Inaugural Induction Class of 2021

Bruno Sammartino

Ric Flair

Hulk Hogan

Andre the Giant

Lou Thesz

Buddy Rogers

Frank Gotch

Danny Hodge

Terry Funk

Giant Baba

Ed 'Strangler' Lewis

Mil Mascaras

Martin 'Farmer' Burns

George Hackenschmidt

Evan 'Strangler' Lewis

William Muldoon

Great Gama

Yusuf Ismail
"Terrible Turk"

Paul Pons

Rikidozan

Satoru Sayama
"Tiger Mask"

Antonio Inoki

Stanislaus Zbysko

Tatsumi Fujinami

2021 Special Honors

Rocky Johnson Medal of Mettle

Drew Hale

A huge wrestling fan from Johnstown, NY, it is very possible that Drew Hale might just be the toughest person in this Hall of Fame at age just ten years old. Drew has faced a long battle with a brain tumor and has undergone bouts of chemotherapy treatment. There is no question that Drew was a deserving winner of our first-ever Rocky Johnson Medal of Mettle Award in 2021, which is issued to a person associated with wrestling who has displayed tremendous toughness against adversity.

Trailblazer Award

Rita Marie Chatterton

Rita Marie Chatterton helped break down barriers for equality within the mainstream professional wrestling landscape, by becoming the first-ever female referee in the World Wrestling Federation. She received the 2021 IPWHF Trailblazer Award. This award is given to individuals from the world of professional wrestling who have helped promote positive change or innovation in the industry. As the sport of professional wrestling has grown to reflect our changing world, the IPWHF board was pleased to recognize Rita Marie for her outstanding contributions that include her body of work as a respective official of the squared circle. Employed during the global expansion of the WWF in the mid-1980s, Chatterton was a prominent on-air talent from a golden era for the company.

Excelsior Award

Andy Kaufman

An honor to recognize an individual from another discipline whose contributions elevated the art of professional wrestling, the 2021 Excelsior Award will be given to the late comedian Andy Kaufman.
Kaufman's legendary rivalry with Jerry "The King" Lawler was key in propelling professional wrestling into the mainstream and into more American households than ever before. From Andy's famous promos and matches to the infamous "Letterman Incident", his performance led to one of the most famous rivalries in wrestling history.

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