The International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame has announced that it will stage it’s inaugural ceremony in 2021 headlined by Bruno Sammartino.
The induction ritual is set for August 28, 2021, at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York. However, that depends on the COVID-19 situation going into next summer with it a possibility that the event could be rescheduled.
Along with the announcement of the ceremony, the IPWHF have announced their first twenty four inductees with the premier class being topped by legends Bruno Sammartino, ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan.
Two of professional wrestling’s greatest pioneers will be joined by a star studded line-up which consists of:
Andre the Giant, Terry Funk, Giant Baba, Ed ‘Strangler’ Lewis, Mil Mascaras, Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers, Frank Gotch, Danny Hodge, Great Gama, Yusuf Ismail, Paul Pons, Rikidozan, Martin ‘Farmer’ Burns, George Hackenschmidt, Evan ‘Strangler’ Lewis, William Muldoon, Satoru Sayama, Antonio Inoki, Stanislaus Zbyszko and Tatsumi Fujinami.
Bruno Sammartino remains the longest reigning WWF World Heavyweight Champion in history, holding the strap for a mammoth seven years. His first reign totaled 2,803 days. The Italian-American’s second reign with the gold was almost as impressive, stretching 1,237 days.
The International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame aims to be as prestigious as the Cauliflower Alley Club, noting on its website, ‘With your help, we will create a world-class Hall of Fame worthy of the wrestlers, performers, promoters, and fans that have made professional wrestling into a global phenomenon.’