The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced that it will broadcast a Virtual Tribute Event and the Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2021 live on Rokfin.

Title sponsors for Honors Weekend are Paycom, Resilite and Daniel and Vivien Hyman.

The Virtual Tribute Event will be on Thursday, May 27, at 6 p.m. CT. It will be broadcast LIVE HERE and will then be available on the Hall of Fame’s Rokfin channel at rokfin.com/nwhof.

The Induction Ceremony will be on Saturday, June 5, at 7 p.m. CT. It will be broadcast LIVE HERE and will then be available on the Hall of Fame’s Rokfin channel at rokfin.com/nwhof.

Rokfin is a subscription service and it is recommended that accounts be created in advance HERE.

“We are excited to make both of our Honors Weekend events available on Rokfin, allowing more people to experience them,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director, National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 

At the Virtual Tribute Event, each member of the Class of 2021 will have two individuals speak on their behalf, including how the honoree impacted their lives and the lives of others.

The event will be hosted by Hall of Fame Governor Associate Dave Martin, an NCAA champion for Iowa State and a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Dan Gable Museum’s Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Speaking on behalf of Distinguished Member honoree Mark Lieberman will be G. Thomas Hutchinson, an NCAA All-American who launched the Blair Academy wrestling dynasty in 1973 and coached Olympic gold medalist and Distinguished Member Bobby Weaver, and Kirk P. Pendleton, an NCAA champion for Lehigh.

Speaking on behalf of Distinguished Member honoree Dremiel Byers will be former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program teammates Jermaine Hodge and Anthony Gibbons.

Speaking on behalf of Distinguished Member Bruce Burnett will be Brian Antonelli and Kevin Wood. Antonelli was Burnett’s head assistant at the Naval Academy for seven years and head coach at USNA for one year before becoming the head coach at Blair Academy. Wood was Burnett’s first high school champion and a two-time Idaho state high school champion who wrestled at Boise State University. He later was an assistant coach for Burnett and a prep coach for several years. More importantly, Wood became Burnett’s lifelong friend.

Speaking on behalf of Distinguished Member Bill Zadick will be his brother Mike Zadick, a teammate at Great Falls High School, the University of Iowa and USA Wrestling, and Gene Davis, also a four-time Montana high school champion and Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Speaking on behalf of Outstanding American honoree Carl Eschenbach will be his sister, Jessie Seneca, and Kirk Dunn, a longtime friend who has watched Carl’s career and is also godfather to the Eschenbach’s son Jack.

Speaking on behalf of Meritorious Official Tim Shiels will be his daughter, Katelin Shiels, and his brother, Dr. Mark Shiels.

Speaking on behalf of Order of Merit recipient Gary Abbott will be his brother, Ken Abbott, and longtime friend and Hall of Fame wrestling writer, broadcaster and announcer Jason Bryant.

Speaking on behalf of Medal of Courage recipient Gary Chopp will be his daughter, Myra Chopp, and his college teammate and longtime friend John Harris.

The Induction Ceremony will be hosted by Hall of Fame Board Member Sandy Stevens, a recipient of the Hall of Fame’s Order of Merit award as well as being the first female inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa.

Each honoree will have a seven-minute induction video, after which they will go onto the stage to receive their award and give a short acceptance speech.