INTERVIEW CLASSIC (10 YRS AGO): Legacy of Verne Gagne discussed with announcer Mick Karch & wrestler Kenny Jay: Highs and lows of his career

Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast

Wade Keller

Leisure, Sports, Tv & Film

3.8 • 903 Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2025

⏱️ 121 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this week’s Interview Classic episode from ten years ago (4-30-2015), PWTorch editor Wade Keller welcomed wrestling announcer Mick Karch and multi-decades AWA jobber Kenny Jay to discuss the life and career of the late Verne Gagne, who died that week at age 89. The discussion spanned his years as a top main eventing AWA Champion to his rise and fall as the promoter behind the scenes, his reaction to Vince McMahon’s national expansion, his role in the evolution of the Hulk Hogan babyface character, and more.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Give yourself a reason to look forward to going to the mailbox each week with a PWTorch newsletter paper copy subscription.
0:06.8	Details at pwtorch.com slash paper copy.
0:10.2	It's 12 pages every week packed with my TV reports along with exclusive features such as my cover story on the top story of the week.
0:17.1	Our pay-per-view roundtable reviews from the Torch staff.
0:20.0	Exclusive feature-length columns from Greg Parks, Rich Fan, Sean Radican, Alan Coonahan, and Zach Haydorn, Torch Talk transcripts, the latest news, and more.
0:30.0	PwTorch.com slash paper copy.
0:33.0	Take a break from screen time and settle in every week with a meagos of wrestling news and analysis with
0:38.7	a pro wrestling torch newsletter paper copy edition in the year 2022. You can get a full year of home
0:45.5	delivery for just $99. Or try us for an eight-week trial subscription. Pwtorch.com
0:52.1	slash paper copy.
1:00.1	Ten years ago this week, we remembered Vern Ganya, one of the most influential figures in professional wrestling in the 1960s through the 1980s. He was the founder and head of the
1:05.8	AWA, long-time AWA champion, a big draw in the AWA territory, a big star, and a successful promoter
1:16.7	with mixed reputation, especially as he got older.
1:19.7	And we talked about all that with two people who knew him well, Mick Karsh and Kenny
1:24.2	Sodbuster J.
1:25.2	Mick Karsh, longtime torch contributor.
1:27.4	He was an announcer for the AWA, a ring announcer, and play-by-play announcer over the years,
1:32.0	including on ESPN, during AWA's run in Las Vegas at the showboat.
1:37.9	And he's got a lot of Vernanja stories and just a lot of insight into watching the entire trajectory of Vernanja's career.
1:44.7	Kenny Jay worked for Vernanya. He was a jobber, but a beloved jobber. lot of insight into watching the entire trajectory of Vern Ganya's career. Kenny J.
1:51.1	worked for Vern Ganya. He was a jobber, but a beloved jobber, a cult figure among AWA fans.
1:58.3	And in this interview, we talked about his life and his career. He died at the age of 89, 10 years ago this week. The discussion spanned his years on top, main eventing
	...

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