Ted Turner, a hugely influential entrepreneur who founded CNN and later TNT, died today, per a news release from Turner Enterprise (via CNN). He was 87-years-old.
Turner was widely known for being a media mogul but in the pro wrestling space he was the guy who launched WTBS, which featured Georgia Championship Wrestling and later Jim Crockett Promotions, which would eventually be purchased by Turner and made into World Championship Wrestling.
Eric Bischoff has infamously told the story time and again
of a meeting with Turner where he made clear he wanted to be competitive with the then WWF and that being what led to the creation of Monday Nitro and a prime time slot on TNT. The ensuing Monday Night War changed the pro wrestling industry for good.
WCW, however, was never a corporate darling and, in fact, as has been extensively reported since then, many within Turner Broadcasting wanted nothing to do with pro wrestling. It was Ted Turner who fought so diligently to keep it alive. Eventually, he lost power and influence, and before you knew it WCW was bought by McMahon, and the rest is history.
Without Turner, none of this would have happened. It’s fair to say that without Turner, we may not have an AEW today, a successful promotion with prime time television where wrestlers have an alternative to WWE.
Turner was obviously much more than his ties to pro wrestling, of course, and I would encourage you to read CNN’s profile.
May he rest in peace.
