10 WWE Hall Of Fame 2017 Inductions That Must Happen

The Legacy Award is designed to feature wrestlers from professional wrestling's early years, and honour those responsible for the sport's growth throughout the early 20th century. Last year's ceremony brought a number of pioneers like Lou Thesz, George Hackenschmidt, and Ed "Strangler" Lewis into the fold, and this year, it's time to recognise the most important wrestler you've never heard of: Toots Mondt.

You don't hear his name often, but without Mondt, there's no WWE. A former carnival wrestler, Mondt trained under Ed Lewis in the early 1920s, and soon became a multi-talented jack of all trades in the wrestling industry. He'd have a defining influence on wrestling's in-ring style during his time as a promoter in the Northeast, and in 1939, he became the first promoter to be given access to Madison Square Garden.

Later, Mondt teamed up with Vince McMahon Sr. to form Capitol Sports: an NWA territory based in the New York area. The company eventually broke off from the Alliance to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation, with Buddy Rogers (who Mondt booked personally), as champion. Mondt brought Bruno Sammartino to the company, a man whose legacy is simply undeniable, and the rest is history.

Mondt eventually sold his shares to Vince Sr. in the 1960s, and as co-creator of the promotion we now know as World Wrestling Entertainment, his induction is long overdue.