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Five Inducted Into Pro Wrestling Hall

Posted: Jul 15th 2007 By: CMBurnham

Tears flowed and composure escaped Saturday as five new members were inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum.

It was an emotional ceremony in front of an overflow crowd as part of a weekend full of events.

The Great Gama, Dale Lewis, Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, Red Bastien and Steve "Dr. Death" Williams joined legendary figures such as Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Verne Gagne, Danny Hodge and Bret "Hitman" Hart in the museum's hall.

Additionally, Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, received the Frank Gotch award which is given annually to a person who has brought prestige and postive recongnition to professional wrestling through work outside of the ring.

"I see a lot of people, a lot of people who I looked up to and aspired to be," said DiBiase, who now is a full-time evangalist and motivational speaker. "Wrestling is such a family. When you become a wrestler, you join a family. And it is a real honor to be spoken with in the same breath as some of these great athletes."

DiBiase is also a spokesperson for and board member of the Sunshine Foundation, a group that grants wishes and tries to meet the needs of terminally ill and handicapped children.

Some of the most emtional moments came during the induction of Bastien, who was so overcome with his honor he was unable to make his induction speech.

"I just can't talk....I've got to sit down for a while," said Bastien as he wiped tears from his eyes.

There were more than 40 members of the Hennig family in attendance as his wife, Lionice, and his father, Larry "The Axe" Hennig, a 2006 inductee, accepted the award on his behalf. Hennig passed away at age 44 in 2003.

"It's incredible," said Hennig. "To be in the Hall of Fame and then right next to my plaque is that of my son's. It's hard to describe."

In addition to Curt's induction, his oldest son, Joe, participated in the World League Wrestling show Friday at Young Arena along with Ted DiBiase, Jr.

"Wrestling has been a tradition in our family and I guess it doesn't get any better than that," added Larry Hennig.

Several former honorees attended the ceremonies, including previous Frank Gotch winners Tom Drake, Judo Gene LeBell and Nikita Koloff.

Dan Gable was also on hand, holding court for the second consecutive day after spending more than five hours at the Gates Park Golf Course mingling with fans during the museum's celebrity golf tournament Friday.

"This museum is fantastic," said LeBell, a famous Hollywood stuntman who played Mr. Kryptonite to George Reeves' Superman during travelling promotions of the TV series "Superman" in the 1950s. "If the (local newspaper) Courier's readers don't have a chance to come down here and see this, they are losing out. It's like a library burning."

"What a great weekend this is each and every year. I'm so proud to be associated with this place, this event. There are so many great wrestlers--amateur and professional--that come here every year. It's just a tremendous event."