News broke last night of wrestling legend and former AWA owner Verne Gagne passing away. To WWE-only fans, he is a name on the list of Hall of Famers and is associated with a defunct wrestling organization. But Gagne, who passed away Monday at the age of 89, was so much more than that, and WWE took the opportunity Tuesday night to air a tribute to him. Gagne was a 10-time AWA World Champion whose promotion gave rise to a lot of performers who would help define the 1980s WWF, including Mean Gene Okerlund, Bobby The Brain Heenan, Jesse The Body Ventura and of course, Hulk Hogan. Verne also had a hand in training some of the best wrestlers of the past 40 years, most notably Ric Flair, Curt Hennig, Ricky Steamboat, Bob Backlund and Gene and Ole Anderson.In a fitting tribute, Jerry Lawler said that Gagne believed enough in him in 1988 to make him AWA World Champion.