It's been revealed today that Ted Turner, the visionary media mogul whose empire transformed television and who played a pivotal role in professional wrestling's most explosive era, has passed away at the age of 87.
A cause of death has not been revealed, though Turner has been battling Lewy body dementia for several years.
While Turner's broader legacy includes founding CNN, pioneering the 24-hour news cycle, launching TBS as a superstation, and owning the Atlanta Braves during their rise to prominence, his impact on professional wrestling stands as one of the most dramatic chapters in the industry's modern history.
He used his vast media resources to challenge the established order and ignite the Monday Night Wars. His relationship with wrestling dated back to the 1970s, when he aired programming from promotions like Jim Crockett Promotions on his TBS superstation. In November 1988, Turner acquired JCP for approximately $9 million through a subsidiary and rebranded it as World Championship Wrestling, a.k.a. WCW.
Under Turner's ownership, WCW gained a national platform on TBS and later TNT. Unlike many owners, Turner took a personal interest in the product. He believed in wrestling's potential as mainstream entertainment and provided the financial backing and television infrastructure that allowed it to compete at the highest level.
WCW's transformation accelerated in the mid-1990s. In 1995, Eric Bischoff, with Turner's support, secured a prime-time slot on TNT for WCW Monday Nitro, directly competing against the WWF's Monday Night Raw. This launched the Monday Night Wars, one of the most competitive and creative periods in wrestling history.
Backed by Turner's resources, WCW signed major talents like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and, between them and the nWo angle, WCW achieved dominance for 83 consecutive weeks. Nitro outperformed Raw in the ratings, a remarkable achievement fueled by Turner's willingness to invest and give creative freedom.
Despite once being Vince McMahon's greatest business rival, creative missteps, financial overextension, and internal issues led to WCW's decline. By 2001, following the AOL-Time Warner merger and shifts in corporate priorities, WCW was sold to McMahon and the WWF. Its final broadcast occurred on March 26, 2001.
Though the promotion's end marked a defeat in the wars, Turner's decade-plus involvement had forever changed wrestling by proving that a well-funded, television-driven alternative could challenge the establishment. Eric Bischoff and others have since credited Turner as one of the most significant figures in wrestling history for his bold competition and support.
Our thoughts go out to Turner's friends and family at this difficult time.