Back in the day Minnesota was quite a haven for professional wrestling. Scroo Loo remembers watching All-Star Wrestling after church on Sunday, and I once went to the armory (I think) to watch a live taping with my scout troop.
So when I saw the headline "Elderly wrestling legend investigated in death of nursing home roommate..." at Drudge, I had a feeling I would be familiar with the suspect. When the link opened the Pioneer Press, it was all but assured. Sure enough:
Minnesota wrestling legend Verne Gagne, who climbed to fame as a likeable giant of the ring, is under police investigation in the death of a fellow resident at a Bloomington care facility, a local television station is reporting.
According to the report, despite suffering from Alzheimer's, the 82-year-old Gagne can still body slam quite nicely. Unfortunately, in this case it was a 97-year-old fellow patient.
Since we're on the subject, here's a few more names that might ring a bell: Jerry Blackwell, Mean Gene Okerland, Rick Martel, Tito Santana, Nick Bockwenkle, Andre the Giant, The Fabulous Freebirds, Curt Henning, Bobby Heenan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and Rock n' Roll Zumhofe.
Did I miss anybody?
And, for the hell of it, Greg Gagne unveiling Bobby Heenan's weasel suit, with the already retired Verne chasing The Weasel out of the ring:
Who doesn't remember that?
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