The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club, originally founded in 1933, which served as the Minnesota-based territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1948 onward, before breaking away from the NWA and becoming an independent territory in 1960.
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA), the predominant promotion throughout the Midwest and Manitoba for many years. He remained in this position until 1991, when the company folded.
Leo Joseph Nomellini was an Italian-American professional football player and professional wrestler. He played college football for the Minnesota Gophers and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 1950 NFL draft. He played 14 seasons as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), all of them with the 49ers, playing his first three years as an offensive tackle as well.
Gregory Alan Gagne is an American retired professional wrestler. He is the son of Verne Gagne. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he achieved his biggest success as one-half of tag team the High Flyers with Jim Brunzell. The High Flyers enjoyed a number of high-profile feuds within the American Wrestling Association (AWA) with the likes of Bobby Duncum and Blackjack Lanza, Pat Patterson and Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, the East-West Connection, and the Sheiks.
Paul Ellering is an American professional wrestling manager and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the manager for the Authors of Pain and The Final Testament. Retiring as an in-ring performer in 1983 due to injuries, Ellering spent most of his wrestling career managing the Road Warriors working with them from 1983 to 1990 and again on occasion between 1992 and 1997. From 1998 to 1999, he briefly managed Disciples of Apocalypse. Ellering and the Road Warriors were inducted into both the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2016, he returned to WWE at NXT TakeOver: The End as the manager of the Authors of Pain.
Nicholas Warren Francis Bockwinkel was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the 1970s and 1980s.
Eugene Nicholas Kiniski was a Canadian athlete who played football for the Edmonton Eskimos and then became a three-time professional wrestling world heavyweight champion. "Canada's Greatest Athlete", as he billed himself for promotional purposes, was born in Edmonton, Alberta. Like Bronko Nagurski before him, Kiniski was one of the first world champions in professional wrestling to have a previous background in football. He is the father of professional wrestler Kelly Kiniski and international amateur and professional wrestler Nick Kiniski.
Joseph Maurice Régis Vachon was a Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name Mad Dog Vachon. He was the older brother of wrestlers Paul and Vivian Vachon, and the uncle of wrestler Luna Vachon.
James Brunzell, best known under the ring name "Jumping" Jim Brunzell, is an American retired professional wrestler known for his successful tag teams, Brunzell performed for various wrestling promotions during his 21-year career.
Eugene Otto "Buck" Zumhofe is a convicted sex offender and former American professional wrestler better known as "The King of Rock n' Roll" Buck Zumhofe. In 2014, Zumhofe was sentenced to 25 years in prison for criminal sexual conduct.
Larry Hennig was an American professional wrestler. He was the father of "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, and the grandfather of Curtis Axel and Amy "Ms. Perfect" Hennig. He worked in the American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance, and the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Hennig was known by the nickname, "The Axe", a nickname he had because of his signature, often finishing move of dropping a full weight elbow onto his prone opponents.
Wilbur Snyder was an American football player and professional wrestler.
Tommy Jammer is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association from 1989 to 1990.
AWA All-Star Wrestling was a syndicated television series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). All-Star Wrestling footage is now owned by WWE.
AWA Championship Wrestling is a professional wrestling television series that aired on cable sports network ESPN from 1985 to 1990. It was a continuation of the earlier ESPN program Pro Wrestling USA, the co-operative venture between the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and several National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliates. On February 26, 2008, ESPN Classic began reairing AWA Championship Wrestling episodes. Along with the ownership of the AWA intellectual property by the WWE, all episodes are available on the WWE Network.
John R. Barend, better known as "Handsome" Johnny Barend, was an American professional wrestler.
Mack Mitsukazu Arakawa was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based NWA Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club/American Wrestling Association.
James "Jim" Osborn also known as Red Osborn, Double X and Dr. X is an American retired professional wrestler who was active throughout the United States and Japan in the 1960s and '70s. He wrestled primarily in the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association and is a former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Horst Hoffman, is a former German professional wrestler. Hoffman worked in Germany, Europe, Japan and American Wrestling Association in the United States during his 20 year career.
George Kosti was a Canadian professional wrestler and referee who spent his career in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in Minnesota as George "Scrap Iron" Gadaski. Gadaski was considered the "jack of all trades" as he did ring set up, and later became a road agent.
