Founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, this independent institution was devoted to preserving professional wrestling’s history and honoring wrestlers who advanced it as both athletics and entertainment. After operating in Amsterdam and Schenectady, New York, it later moved to Wichita Falls, Texas. Its independence from any wrestling promotion distinguished it from company-run halls of fame and reflected a broader effort to present wrestling as part of American popular and sporting history through memorabilia, recognition, and the careers of notable performers. Its final years were troubled: the 19th induction ceremony scheduled for May 2020 was postponed, a temporary shutdown for expansion was announced, and after water leaks forced closure in 2021, it never reopened.