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Wrestling Legend Linked To Tragic Nursing Home Death

Posted: Mar 2nd 2009 By: CMBurnham

Verne Gagne was one of the most decorated athletes in Minnesota sports history. A star football player at the University of Minnesota during the 1940s, Gagne went on to parlay an illustrious amateur wrestling into a legendary pro career in which he was regarded as one of the ring's greatest ever.

The essence of sportsmanship, the clean-cut, personable Gagne became an institution in his native Minnesota, and his feats made him seem larger than life.

Now 83, his fabled sports run long over, Gagne now faces an even tougher battle. But it's one that he most likely will never even remember.

His mind ravaged by Alzheimer's disease, Gagne has been linked to the tragic death of a fellow 97-year-old nursing home resident, Helmut Gutmann, who shared quarters with the ex-wrestler in a Bloomington, Minn., health care facility.

Gagne and Gutmann, who both suffer from Alzheimer's-related dementia, recently clashed in the memory-loss unit of Friendship Village, leading to Gutmann’s death nearly three weeks later.

Although Gagne isn't expected to be charged, in large part due to the unusual circumstances, the death has been ruled a homicide by authorities. The coroner's report stated that Gutmann died of complications from a fractured hip after being pushed at the nursing home. Gutmann's wife, also a patient at the long-term care facility, and her daughter told officials that Gagne threw Gutmann, who also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to the floor during an apparent outburst.

The tragedy has devastated both families.

Gutmann's daughter, Ruth Hennig of Boston, told the The (St. Paul) Pioneer Press that the two men had been in a public lobby of the Friendship Village memory loss unit, near the nurse's station, when Gagne grabbed her father and threw him to the floor, breaking his hip and injuring his head. No one knows what caused the attack, she said, nor was anyone present at the time.

"I don't know what precipitated the attack, if anything," Hennig told the newspaper. "All I know is that Verne Gagne lifted my father off the floor and then threw him down to the ground, and that caused him to crack his hip."

She said that because of her father's dementia, he had "no memory at all" of his fight with Gagne and "didn't understand why his hip hurt."

She said that after her father was injured, he came through surgery "just fine" and was receiving physical therapy. He spent several days in the hospital before being released back to the center. But soon after he stopped eating and drinking, she said.

The coroner's report, issued Wednesday, says Gutmann was injured at 4:15 p.m. Jan. 26 and died at 5:50 p.m. Feb. 14.

Hennig said the two men had clashed in a previous incident, but there were no injuries and she was unaware of any details.

"I don't blame him, in the sense that I know he's not fully responsible for what he did," Hennig said. "But on the other hand, I know that my father would still be alive today if they hadn't had this altercation. ... I'm more sad than I am angry."

Gutmann's daughter told The Pioneer Press that her family, following her mother's wishes, had no interest in pressing charges. She added, however, that the coroner's homicide finding "raises concerning questions about the precautions that nursing facilities need to take in caring for patients with Alzheimer's. It's hard enough for people and families who are afflicted with Alzheimer's. They shouldn't also have to worry about physical vulnerabilities or the risk of harm."

"Verne Gagne shouldn't be held responsible for his role in my dad's death because he has Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, I don't believe the police should press criminal charges against him," she added.

Gagne, whose wife, Mary, died in 2002 after 56 years of marriage, no longer resides at Friendship Village.

While Gagne's achievements are well documented, Gutmann, from all accounts, also was a model citizen.

A noted chemist who fled to the United States from Nazi Germany in 1936, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army's Chemical Warfare Service in World War II. Gutmann spent 40 years as a cancer research scientist based at the Minneapolis V.A. Hospital and retired in 1992 when he was already in his 80s. He also was a classical musician, playing violin for 12 years with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra.

The Minnesota Post reported that Gutmann and wife Betty co-founded the Minnesota Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church in 1966 and that the two still attended on a regular basis. Gutmann had been scheduled to perform a piano piece at a church classical concert that took place one week after the assault, according to the media outlet.

Gagne, who played football and wrestled at the University of Minnesota, turned to pro wrestling in 1950 and competed into the 1980s.

In high school, he won district, regional and state championships; in college, he won Big Ten championships four times (1944, 1947, 1948 and 1949) and NCAA championships in 1948 and 1949; he was an alternate for the U.S. freestyle wrestling team at the 1948 Olympics in London; and he won the AAU championship in 1949. Gagne was recruited to play professional football after he graduated from college.

Regarded as "a wrestler's wrestler," the master mat technician also trained a number of future Hall of Famers, including Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, The Iron Sheik and Sgt. Slaughter.

Gagne wore many hats during his career in the Midwest-based American Wrestling Association: promoter, president, owner and main-event star. He held the AWA world title 10 times between 1960 and 1981 and was champion for a record 10 years during that span.

One of the most influential and powerful promoters in the U.S., he also was one of the best in-ring workers during his prime. With his good looks and impressive physique, he became a matinee idol as pro wrestling expanded to national TV in the '50s, earning widespread exposure and one of the first six-figure salaries in the business.

Gagne helped put Hulk Hogan and "Hulkamania" on the map several years before World Wrestling Federation owner Vince McMahon hit pay dirt in 1984, but also watched as his AWA empire began to crumble as a result of refusing to change with the times while the younger McMahon began his national expansion and venture into cable TV. McMahon eventually would deplete Gagne's roster of stars, including Hogan, Jesse Ventura and Gene Okerlund, and it was only a matter of time before the AWA pioneer found himself unable to compete with the expanding WWF, despite securing a deal with ESPN.

But moreover, Gagne was the vibrant, wholesome face of a sport that always wasn't quite as respectable and proper, a self-made man who rose from poverty. A consummate sportsman who also spent time golfing, hunting and fishing, Gagne was a family man who was always willing to lend a helping hand in his community and state.

A number of fellow wrestling associates have come to Gagne's defense in the wake of the recent tragedy. Eric Bischoff, who got his wrestling chops working for Gagne's AWA in the late '80s, was among them.

"Above all that Verne has accomplished as an athlete, father and a businessman, the Verne Gagne that I know was one of the most generous and caring people I have ever met. He gave tirelessly to the community and was passionate about supporting the community where he lived. Verne Gagne deserves better."

Bischoff alluded to a situation nearly 20 years ago in which Gagne was forced to give up valuable property he owned along Lake Minnetonka, west of Minneapolis, for a fraction of its market value when the state decided to turn the property into a park. It was one of the major reasons Gagne shut down the AWA in 1991 after a 30-year run, as he was leveraging money against the property. Gagne fought the decision for several years until an eminent domain case led to the creation of Lake Minnetonka Regional Park.

"I promised myself that I would refrain from my usual rant when it comes to the media, but as the days go by I am getting more and more angry," Bischoff wrote on his blog last week. "Perhaps if the state of Minnesota and Hennepin County -- where Verne built the home he invested his life work in and wanted to retire -- hadn't forced him to give up his property for a fraction of its market value by invoking an act of socialism known as "eminent domain," Verne and his family would gave been better able to provide for Verne's care without having to live in an assisted living facility.

"Perhaps that's the story the media should focus on: that despite the hard work, contribution and self-made success of an individual like Verne Gagne, the state of Minnesota and Hennepin County can force a then 62-year-old man to take pennies on the dollar for his life's work, and end up in an assisted living facility in such a tragic situation. Perhaps that would help shed some real light on the real story that has made victims of the Gutmann and Gagne family."

Edward Graziano, father of car crash victim John Graziano, has been arrested in an alleged murder-for-hire plot.

Authorities say Graziano, 53, held a number of meetings with a tipster and an undercover police officer posing as go-between to a hit man in order to solicit the murder of his estranged wife. Graziano allegedly paid for the hit with $1,100 cash, a $1,000 personal check and a $13.06 pizza gift card.

Graziano had been investigated for several months after authorities received a tip in December about the plot. Upon proof of the plot's legitimacy, they contacted Debra Graziano and made her aware of the situation.

Detectives say Graziano had requested that she be killed in an automobile accident during a time period where he would have had an alibi. Authorities believe that Graziano was hoping that Debra's death would provide him an escape from financial issues stemming from their divorce.

According to court documents obtained by The Tampa Tribune, Debra Graziano asked for a restraining order against her husband on Sept. 30, 2004, accusing him of putting a carving knife to her throat and threatening to slash her carotid artery. In her petition, she claimed he also told her if she ever sought alimony, "he'd hunt me down like a dog, put a bullet in my head, then his own."

A judge granted her request and the restraining order was to last two years. In a matter of weeks, however, she asked that it be dismissed.

The family made national headlines after their son, John, was severely injured during an automobile accident on Aug. 26, 2007. John suffered a major brain injury after Nick Bollea lost control of his Toyota Supra and crashed into a palm tree.

Bollea, the son of Hulk Hogan, served five months in jail after pleading no contest to reckless driving.

Debra Graziano and her family are suing the Bollea family -- Nick, Linda and Terry (Hulk Hogan). The family claims the Bolleas are liable for John's injuries and are seeking millions of dollars.

To add another twist to the already bizarre story, the publicist for Linda Bollea told a Tampa TV station last week that "people around the case" have told her that Edward Graziano made threats aimed at her.

"Any threat from Ed Graziano would and is being taken very seriously," said the spokesman, who added that the former "Hogan Knows Best" matriarch was "scared to death."

Dwayne Johnson, the artist formerly known as The Rock, will return for his third stint as host of Saturday Night Live on March 7.

Johnson, who currently is starring is Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain," which opens March 13, recently completed filming the comedy "Tooth Fairy," along with Julie Andrews, Ashley Judd and Billy Crystal.

- Owen Hart's widow, Martha, told The Calgary Sun in a recent interview that, 10 years after her husband's death, she takes solace in two things -- her children and the Owen Hart Foundation.

Approaching the 10-year anniversary of his death, Martha is close to completing a PhD in social and developmental psychology at England's Cambridge University. Their children, Oje and Athena, are now 16 and 13, respectively.

The foundation, launched in late 2000 with $2 million from the WWF settlement, has had a positive impact on many lives across Calgary.

"My whole direction with the foundation is, we are a charity but we want people to be able to help themselves," says Martha. "Because education is so important to me, as it was to Owen, that was an area we wanted to make our focus."

"He would be overwhelmed with how many people it's helped and so pleased to be remembered for all the good qualities he had," she adds. "I think he would have been so proud to have made a difference."

Owen Hart plummeted nearly 90 feet to his death in a stunt gone awry at a WWF show in Kansas City in 1999.

WWE announced last week that Wrestlemania 26 will be held March 28, 2010, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Jamie Noble suffered a stinger taking Mike Knox's finisher last week on Raw. He initially lost feeling in one of his arms and hands, and was stretchered from the ring. An MRI exam revealed no significant injury to the wrestler.

"All of Jamie's tests were negative," Dr. Chris Amann told the WWE Web site. "I expect him to be sore for the next several days, but I think he will do fine."

- WWE announced the release of Manu last week. The second-generation performer had been tabbed for Randy Orton's Legacy group.

Manu, whose real name is Afa Anoa'i Jr., had been with the main roster since last September when he joined Ted DiBiase, Jr. and Cody Rhodes as part of the "Priceless" faction.

The son of Afa The Wild Samoan, Manu had trained in Deep South Wrestling, Ohio Valley Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling.

- Chris "The Masterpiece" Masters and Lodi will appear at an Old School Championship Wrestling show at 6 p.m. today at Weekend's Pub, 428 Red Bank Road, Goose Creek. Former WCW performer Lodi also will defend his Universal title against Johnny Blaze.

Adult admission is $8; kids 12 and under $5. For more information, visit www.oscwonline.com or call 743-4800.

Tags: Verne Gagne, AWA, WWF, WWE, Afa, WCW