version) (4 times) – with Bronko Nagurski (1), Leo Nomellini (2), and Butch Levy (1) World Heavyweight Championship (Omaha version) (5 times) AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times) NWA Tri-State NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) New Japan Pro-Wrestling Greatest 18 Club inductee Pro Wrestling Illustrated Stanley Weston Award (1986) PWI ranked him No. 158 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003 Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2004 Southwest Sports, Inc. NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (2 times) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) – with Wilbur Snyder Tokyo Sports Match of the Year Award (1981) vs. Giant Baba on January 18 World Championship Wrestling WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1993) World Wrestling Entertainment WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2006) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996) References Further reading External links Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Profile of Verne Gagne 1926 births 2015 deaths American catch wrestlers American male professional wrestlers American male sport wrestlers United States Navy personnel of World War II AWA World Heavyweight Champions Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Minnesota Golden Gophers football players Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestlers People from Robbinsdale, Minnesota Players of American football from Minnesota Professional wrestlers from Minnesota Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Professional wrestling promoters Professional wrestling trainers WWE Hall of Fame inductees Deaths from dementia in Minnesota 20th-century professional wrestlers AWA World Tag Team Champions NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champions AWA United States Heavyweight Champions