The Southern Wrestling Hall of Fame (originally the Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame) is a
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 ...
hall of fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
maintained by Iconic Heroes of Wrestling Excellence (IHWE). Established in 2009 to honor select wrestling personalities, inductees were initially limited to alumni of the
Global Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. Often the promotion pr ...
,
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
,
USWA Texas, and
World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) (1986–1991) was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed ...
, but also included independent stars after 2011. In 2015, the hall of fame expanded to include wrestling personalities from all of the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
.
It is the first and only hall of fame created to honor pro wrestling personalities in Texas wrestling. David Fuller, founder of the Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame, was partly inspired by 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 ...
in
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 ...
.
He has also stated his admiration for the
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
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 ...
in
Amsterdam, New York
Amsterdam is a city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
The City of Amsterdam is surrounded on the northern, eastern ...
and hoped that the Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame would have a physical building if they were able to get funding in the future.
The Hall of Fame has been endorsed by
Cauliflower Alley Club
The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America.
Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abram ...
and a number of other wrestling personalities.
Fuller was subsequently honored by the organization.
Fuller has said that one of his goals in starting the Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame was to bring attention to Texas-area independent stars and promotions.
Induction ceremonies
The induction ceremony for the Class of 2009, the inaugural inductees into the Hall of Fame, took place in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
on January 1, 2009.
Slick, the first African-American
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
in the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
, led the class, which also included wrestler Chico Torres. On April 17, 2010, the Class of 2010 was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Wrestler
Johnny Valentine
John Theodore Wisniski (September 22, 1928 – April 24, 2001), better known by his ring name Johnny Valentine, was an American professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame fo ...
's induction led the Class of 2010, followed by longtime ring announcer Rob Moore.
Valentine's award was accepted by his widow, Sharon Valentine,
and was the last public appearance before her death.
The Class of 2011 was led by
Skandor Akbar
Jimmy Saied Wehba (September 29, 1934 – August 19, 2010) was an American professional wrestler and manager better known by his ring name Skandor Akbar, which translates as "Alexander the Great". Akbar led the villainous stable Devastation, Inc. ...
. He was originally to be presented the award at an IHWE event on December 4, 2010 but died prior to the event. Akbar's nephew, Jerry Cluey, accepted the award on behalf of his late uncle. Other inductees included Kit Carson, Rodney Mack, Matt Borne, Larry Green, and Johnny T. The "Battle Box", a hardcore wrestling match invented by XCW, was also recognized at the show. During the following Hall of Fame ceremony on April 21, 2012 at the Dixie House Cafe in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
,
Kamala
Kamala refers to:
People
* Kamala (name), given name and surname, includes list of people and characters with the name
** Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States
* Kamala (wrestler) (1950–2020), American profess ...
led the Class of 2012.
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
Krusher Kong
Scott Thompson (born April 16, 1971) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the professional wrestling promotion World Championship Wrestling under the ring name King Kong in the early 1990s and later wor ...
, Prince Al Farat, and Spoiler 2000 were also inducted that year.
Both the famed
Dallas Sportatorium
The Sportatorium, located in downtown Dallas, Texas, was a barn-like arena used primarily for professional wrestling events. The building, which stood at 1000 S. Industrial Blvd, or the intersection of Industrial Boulevard and Cadiz Street (near ...
and the
Texas Wrestling Academy
The Texas Wrestling Academy (formerly known as The Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy) is a professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a r ...
were honored at the event.
The 5th-annual Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony was held in Fort Worth on March 16, 2013.
Bruiser Brody
Frank Donald Goodish (June 18, 1946 – July 17, 1988) was an American professional wrestler who earned his greatest fame under the ring name Bruiser Brody. He also worked as King Kong Brody, The Masked Marauder, and Red River Jack. Over the yea ...
led the Class of 2013. Brody was formerly inducted by Rob Moore who presented the award to longtime friend Stan "The Lariat" Hansen on behalf of Brody's widow Barbara Goodish. Also inducted that year were Black Bart, Canyon Lindley, referee James Beard, and posthumous inductees
Killer Karl Kox
Herbert Alan Gerwig (April 26, 1931 – November 10, 2011) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name of Killer Karl Kox, who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance as well as international promotions such as All ...
and Rick Davidson.
Bob Murphy's
Texas All-Star Wrestling
Texas All-Star Wrestling (TASW) is a professional wrestling promotion that was established by Bob Murphy in Humble, Texas in 1994. It is the oldest independent promotion in the state of Texas and one of three based in the Greater Houston area a ...
, the oldest promotion in the state, were honored for their contributions to Texas independent wrestling. The organization also conducted an interview with
Kevin Von Erich
Kevin Ross Adkisson (born May 15, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kevin Von Erich. A member of the Von Erich family, Von Erich is best known for his appearances with his father's World Class Ch ...
who discussed his thoughts on the 2013 Class.
The 2014 HOF ceremony was held on March 15, 2014. The Class of 2014 was led by Stan Hansen followed by
Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy, Gary Young, posthumous inductees Ray Evans and Awesome Kong, Khris Germany, Todd Diamond, referee Rick Manning, and Gary Tool. Skandor Akbar's Devastation Incorporated was also inducted into the hall of fame.
The 2014 Hall of Fame ceremony was filmed for the first time and released to the public on
YouTube.com
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most vis ...
.
The Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony has traditionally been closed to the general public.
The decision to exclude wrestling fans was originally to respect the privacy of inductees and their families during the small private banquet.
The organizer, David Fuller, was also concerned the event could be seen as opportunism on his part. Given that other wrestling hall of fame and
memorial shows on the
independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
have commonly been used to "cash in" on popular wrestling stars, the HOF ceremonies are strictly non-profit events.
In the case of posthumous inductees, no wrestler is inducted without the blessing of the families and that a friend or family member is there to accept the award.
The Hall of Fame ceremonies have typically featured special guests, often former inductees, who have given speeches during the event. Matt Borne, a 2011 inductee, was scheduled to attend the 2014 edition but died before the event. The organizers decided to honor the late wrestler with a special memorial induction into the Texas HOF.
Borne's wife and two children flew down from Pittsburgh to attend.
Kansas City artist Rob Schamberger donated portraits to inductees and their families.
In September 2014 IHWE during its biggest show of the year Old School Hustle at the Cendera Center in Fort Worth, Tx. The Grappler
Len Denton
Edward Lynn "Len" Denton (born August 25, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Grappler.
Professional wrestling career
Len Denton worked early in his career under a few different monikers and wre ...
&
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...
were both honored into the Hall of Fame by James Beard. Several Hall of Fame inductees were present for the honor, Barbara Goodish, Stan Hansen, Kit Carson, Khris Germany, Todd Hecht, Rick Manning, Black Bart. Morgan Dollar the Executive Vice President of the Cauliflower Alley Club was also on hand & announced after the induction of Cornette that at the 50th CAC the following year the CAC Would honor Bruiser Brody with a posthumous honor as Barbara Goodish then spoke to the sold-out crowd.
Future plans
As the awards have generated interest from Texas wrestling fans in recent years, Fuller has stated he will work on turning it into a larger event. The main obstacle to this, however, was that the event had now outgrown its older venues and would need to move to a much larger venue in order to accommodate fans.
The restaurant hosting the 2014 HOF dinner, for example, was standing room only with both floors filled to capacity. A day after the 2014 HOF, Fuller speculated on whether to open the event to the public or to hold a wrestling convention either before or after the event.
Each HOF ceremony is limited to ten or so inductions per year. As of 2014, there have been a total of 32 inductees: 29 members inducted individually, one wrestling "gimmick" match, one stable and one wrestling family. Matt Borne is the only Hall of Famer to be inducted twice, first individually in 2011, then as posthumously in 2014. Eight members were inducted posthumously.
An official panel to oversee the selection process will be formed in 2015 and will include former WCCW referee James Beard and XCW promoter Nite Davis.
Shortly before the 2014 HOF, founder David Fuller announced that the
Von Erich family
The Von Erich family is an American professional wrestling family. Originally from Texas, their actual surname is Adkisson, but every member who has been in the wrestling business has used the ring name "Von Erich," after the family patriarch, Fri ...
would be the first inductees of the Class of 2015.
Inductees
Footnotes
* – Entries without a birth name indicates that the inductee did not perform under a
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
.
* – This section mainly lists the major accomplishments of each inductee in the Texas wrestling territory.
References
External links
*
*
*
Texas Wrestling Hall Of Fame at Cagematch.net
{{Professional wrestling halls of fame
2009 establishments in the United States
Awards established in 2009
Organizations based in Fort Worth, Texas
Professional wrestling halls of fame
Professional wrestling-related lists
Halls of fame in Texas