The hall of fame is named after Lou Thesz, who helped create it,[2] and his trainer George Tragos.

[7] Wrestling historian and journalist Mike Chapman served as executive director of the museum until Kyle Klingman succeeded him in November 2009.

[8] On July 1, 2019, Jim Miller began work as director of the Hall of Fame succeeding Kyle Klingman.

Other activities are held throughout the weekend in conjunction with the event, such as local independent promotion Impact Pro Wrestling's Hall of Fame Classic tournament in 2017 and 2018.

[10][11] Named after hall of fame inductee Frank Gotch, this award honors people in professional wrestling who brought positive recognition to the industry through work outside of it.