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Remember what Ventura said. Vern was shorting Jesse on his paycheck while the Gagne family was off on a ski trip to Colorado.

Hogan wasn't under contract...he left for a better opportunity. Nobody "stole him"

If hogan would have stayed in the AWA he would win the title and then Verne would win it back at the spry age of 62 (or what ever age he was then). I I grew up in MN and loved the AWA. the worst thing about the AWA were the Gagnes. Greg weighing in at 210 pounds should have been enhancement talent at best and Verne was hard to watch.

Hulk Hogan went on to much greener pastures and became a pop culture icon with Vince.

Gagne was the owner, booker and 90% of the time was the champion. Oh and also his SON! Neputisim at it's finest. Gee Wally! I wonder why the Beaver left the AWA... They seem real open minded.

A wrestling organization with a 50-60+ year old man as its nearly perpetual "champion" - who also happened to own the promotion, whose matches were 30-45 minute hugfests, was something that not even a child could not take seriously.

Hogan should have been allowed to win the AWA world title

Hogan chose to leave, How TF you gonna say a grown man was stolen. Hogan only left Vince Sr for AWA bcuz Vince Sr didn't want him to do Rocky 3.

Verne screwed Verne, I don’t ever believe the Gagne’s were going to give Hogan part ownership of The AWA

A proper title would be "how Verne drove Hulk Hogan away"

Gagne starts lying. It's never his dad's fault blah, blah.

You can't blame Hogan for choosing Vince. Better money. Legendary title runs. World wide exposure. Hulk Hogan became an international superstar. He became a multimillionaire with his own cartoons, action figures, t-shirts, video games, starring movies roles, and TV shows. He wouldn't have gotten all that under Verne. Verne was booking his talentless son to win tag team titles and have heavyweight title matches. Greg is just mad because he knows that he is not worthy of lacing up Hogan's boots.

You never hear from anybody that stayed and said "Verne and Greg are right." Everybody left, and Greg has the same story. "Oh we had a huge story set for you."

Verne wouldn't give Hogan the belt so he left. Bad move on the part of Verne. When Hogan left others left as well.

he handshake agreed to him a bunch of lies, giving the Hulkster reason enough to jet. The Hulkster had to take care of himself and his lil brother Eddie Boulder. Brother.

Gagne has never told a story the same way twice. The only detail that’s ever the same is that he’s the virtuous tragic hero

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest, even if Verne agreed to a deal with Vince McMahon, he wouldn't have paid him in full.

From all accounts ive heard, Greg and Verne are delusional and they tried to scam Hogan out of money they were not entitled to. Its 100% their fault he left but they cant accept responsibility. Thats just what I heard.

I love that he implies Hogan vs Andre was Verne’s idea. It had been done at Shea stadium in WWWF already. Besides, Verne kept putting off Hogan as champion. So why wouldn’t he go to a bigger market for more money with the promise of being the top guy. Doesn’t sound “stolen” to me.

Having lived in Wisconsin, I get a bit of a chuckle out of Greg saying Green Bay was a major market town!

It was Andre who encouraged Hogan to f#ck over the AWA while they were in Japan to sign with Vince Jr.

Bockwinkel begged Verne to put the belt on Hogan. Vern would not.

I bet Greg could pass a lie detector test telling these tall tales. In the words of the great George Costanza “ it’s not a lie if you believe it” 😂😂😂

The San Francisco show was not Sold Out at The Cow Palace on December 26th, there was only about 4,000 people there that night, I was one of them.

Hogan has said in interviews that Verne kept promising him that he was going to make Hogan the AWA World Champion. Verne kept Nick Bockwinkel as his World Champion. Here you have Hogan as the biggest name in the wrestling world after his appearance in Rocky 3 and Verne didn’t take advantage of it. He was old school and didn’t see the future. If Vince was asking Verne to sell him the AWA that should have been enough for him to know that Vince wanted Hogan because Hogan was the guy that would make the WWF the biggest player in the game. Verne had the future of wrestling in the palm of his hand and wasn’t smart enough to know that would make the AWA the top promotion. Vince ended up getting Mean Gene, Bobby Heenan, Jesse Ventura and other guys from the AWA in the process. He ended up taking over all the territories, but wasn’t exactly able to steal the NWA’s main territories away. That’s why the NWA ended up becoming the WWF’s main competitor for years. Vince kept getting AWA talent for years before the AWA couldn’t compete anymore. The 3 main companies in wrestling had all worked together for years before Vince Sr. sold the World Wide Wrestling Federation to his son. They all traded talent and all got along. Making Andre the Champion in any territory wasn’t needed. Andre was more of an attraction vs world champion of any of wrestling companies. All the companies shared Andre. They basically said to each other that they needed him for a certain amount of shows and he would go to the next company for a certain mount of shows. It was a way for Andre to make each company money. The shows he wrestled for each company were pretty much going to be sold out. Vince Sr told Vince Jr if he had known what his son was planning on doing that he would have never sold him the company. He even warned him that he’d be lucky if he didn’t end up dead.

He was stolen? Or he just went to a bigger promotion to get the push Verne wouldn’t give him and pay him 5-10x more than Verne? He wasn’t stolen, he went to a better situation! Period!!!

I have known Greg for many years. And one thing I can say, with the utmost confidence, he's not a liar.

So much like Rocky V. Like Tommy Gunn, Hulk didn't sign a written contract, just a handshake. Like George Washington Duke, Vince McMahon promised Hulk the title shot and left.

They should've made Hogan the AWA world champion and he probably would've stayed...on 2 occasions Hogan beat Nick Bockwinkle for the belt and both times they found some technicality to give the belt back to Bockwinkle....

Well maybe if Verne would've told Hogan ahead of time, he wouldn't have lost him to Vince and the WWF. Because it was the promise of winning the title that drew him away from the AWA and to the WWF. Bad business strategy. Gotta let your employees know what your plans are. If you leave them in the dark and another company promises to give them what they want up front, then you get a situation like this, where you lose them to another company and eventually go out of business.

Hulk did what was best for his family. Verne did screw over bunch of folks

Greg Gagne is one of the best interviews I've seen of all the wrestling interviews. He speaks coherently and comes across well.

Absolutely shocking that Rob Feinstein cuts him off at 3 minutes, just let the man talk and finish the story! 😤

I heard it was Greg Gagne’s idea to put David in a program with Goliath.

It's not theft when you're refusing to pay for the merchandise.

Hulk would have been a lot harder to "steal" if he'd been treated properly where he was.

5:15 - Greg stated that Vince came in Spring of 1982 then again in August. He brought up that AWA had television in Canada on TSN (The Sports Network). TSN wasn't founded until September 1984.

Greg Gagne lives in an alternate universe. Terry Bollea wasn't "stolen" because he was never OWNED by anyone or under CONTRACT to anyone!

This is when a contract with Hogan would have been a very good idea. Promise him a guaranteed figure, get him a big advance, and lock him up for a few years. The whole carny handshake deal thing was convenient for the big promoters because it allowed them to do what they wanted with the wrestlers and to cut them loose if they weren't drawing. All fine but your biggest star maybe should have been under contract. Vince might not have been able to get Hogan then. I don't know if the NWA Champ was under contract either but there was a general feeling that something bad would happen to an NWA champ that just abdicated the throne with the belt. Of course, Flair did that in 91 but that was a different time by then.

I'd tell the Gagnes to kiss my a**, if they would have paid them more everyone would have stayed. It's called Business, not Friends. Anyone who pays me more money is the one I show temporary loyalty to.

I met Greg once test driving a Land Rover at the dealership in minneapolis. I didnt buy the car but it was a awesome test drive talking wrestling. Greg was like floor it around this turn to feel the way this thing new land rover handles!

In a better parallel universe, Hulk stayed with the AWA and they became the dominant promotion in North America...

Verne was old school and wanted his World Champion to have a wrestling background. He teased giving the title to Hogan but he never did. Vince took advantage by promising Hogan a lot of money, the WWF World Title, and being the face of the promotion which he planned to go national.

Vince McMahon: the man who ruined pro wrestling

Verne could have been huge if he saw syndication was the future but was one of the old school where you didn’t cross into other territories. Therefore, unless Greg or someone ruthless like Vince took AWA to the next level, they were doomed. Vince took all of AWA’s best (Hogan, Mean Gene, Jesse, Bobby Heenan) and it was pretty much lights out after that.

Not true Watch hulk hogan documentary where he says after Vince Sr kicked him out of wwe he did rocky 3 and then went to work for Verne Gagne and left there because it was not a situation that hogan wanted to be in After he sent out his resume to everyone with all of his recent work Vince called and wanted him back The Gagne family doesn't have a very good track record of telling the truth about there time in wresting

In the end, almost everyone (managers, wrestlers, announcers) left AWA for WWF, and not just Hogan. You can guess some of the reasons why.

That thumbnail pic looks like Hulk Hogan with Danny DeVito.

Hulk going to the WWF changed everything

Cars, stereos, and other personal property can be stolen. Independent contractors who perform in the wrestling industry CANNOT be "stolen." Hogan merely saw jumping to the WWF as the better opportunity. It was a smart decision made by an autonomous human being who was not the property of Verne Gagne and the AWA, and we all know it.

This is a shoot video in which the person gets paid to make up things or greatly embellish real life events. Greg Gagne has already taken credit for all of Bischoff’s ideas that worked in WCW like the NWO and signing Hogan. Hogan didn’t trust the Gagne family after his time in the AWA. Hogan was smart enough to realize WWF was where the money and real success were at. Greg seems like a smart enough guy about pro wrestling but he’s very prone to telling whoppers.

Hogan is the reason why I love wrestling but at the same time I believe Greg Gagne!!

This is great insight into the entire thing I bet there is some truth here

Stole? Verne Gagne ran his own promotion, and spent most of the time putting himself over in the early days. By the time he neared retirement, he passed the torch to a 41 year old Nick Bockwinkel. During his AWA run, Hogan challenged plenty of times for the title, and was extremely over; on one occasion he was declared the champ but the decision was reversed for throwing Bockwinkel over the top rope. The buildup was there, and Hogan was over AF. If AWA was serious about making Hogan a champ, there was ample opportunity, but they never did anything about it. Putting myself in Hogan's shoes, I don't think it would have been a hard sell if the largest company came knocking. I know they spent a lot of time pushing Curt Hennig near the end, but it was too little too late by then. WWE's risk to challenge the territory model had already paid off, and was the only real game in town for the top stars who hadn't yet signed.

Very poor communication with its top talent contributed to the AWA's demise. Vince, on the other hand, was a master communicator and marketer. The AWA blew it and they weren't the only ones. Vince won--everything--but fans lost. The product today is horrible.

Verne was cheap and refused to put the belt on Hogan. That was the beginning of the end for AWA.

I dont necc. blame Vince on this one. Behind the scenes, you already know that the fact there were no contracts involved with wrestlers (Greg's words), any owner should be able to gauge what their employees are planning to do. Hulk and Andre, by accounts were working behind the scenes to leave AWA, and that AWA was not coming thru those promises of titles etc. for Hulk.

Your old man wanted money from what he was making off of merchandise and from his time in Japan and lied to him countless times about putting the strap on him. So I don't blame him for leaving. Verne himself is what put was under

I can't wait for Vince McMahon movie i wanna see how that meeting went down between vince verne greg

As long as I'm bashing this great ,delusional wrestling dynasty, I'd like to point out that the apple didn't have far to fall. Greg's daddy bowed up to the Road Warriors and Bill Watts. In both situations Gagne acted like he wanted to fight....only to chump down when reality set in.

On top of the many things stolen from Greg, he invented the excuse. He’s also not credited with creating the term, “your truth.” His truth is fascinating when compared to the actual truth. It’s fantasy. It’s always well thought out and makes him sound like a freaking genius. Has anyone ever recorded this guy admitting he made a mistake, or been critical of himself? I have yet to see a video of that. He points out everyone else’s mistakes, but does he recognize his own? Is it possible for someone to be the perpetual victim?

From what I have read and seen, long story short: They never were going to make Hogan Champion because he wasn't a "wrestler". Oh and Hogan has issues with merch money but Hogan was never going to be the top guy there. Even if Hogan became champ, Vince would steal him.

The story I always heard was that Verne wanted a portion of Hogan’s merchandise money (Hogan paid for his own merch) and part of the money Hogan made on Japanese tours in order to put the title on Hogan. When Hogan wouldn’t agree to it the writing was pretty much in the wall.

All the AWA needed to do was QUIT screwing Hulk Hogan over with the Title. If you would have had Hogan as champion. You would have stayed in business.

Had Hogan stayed with AWA there never would have been Hulkamania and Vince would never been a position to buy out everybody.

greg is lying through his teeth about the money over t shirts and verne wanted a share of his japan money

Hulk Hogan was smart for going the better deal!! Vern Gagne was not paying his talent much!!

Greg is the second biggest mark behind only Bret.

If hogan stayed in awa Vince would still have taken over the territories and gotten hogan anyway

I can't stand Hogan. However Verne Gagne kept screwing him around with the title. Where Poopie McMahon offered him the Golden Showe.. Oops Ticket. Sorry.

Greg's dad killed another elderly man in a nursing home. What is the chance it was over Gagne skimming meds?

Hogan chose the NBA over the g league. Can't blame him there. Awa at that time was a shell of it self. Hogan didn't owe them nothing.

Verne Gagne killed the AWA. NOBODY wanted to see an 80 year old man as champion again and again. The AWA might have been headquartered out of Minnesota but they were broadcast on ESPN. You can only do a Dusty finish so many times before fans get sick of it and don't watch anymore. Giving Greg a push also angered the few fans they had left. No offense to Nick Bockwinkle who was one of the best promo guys (and shockingly an okay rapper) of all time but almost all of his matches were too long and consisted mostly of rest holds.

I’m sure Greg is just trying to protect his father’s legacy, but I ABSOLUTELY believe the Iron Sheik story regarding Hogan. Seriously, why wouldn’t Verne do something like that? Especially since it was not too long after Hogan left? Stuff like that happened in the 70s and 80s. Why wouldn’t Verne do something like that? So, I’m sorry Greg, but I’m sticking with Sheik on this one.

Vince was scum but JR was right. The promoters put the promoters out of business not Vince. Verne was a perfect example. 1982 and 83 AWA business was on fire WWF, Crockett, mid South were all down. But Verne just couldnt bring himself to put the title on a guy who couldnt wrestle. Even worse he Dusty finished the fans numerous times into believing Hogan had won. By March of 84 it was over. AWA was a coffin on skates

Verne mismanaged Hogan. He made it easy for Hogan to go to Vince. Multiple sources backup the fact that Hogan back in those days could book himself anywhere, because he was the biggest wrestling attraction in the world. One of those places was Japan, where he made HUGE money. Verne wanted to put the title on him, then claim he was entitled to a percentage of Hogan's Japan earnings, even though Verne had zero to do with him being booked there. Hogan said that he could keep the title. Which is why Hogan had those huge matches with Bockwinkel, and never won the title. THEN Verne was making all kinds of merch with wrestlers on it, and the wrestlers never saw a dime of the proceeds. Hogan also thought that was bullshit. So he went with Vince, because while Vince couldn't promise him guaranteed money, he could promise him an outlet to properly continue to build his brand. It's because of Hogan that wrestlers get paid the money they get paid on merch today. He ushered all that in. Basically Verne was an old timey promoter that loved to make a lot of money at the expense of his wrestlers, and Hogan wasn't just a big dumb wrestler. He was savvy, shrewd, and knew how to make money with his brand. Most importantly, he knew his value, and that he had all of the leverage with the AWA situation. Verne wasn't ready for that, and didn't know how to deal with that.

Idiotic move keeping Bockwinkle as champion when the fans were screaming for Hulk Hogan.

The handshake deal is such B.S. it completely favors the company. For example if Verne would of sold to Vince how would if have honored all those hand shake deals with 100s of wrestlers still working for him.

He did not get Hogan to turnereric. Bishop specifically said the reason hogan almost didn't come was because of greg gagne... He never really wanted to do business with him ever again or his dad. He also said he created the n w o which is bullshit

AWA is a story of what could've been , think they had Hogan , The Brain , Jesse The Body , DR.D , Mean Gean basically every day who built up the WWF , So what would've happen if he had put the belt on Hogan and feed him bad guys to beat would we be watching AWA on mondays

Imagine those two months had gone to original plan.

On another note I know many from that era are pissed that Vince "destroyed" the territories. People need to realize if Vince didn't do it, someone else would. Times were evolving.

Away had some great talent but what happened with awa I don't know

Little known fact, Greg convinced the Minnesota timberwolves to draft point guard Johnny Flynn with the 7th pick in the 2009 nba draft just so the golden state warriors could draft a nobody and complete bum from a small school named Stephen curry next. True story. The Minnesota timberwolves screwed hometown awa out of money in 1989 so Greg knew by telling Minnesota management to take Flynn over curry, he would now finally get the ultimate revenge. Greg as usual wins in the end.

I'm curious what Verne's asking price for the AWA was.

Sure, Greg. You were going to give him the title and part of the business. Never would've happened. He keeps trying to convince people of this, when everyone knows that they let the golden goose get away. 😅

Well u know how Vince's buyout would have been. Like the other territories- Vince will give you some now and promise to pay the rest later but the final payments don't happen..he may have later said - hey Verne I will give you or Greg an on tv job....for a while

Hogan did what was best for him , he left the wwf to go do the rocky movie then he left the awa to back to the wwf and became the biggest wrestler in life , even went to wcw and took it to the next level again with the nwo .

He wasn’t stolen. Verne insisted Hogan give him a piece of his Japan money and started selling Hulk shirts without paying him. Anyone would’ve left.

I like Greg Gagne and I don't think Verne was that bad to work. AWA wrestlers didn't have to travel much so they could be home with their families and still make good money. I think they also had off 2x per week for the most part.

Didn’t Verne want a piece of Hogan’s Japan money? I always understood that was a big reason for Hogan leaving….

It’s less of Vince stealing Hogan and more of Verne losing Hogan by not pushing him like he should have. Hulkamania was running wild in the AWA and Verne pushed him like he was Razor Ramon. A solid push, but not the top guy.

This was the first time Verne heard, that doesn't work for me brother

Two things can be true. Verne was being a hard-ass with the negotiations and he badly miscalculated when it came to Hogan's strong position, as, even then, the top box office attraction in American wrestling, to get a great deal. Greg blows it off but considering things others have said about Verne, him demanding a chunk of Hogan's merch money or Japan money doesn't seem too far fetched. He was taking a 10% "booking fee" from numerous wrestlers he trained no matter where they worked, and it was meant to last for their entire careers. That's...just being an asshole, tbh. He did like having his hand's in people's pockets. At the same time, Hogan could have left like a man, with some honor. He had a handshake deal and if you have class, that should be enough. He could have made those towns, and he should have. No-showing screwed over fans who had paid to see him, screwed the AWA's return business in those places because they were now a promotion who couldn't deliver what they advertised, and screwed over the boys working on those cards who were just trying to earn a living, many of whom had sacrificed themselves to help make him a star. He could have left like a man, and he didn't. So yeah, there are two assholes in this story.

Whats really something is David Von Erich died about a month after Hogan won the belt. Not that has anything to do with anything.

after 1000 years he still remember lol

Idk this dude but I watched the interview and he seems very convincing.

Listening to this guy and listening to Hogan....If I had to guess, we are NO WHERE NEAR hearing a fraction of the actual TRUTH.

this dude is a national treasure. He invented Hulkamania, Wrestlemania, Starcade, The NWO, The 4 Horsemen and the internet at least according to him