kohler chicago lou thesz vs verne gagne. Larry hennig and harley race c had no winner since it was a no contest awa world tag team titles 4. Verne gagne was a marine, a twotime ncaa champion, and played football for the gophers, and he earned fame as a professional wrestler.
Thesz was carried from the ring because of exhaustion and gagne was robbed. Lewis friend, lou thesz, never had any desirer to go over seas to fight germans. Thank you jeremy, thank you so much for having me on the show. Lou thesz match results the clawmasters archives sports. Doesnt look realistic at all that verne could push thesz against ropes. Thesz was basically saved by the bell because gagne was getting close to beating his opponent. This was a 60minute time limit match for the title. Buddy rogers vs lou thesz january 26, 1951 chicago, il. Thesz was carried from the ring because of exhaustion and gagne was robbed, according to his fans. At that time, gagne was the most popular wrestler in the untied states and getting more coverage than any other grappler in the business. A detailed history of lou thesz is featured in the book.
Stanley stasiak 0308 memphis, tn lou thesz beat dorv roche 0317 memphis, tn lou thesz draw lee wyckoff 0319 winnipeg, manitoba lou thesz draw jim mcmillen 0323 lacrosse, wi lou thesz beat arnold barr 0327 winnipeg, manitoba lou thesz beat abe kashey by dq 0401 austin, mn lou thesz vs. Aside from being a very indepth autobiography of a legend of the sport, this is an outstanding book on the overall history of professional wrestling from the turn of the 20th century to the late 1980s. Sep 11, 2014 lou thesz aloysius martin thesz faces buddy rogers herman gustav rohde jr. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about pro wrestling in general or lou thesz specifically. Hans schmidt 23 falls january 16, 1953 lou thesz vs. Verne, however, is easily one of the greatest promoters and trainers ever. Friday, january 26th, 1951, at the chicago international. With help from powerful friends, he rode out the war working in a medical company stationed at fort lewis. Apr 25, 1999 among them were lou thesz and verne gagne, who excelled as amateur and professional wrestlers and were among the four initial inductees. It will be held at the georgia dome in atlanta, georgia. Lou thesz, heralded as one of wrestlings truest and first pioneers, will now be recognized beside fellow sportsentertainment royalty as a wwe hall of fame legacy inductee. Thesz is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Lou thesz was the one professional wrestler who gave the national wrestling alliance credibility during its growing years, adding to the organizations credibility, and strengthening. Aloysius martin lou thesz april 24, 1916 april 28, 2002 was an american professional wrestler. The books you wrote about were all written by people who were starting in the business or to be interested by it in the 1970s. However, certain wrestling territories of the nwa including nebraska refused to go along with the decision and continued to recognize carpentier. Maybe im missing something, but why is lou thesz not in the wwe hall of fame. Weve got a complete history of the career of gagne and his various honors. No, i based my knowledge of the show on the aforementioned book. He held the world title for more than years, more than any other wrestler in history, with his eightyear reign from 1948 to 1956 ranking as the longest title run of all time. I hadnt seen gagne in his prime before, but even in the 70s and into the 80s, he could go a little. Since lou s death a few years ago, lou s biographer kit bauman has released information regarding the relationship between gagne and thesz. The man wrestled in 7 decades, held the nwa title for more days than anyone else in history, invented several moves german suplex, original powerbomb, stf, lou thesz press, never was on bad terms with the wwe as far as i know. Lou thesz for awa title, first ever g1 final on this day in pro wrestling history. Gene kiniski defeated bill dromo to retain the worlds heavyweight title in macon. Thesz won his first world heavyweight title in the 1930s, and went on to become a 6time world heavyweight champion, many of those reigns as the nwa national wrestling.
Gagne was a legend of the industry, a world heavyweight champion on at least 16 occasions and. Verne gagne lou thesz aloysius martin thesz faces verne gagne laverne clarence gagne in a best 2 of 3 falls match with a 30 minute time limit. The career of lou thesz spanned this updated version of mr. Lou thesz vs tom rice hollywood legion stadium 81454. Gutmann, 97, was a former cancer researcher who came to this country after fleeing. The man talking was lou thesz, who, at the time, was heavyweight wrestling champion of.
The subject of this adulation was verne gagne, professional wrestler. Lou theszs biography, hooker, crafted in association with kit bauman, is available in a 260 page manuscript form. My first impression is that im really surprised at how much bigger thesz is then verne. Gene kiniski defeated lou thesz for the nwa world title and lost the belt three years later to dory funk jr january 7, 1969. Its natural, also, to consider the merits of both men, comparatively and individually. Celeste ng, ann patchett, min jin lee and others on the books that bring. Among them were lou thesz and verne gagne, who excelled as amateur and professional wrestlers and were among the four initial inductees. Lou thesz is defending against former amateur and future pro champ verne gagne. Hes really tiny and it stands out given the style theyre working. Lou thesz, the most celebrated professional wrestler of the mid20th century and one of the last who relied on physical skills rather than show business gimmicks, died on april 28 in a hospital in orlando, fla.
Lou thesz aloysius martin thesz faces verne gagne laverne clarence gagne in a best 2 of 3 falls match with a 30 minute time limit. She also competed in the wwe, where she was a wwe divas champion and a threetime wwe womens champion. Pick which one is better 1960s lou thesz vs bruno sammartino vs verne gagne 1970sharley race vs bruno sammartino vs verne gagne 1980shulk hogan vs ric flair vs nick bockwinkel 1990shulk hogan vs bret hart vs steve austin 2000striple h vs jeff jarrett vs john cena. Nwa jr heavyweight champion verne gagne drew billy goelz mighty titan and pancho romero beat fred blassie and dennis clary 2251 st louis nwa champion lou thesz beat yukon eric dq wladek kowalski beat pete managoff dutch hefner and dick raines drew karol krauser and jim dobie fred blassie drew angelo poffo 2951 st louis. Jun 26, 2017 lou thesz aloysius martin thesz faces buddy rogers herman gustav rohde jr. However, in his home country he has to sell the book in a sort of samizdat.
Verne gagne robbinsdale, 26 februari 1926 bloomington minnesota, 27 april 2015 was een amerikaans voormalig professioneel worstelaar, footballspeler, promotor en professioneel worsteltrainer. Aloysius martin lou thesz april 24, 1916 april 28, 2002 was an american professional. The untold story of the monopoly that strangled pro wrestling. So the decision of this match is unclear, although jim melbys record book of thesz listed this as a win for thesz. Las vegas it may have been harley races night, receiving the top honour in pro wrestling and all, but it was his old partner larry the axe hennig who really went over saturday night. Carpentier lost his title to gagne in omaha on august 9, 1958. This would be a flaw in my argument if the books i read werent big on mentioning sam muchnick, or verne gagne and bruno sammartino for that matter. When i was a kid, my grandpa gave me a book of the 100. Well before we take a step back and talk about dick the bruiser and the book bruiser, i have to ask. Find great deals on ebay for lou thesz when you shop the largest online selection at. Then he won a very tough match against dick hutton.
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