Verne Gagne was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, actor, tv host and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA) in US.

As an amateur wrestler, Gagne won two NCAA titles and was an alternate for the U.S freestyle wrestling team at the 1948 Olympic Games before turning professional in 1949. Gagne was an 11-time world champion in major professional wrestling promotions, having held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship ten times and the IWA World Heavyweight Championship once as the IWA World Heavyweight Championship was considered a world championship in Japan.