WATERLOO - Tears flowed and composure escaped Saturday as five new members were inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum.

It was an emotional ceremony in front of an overflow crowd as part of weekend full of events.

The Great Gama, Dale Lewis, Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, Red Bastien and Steve "Dr. Death" Williams joined legendary figures such as Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Verne Gagne, Dan Hodge and Bret "The Hitman" Hart in the museum's Hall.

Additionally, Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, received the Frank Gotch Award that is given annually to a person who has brought prestige and positive recognition to professional wrestling through work outside of the ring.

"I see a lot of people, a lot of names of people who I looked up to and aspired to be," said DiBiase, who now is a full-time evangelist and motivational speaker. "Wrestling is such a family. When you become a wrestler, you join a family. And, it is a real honor to be spoken with in the same breath as some of these great athletes."

DiBiase also is a spokesperson for and board member of the Sunshine Foundation, a group that grants wishes and tries to meet the needs of terminally ill and handicapped children.

Some of the most emotional moments came during the induction of Bastien, who was so overcome with his honor he was unable to make his induction speech.

"I just can't talk … I've got to sit down for a while," said Bastien as he wiped tears from his eyes.

There were more than 40 members of the Hennig family in attendance as his wife, Lionice, and father, Larry "The Axe" Hennig, a 2006 inductee, accepted the award on his behalf. Hennig passed away at the age of 44 in 2003.

"This means so much to our family," said Lionice. "I know Curt would really be hamming it up right now. He would've loved every minute of this."

"It's incredible," said Larry Hennig. "To be in the Hall of Fame and then right next to my plaque is that of my son's, it's hard to describe."

In addition to Curt Hennig's induction, his oldest son, Joe, participated in the World League Wrestling show Friday at Young Arena along with Ted DiBiase Jr.

"Wrestling has been a tradition in our family, and I guess it doesn't get any better than this," added Larry Hennig.

Several former honorees attended the ceremonies, including previous Frank Gotch Award winners Tom Drake, Judo Gene LeBell and Nikita Koloff.

Dan Gable was also on hand, holding court for the second consecutive day after spending more than five hours at the Gates Park Golf Course mingling with fans during the museum's celebrity golf tournament Friday.

"This museum is fantastic," said LeBell, a famous Hollywood stuntman who played Mr. Kryptonite to George Reeves' Superman during traveling promotions of the TV series "Superman" in the 1950s. "If the Courier's readers don't have a chance to come down here and see this, they are losing out. It's like a library burning.

"What a great weekend this is each and every year. I'm so proud to be associated with this place, this event. There are so many great wrestlers - amateur and professional - who come here every year. It's just a tremendous event."

Contact Jim Nelson at (319) 291-1521 or jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com