Verne Gagne vs. Crusher

[Guest evenflowDDT]

I was chatting with my father the other day, and somehow we got to talking about wrestling. He told me as a kid in Minnesota he watched Verne Gagne in a series of matches against Crusher (not Krusher Kowalski, but Crusher with a C), with Gagne as the face and Crusher as a nasty heel. Some time later, he was away in Denver for a convention, and saw Gagne and Crusher in a different federation, this time together in a tag match. This kayfabe difference showed him once and for all that wrestling was fake and broke his heart to a degree because he hasn't watched since. Any old school aficionados able to provide any background on either series of matches, like what federations they were in, or whether any of them were any good, or even on either man? I know the name Verne Gagne, but I don't know anything else about him. I had never even heard of Crusher before, but my dad said part of his gimmick was he'd have a really long cigar that he'd smoke, and that other wrestlers would always knock it away.

 

So... anyone have any photos or info on either man, or know what the hell I'm talking about?

[Guest nl5xsk1]

It was probably in the old AWA (the one that used to be on ESPN in the 80's). I think that they were both faces by the eighties, but Crusher was among the biggest heels in the AWA back in the day and Verne was the top face, but he was the booker so only really pushed himself. I think they traded the AWA world title in the 60s.

Also, when the Road Warriors first one the AWA tag team titles, it was over Crusher and Baron Von Rashke. So he obviously wrestled for seemingly a million years or so.

[Guest TheHulkster]

The Crusher used to team a lot with Dick the Bruiser way back when. I remember watching him as a kid near the end of his career in the 80's. He was built like a brick shit house.

[Guest tank_abbott]

Billy Robinson/ Crusher/ Bruiser/ Mad Dog Vachon / Nick Bockwinkel/ Ray Stevens and Verne Gagne all wrestled in the AWA from the Late 60's- mid 80's... that's one of the main reason's Verne's business tanked....

 

He had Andre/ hogan/ etc and still pushed the old man group....

 

Like Flair/ Hogan/ nash etc on top now while

 

The next big Things like RVD/ Angle etc langlish in the upper midcard

 

Oh yeah I suppose, being a Samrk , I best throw in , Its HHH's fault!

[Guest nl5xsk1]

Hey, he didn't push only the old men into the mid 80's, it went on much longer ... remember that thrilling feud between "High Flyer" Greg Gagne and Kokinas Maximus (soon-to-be-known-as Yokozuna), where Kokinas broke Greg's leg with a splash on the floor?

 

Or the racist Col. Debeers (who was actually pretty damn old, and a nobody to boot) in his epic war with Jimmy Snuka (who was quite old)?

 

Or Living Legend Larry Zbyszko winning the title in a battle royal, over such superstars as Don Muraco, Masa Saito, and Tom Zenk?