Jim Crockett Jr. obit

Legendary wrestling promoter Jim Crockett Jr. helped shape industry

 

He was not on the list.

As president of Crockett Promotions from 1973 until its sale to Ted Turner in 1988, Jim Crockett Jr. presided over one of the most successful and talent-laden territories in the history of professional wrestling.

As a three-time National Wrestling Alliance president during that period, the influential Crockett utilized the services of Ric Flair defending wrestling’s most prestigious titles throughout his Carolinas-based territory and beyond.

WWE Hall of Famer Robert Gibson of The Rock N’ Roll Express confirmed the news Wednesday evening on his Facebook page.

Rest In Peace Jim Crockett, Jr. You will be missed by so many.

Posted by Robert Gibson on Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Reports emerged over the weekend revealing Crockett was in grave condition due to liver and kidney failure.

Crockett Jr.’s father founded Jim Crockett Promotions in 1931, he took over the promotion in 1977. In 1980, he became the president of the National Wrestling Alliance.

In 1982, Crockett Jr. started a second promotion, Southern Championship Wrestling with Ric Flair and Blackjack Mulligan. That venture lasted less than one year.

In 1985, he purchased the Saturday Night TBS timeslot from Vince McMahon, airing a weekly show under the World Championship Wrestling banner.

In 1988, Crockett Jr. sold the company to Ted Turner, who later named the promotion World Championship Wrestling. Turner Brodcasting System purchased a majority interest in Jim Crockett Promotions, with Crockett Jr. becoming a consultant for the company

Crockett Jr. attempted to get back into the wrestling business in 1994, starting World Wrestling Network with Paul Heyman as the head booker. The venture was short-lived, and Crockett Jr. left the wrestling business in 1995.

According to Dave Meltzer, the death of Jim Crockett Jr. was due to “liver and kidney failure brought on by a bout with COVID-19”.

Crockett was 76.

Jim Crockett Jr. took over his father’s National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territory, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). The move turned it into a national promotion that competed against the WWF in the 1980s, effectively becoming the only real competition to the WWF. That is until Ted Turner bought the company in 1988, transforming it into World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

An Uncertain Choice

Born August 10, 1944, Jim Crockett Jr. wasn’t involved in the wrestling business until after his father’s death. In his memoir To Be the Man, Ric Flair recalls how none of Crockett’s children (Jim Jr., David, Frances, and Jackie) were involved with the business and that Crockett Sr.’s son-in-law John Ringley had been learning the ropes.

Tragedy struck when Jim Crockett Sr. passed away in 1973.

While other NWA promoters were uncertain of the new owner, Jim Crockett Jr. chose wisely, selecting booker George Scott to help him build up Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (as JCP was known to its fans).

Scott helped Crockett bring in some of the best talent in the world, both veteran stars and up-and-coming ones. Soon, the Mid-Atlantic region became one of the most prestigious promotions in the NWA with fans getting to see young stars like Ric Flair, Greg Valentine, Ricky Steamboat, and Roddy Piper as well as established performers such as Ivan Koloff, Blackjack Mulligan, and Wahoo McDaniel.

With George Scott guiding him, Crockett proved a quick study and his work in the NWA caught the group’s attention, with the NWA voting him in as the organization’s president in 1980. Crockett would serve three times in total.

Part of Crockett’s success was the elevation of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, who became NWA World Heavyweight Champion thanks to his work in JCP, as well as Crockett’s lobbying for Flair to win the belt.

Crockett would use Flair’s popularity to create professional wrestling’s first successful pay-per-view event, 1983’s Starrcade.

From 1973 to 1989, he was part owner of Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), a wrestling company affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). From 1976 to 1987, Crockett and his family also owned the Charlotte Orioles, a minor league baseball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina as well as owning the Winston-Salem Polar Twins in the Southern Hockey League from 1974 to 1975.

Our condolences to his family and friends.