The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is a

professional wrestling hall of fame The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas currently closed to water leaks. The museum was founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, and was previo ...

museum located within the

National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame for amateur wrestling, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2010, it began operating the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. History The museum was awarded to Stillw ...

's Dan Gable Museum. The hall of fame honors wrestlers with a strong

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

background who have made an impact on

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

. It is named after

Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002) was an American professional wrestler. He was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a combined total of 10 years, three months and nine days (3,749 ...

, who helped create it, and his trainer George Tragos. The hall of fame was founded in 1999 in

Newton, Iowa Newton is the county seat of, and most populous city in, Jasper County, Iowa, United States. Located east of Des Moines, Newton is in Central Iowa. As of the 2020 Census, the city population was 15,760. It is the home of Iowa Speedway, Maytag Da ...

but moved to

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls ...

in 2007. The museum suffered severe flooding in the

Iowa flood of 2008 Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to ...

, but reopened in June 2009. Wrestling historian and journalist Mike Chapman served as executive director of the museum until Kyle Klingman succeeded him in November 2009. Inductions take place at a hall of fame induction ceremony. Other activities are held throughout the weekend in conjunction with the event, such as local independent promotion Impact Pro Wrestling's "Hall of Fame Classic" tournament in 2017 and 2018.

Honorees

Inductees

Champion Lou Thesz and Manager Ed (Strangler) Lewis - Sports Facts - 21 April 1953 Minneapolis Armory Wrestling Program

Frank Gotch Award recipients

Named after hall of fame inductee

Frank Gotch Frank Alvin Gotch (April 27, 1877 – December 17, 1917) was an American professional wrestler. Gotch was the first American professional wrestler to win the world heavyweight free-style championship, and he is credited for popularizing professi ...

, this award honors people in professional wrestling who brought positive recognition to the industry through work outside of it. Frank-gotch

Penny Banner - WRESTLING REVUE AUG 1971 (cropped)

James C. Melby Award recipients

James C. Melby James C. Melby (1949-February 11, 2007) was an American professional wrestling historian and magazine editor, publishing almost 100 wrestling projects since 1991. Career Melby's first publication was ''Matmania'' which he started aged 15 in his h ...

was the first recipient of this award and it was subsequently named after him. It recognizes excellence in professional wrestling writing or historical preservation. Author Greg Oliver

Lou Thesz Award recipients

This award recognizes those in the professional wrestling industry who have used their skills in the realm of public service. Jim Ross No Mercy 2007

George Tragos Award recipients

This award recognizes wrestlers who have excelled in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

Gordon Solie Award recipients

This award recognizes excellence in professional wrestling broadcasting. Gordon solie 2 (cropped)

Notes

References

External links

Official website

by Canoe.com {{Professional wrestling halls of fame 1999 establishments in Iowa Awards established in 1999 Buildings and structures in Waterloo, Iowa Halls of fame in Iowa Professional wrestling halls of fame Professional wrestling in the United States Professional wrestling-related lists