The Collapse Of The AWA: How Verne Gagne’s Refusal To Evolve Destroyed A Wrestling Empire

In the early 1980s, the landscape of professional wrestling was a patchwork of regional fiefdoms, but few were as powerful, profitable, or respected as the American Wrestling Association (AWA). Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the AWA controlled a massive territory that stretched from Chicago to San Francisco, and from Winnipeg to Denver. It was a kingdom built on the back of “real” wrestling, legitimate athletes, and the iron will of its owner and champion, Verne Gagne. Yet, within a decade, this powerhouse promotion would be reduced to a punchline, broadcasting in front of empty chairs in a pink studio before quietly filing for bankruptcy in 1991. The collapse of the AWA is not a story of bad luck; it is the story of a promoter who discovered the biggest star in the history of the indust