There have been reports floating around about Bob Backlund allegedly interrupting Verne Gagne's funeral by cutting what was described as a heel promo against Verne's son Greg Gagne. The initial report was that Backlund did cut a promo that many felt was inappropriate, but then a report came out that said that Backlund simply spoke up to tell Greg that he (Backlund) was there on behalf of WWE and that Backlund and WWE simply wanted to pay their respects to Verne and his family.

Former AWA announcer Mick Karch posted the following on Facebook:

“If you weren’t there, it is pretty absurd to say it didn’t go down as reported, even if you’re a fan of Backlund (and there is nothing wrong with that). I will say one more time, Greg Gagne was wrapping up his eulogy for Verne when Backlund stood up, made some shouting references to representing WWE, and then told Greg, `Don’t talk back to me!’ He smiled and sat back down. Greg’s response was, `Who was that?’ Someone said, `Bob Backlund,’ and Greg responded, ‘Who let him in here.’ Backlund hadn’t just spoken the words, he was shouting as if he was cutting a promo from his Mr. Backlund days.”