WATL names Benn MacDonald inaugural Hall of Fame inductee
WATL picked Benn MacDonald as its first Hall of Fame inductee, rewarding the head judge who helped write the sport’s modern rulebook. His reach stretched from scoring zones to ESPN broadcasts.
WATL has named Benn MacDonald the inaugural inductee in its Hall of Fame Class of 2026, putting one of the sport’s foundational builders at the center of its first formal legacy honor. The league’s new Hall of Fame page says MacDonald was there from day one when WATL was founded in 2017, and that he served as head judge, council member and mentor through 2026.
The selection is a clear statement about how WATL wants to define its history. Rather than starting its Hall of Fame with a headline thrower or championship streak, the league is recognizing the person who helped build the framework around the sport, from scoring zones and killshot mechanics to the division systems that separate recreational, amateur and professional play. Those are the details that determine how matches are run, how titles are earned and how the league presents axe throwing as a legitimate competition.
MacDonald’s influence also extended beyond the rulebook. WATL says he was the featured head judge on ESPN broadcasts, a visible role that put officiating standards in front of a much larger audience and gave the sport a more polished public face. That presence mattered in a league trying to show that axe throwing could be judged with consistency and precision, not treated as a sideshow.
The honor also comes with a final chapter attached. WATL’s 2025 awards post said MacDonald received the Distinguished Service Award and that the 2025 World Axe Throwing Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma was his last event with the league. By pairing the Hall of Fame induction with a service award, WATL made the recognition about more than competition results. It was about the people who kept the system functioning behind the scenes.
The scale of that system helps explain the choice. WATL says it now operates through more than 300 affiliated venues in 20 countries, and its 2025 year-end totals included 202,630 matches played and 3,804,344 axes thrown. In that environment, standards matter. WATL’s own history notes that the league was founded by representatives from Canada, the United States, Brazil and Ireland, and that it appoints judges to officiate sanctioned leagues and tournaments. MacDonald’s Hall of Fame selection turns that infrastructure into part of the sport’s official record.
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