Gene LeBell has been involved with wrestling nearly his entire life. He grew up in Los Angeles, where his family ran the local boxing and wrestling programs. He won two national AAU judo titles in the 1950s and excelled as an amateur wrestler. He turned professional in 1955 and captured numerous titles, including the North America's title, the Hawaiian Championship and, for a very brief time, the world heavyweight title.

But Gene is best known for his incredible martial arts background. He has written numerous books on the martial arts aspect of wrestling and on self-defense techniques. He is one of the world's best-known martial artists and is a member of the Black Belt magazine hall of fame.

In 1976, Gene was chosen by Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki to serve as the referee for their mixed martial arts match seen on live circuit TV around the world.

In the 1960s, Gene entered the world of movies and became a highly-regarded stuntman and stunt coordinator. He has worked with some of Hollywood's biggest names, including Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Clint Eastwood, Steven Seagal and many others. He has worked nearly 1,000 movies - including "Enter The Dragon," "Walking Tall," and "Every Which Way But Loose."

The Frank Gotch Award is given annually to a person who has brought positive recognition to the sport of wrestling and Judo Gene LeBell has done that for decades, on many levels.

George Scott has enjoyed a long and highly successful career in professional wrestling, both as a competitor and then as an executive with the WWF (now WWE), one of the top organizations in the history of the sport.

Born in Scotland, he was raised in Hamilton, Ontario, and participated in amateur wrestling as a youngster. His professional career lasted nearly 30 years and included such major titles as AWA world tag-team champion (with his brother Sandy) and Southern Heavyweight champion. He was a headliner all around the world, particularly in the eastern United States.

Upon retirement from the ring, Scott became a very successful booker, helping create Ric "Nature Boy" Flair, Sam Steamboat and the Ultimate Warrior. He also became vice president of the WWF. Scott has been involved in many charitable events and was instrumental in the start of the Eblen Foundation in Asheville, NC, which helps underprivileged families.