He changed the television business and the pro wrestling business, and Tony Khan has always been clear that he sees Ted Turner’s WCW as the spiritual predecessor of his AEW. It was no surprise then, after we learned about Turner’s death at the age of 87 today (May 6), that AEW dedicated tonight’s Dynamite to the “Maverick”.
The promotion also opened the episode with two men who remain synonymous with WCW and Turner’s involvement in pro wrestling: Tony Schiavone, and Sting.
Sting talked about how “Billionaire Ted” made it possible for him to become an Icon, put over his old tag partner and current AEW World champ Darby Allin, and Tony Khan for being another billionaire who’s willing to go all in on wrestling. Schiavone explained how the TNT and TBS championships honor Turner’s love of and history in pro wrestling, then lowered their heads as the bell rang ten times in salute of Ted Turner.
Follow all three hours of Dynamite (and Collision) action in our live blog here.
