Legendary Pro Wrestling Promoter Jim Crockett Jr. Dead at 76

Jim Crockett Jr., former owner of the Jim Crockett Promotions pro wrestling territory, died on Wednesday due to organ failure. He was 76. WWE Hall of Famer and one half of the Rock 'n' Roll Express Robert Gibson confirmed his passing via Facebook, writing, "Rest in Peace Jim Crockett Jr., You will be missed by so many." News broke over the weekend that Crockett had been moved into hospice care due to his kidneys and liver failure.

Crockett Jr. took over for his father as the owner of JCP in 1973 and served three terms as president of the National Wrestling Alliance. He sold the promotion to Ted Turner in 1988, who renamed the company World Championship Wrestling. The southern-based wrestling promotion would continue on until 2001.

Crockett famously purchased a Saturday night television timeslot on Superstation WTBS from Vince McMahon in 1985, a decision that would shape the pro wrestling landscape for the next 16 years and laid the foundation for All Elite Wrestling to debut on TNT in late 2019. He would then go on to purchase a number of other promotions such as Championship Wrestling from Florida and the Universal Wrestling Federation helping the unified NWA promotion into a national product. During his tenure in JCP, concepts like the Great American Bash were created and stars like Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes become household names.

Rest in Peace.