By Kris Leonhardt MARSHFIELD – Marshfield’s Fred Beell will be inducted into the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (IPWHF) along with the class of 2022. The hall of fame was chartered in 2019 by the New York State Education Department, as a museum that is considered an institute of learning.
Those considered for a place on the ballot include: wrestlers, managers, referees, promoters, announcers, publicists and “other ancillary personnel who have made a significant impact in the field of professional wrestling. Categories consist of Posthumous: Pre-1925 Division and Post-1925 Division, and Living honorees. Beell
“The ballot for the Induction Class is prepared by a committee, which for 2021 was chaired by Bob Bryla, comprised of representatives from the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan, and the voting is done by a pool of almost 50 of voters from around the world,” International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame President Seth Turner stated. “Fred Beell was nominated by the ballot committee, and selected by the voting committee for our ‘Pre-1925’ category. Though each voter would have had their own rationale for the selection, it is widely recognized that Fred Beell is deserving of the enshrinement to the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame because he held world titles as a middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.”
Beell was born in Germany in 1876, and came to Marshfield at the age of three. He attended Immanuel Lutheran School, then went to work in William H. Upham’s mill at the age of 14. He later fought in the Spanish-American War.
He garnered the nation’s attention in 1906, after claiming a championship match against Frank Gotch, a world heavyweight champion. Beell was the first to hold three championships – middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight—at the same time. He ended his wrestling career in 1919.
Beell then became a Marshfield police officer. He was the only city of Marshfield officer to be killed in the line of duty, after responding to a burglary at the Marshfield Brewery in August of 1933.
In November 1941, the Marshfield Board of Education named the new football stadium in his honor.
In August, Beell will be honored by the IPWHF, as he is enshrined in the hall of fame.
“On August 26, 2022, we will be opening the museum at the MVP Arena in Albany, NY. This building was the sight of Ric Flair winning the 1992 Royal Rumble to claim his first WWE Heavyweight Championship; it is where Stone Cold Steve Austin gave Mr. McMahon and The Rock a ‘beer bath;’ and it is where Edge cashed in the first ever Money-in-the-Bank contract to defeat John Cena for his first WWE Championship. Our induction will be held on August 27, and is hosted by James J. Dillon and Bill Apter,” Turner explained.
For more information, visit https://www.prowrestlinghall.org/induction.