Sadly, this time, one was.

Verne Gagne, 82, was implicated in the death of Helmut R. Gutmann, 97, when Gagne allegedly pushed Gutmann, injuring the man’s hip and banging his head in the resulting fall. Gutmann was initially treated, then released, then readmitted; he passed away on Saturday.

Gutmann was a German Jew who fled Nazi Germany and, in his time in America, became an accomplished cancer researcher and violinist.

Gagne built his American Wrestling Association (AWA) into a Midwest legend with footholds on the West Coast as well. Gagne helped launch the careers of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Shawn Michaels and Curt Hennig, just to name a few. He was an old-school territory promoter, however, and when Vince McMahon launched the WWWF into a nationwide promotion rebranded WWF, and eventually WWE, Gagne was out-promoted, out-spent and out-matched. Gagne kept the AWA clear of some of the weight loss pill-hawking commercialism that worked well for McMahon and WWE.

Gagne retired from the ring in 1981 and by 1991, the AWA was in a shambles and filing for bankruptcy. Son Greg Gagne recently accepted a Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame honor on behalf of Verne prior to a WrestleMania.

Though Verne was staying at Friendship Village at the time of the incident, he has been moved since. Bloomington Police are investigating the death, recently ruled a homicide, but given the medical state of Gagne, it appears unlikely charges will be filed.

The great thing is they told a great storyline in the ring through wrestling and ring psychology, rather than a series of high spots, so classic fans like myself can appreciate it as a tribute to the way wrestlnig was done in the pre-WrestleMania era. The old AWA standby champ, Nick Bockwinkle, was one of the best at this style of match, and Michaels was around in the latter days of the AWA, so he knew Bockwinkle, at least in passing. Jericho, a student of the game, wasn’t wrestling yet back then, but as I recall, when he was the Undisputed WWE champ, his style of “heel champ” had a distinct Nick Bockwinkle tribute feel to it.

So if you missed the PPV, bubba, stretch out on your foam mattress and buy the replay, because that was one match worth the price of viewing, for sure. The two title matches (Orton v. Triple H and Edge v. Taker) were also top-notch efforts by the top talents from both brands.