Wrestling World Reacts To Passing Of Former WCW Owner Ted Turner

Wednesday has been a day of mourning in the wrestling world after news emerged that former WCW owner and media mogul Ted Turner had passed away at the age of 87. Though his contributions extend far beyond wrestling, Turner's willingness to air wrestling on his TBS Superstation back in the 1970s, and his ownership of WCW, make him among the most influential wrestling figures in history. As a result, many within the business are lining up to pay their respects.

Among the first to do so was Eric Bischoff, the former WCW President who worked under Turner for several years, and who successfully pitched Turner the concept of "WCW Monday Nitro" back in 1995, launching the Monday Night Wars. Taking to X, Bischoff posted a photo of himself from an episode of "Nitro" holding a "Vince fears Ted Turner" sign, accompanied by a short but sweet tribute to his former boss.

"RIP Ted," Bischoff tweeted. "Thank you for everything."

RIP Ted. And thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/s32tcQZfvu

— Eric Bischoff (@EBischoff) May 6, 2026

Just minutes before Bischoff's post came one from former WCW Champion Ric Flair, who posted a photo of himself with Turner from the 1980s. Flair credited Turner as the man who "created cable before cable was cool," as well as giving opportunities to so many wrestlers such as himself. Those thoughts were echoed by WWE's William Regal, who worked for WCW for many years as Steven Regal. In his own tweet, Regal thanked Turner for allowing him to "feed his family for six years," and also credited Turner for securing Regal and his family green cards when they moved from the UK to the US.

So Sorry To Hear About The Passing Of The Great Ted Turner! The Man That Created Cable Before Cable Was Cool! He Created CNN And Look At It Now! He Rolled The Dice And Wasn't Afraid Of Taking Risks. He Won The America's Cup For Sailing! His Office Looked Like The Hall Of Fame... pic.twitter.com/wttiSQEdWC

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) May 6, 2026

I'm sad to hear of the passing of Ted Turner. Ted bought me to the US and payed me and allowed me to feed my family for 6 years. Ted also took care of mine and my families green cards. Rest well.

— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) May 6, 2026

Elsewhere, promotions NWA and MLW paid tribute to Turner, with the latter calling him a "tycoon and media maven," while TNA's Frankie Kazarian stated that pro wrestling would look vastly different had Turner not been involved in the business. Over on Bluesky, AEW/ROH commentator Ian Riccaboni also paid his respects, referring to Turner as an "visionary" who made it easier for fans to watch both wrestling and baseball.

The National Wrestling Alliance mourns the passing of Ted Turner.

His vision helped shape the landscape of professional wrestling and brought the NWA to a national stage, creating moments that will live forever.

Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who were... pic.twitter.com/kM5Oul1ANJ

— NWA (@nwa) May 6, 2026

RIP Ted Turner. A true American tycoon and media maven. pic.twitter.com/QuHcFnkQdC

— MLW (@MLW) May 6, 2026

RIP Ted Turner. Simply put, aside from everything else he did in his life, which is quite massively substantial, professional wrestling today looks A LOT different without him. Godspeed. pic.twitter.com/HHofWfGKkO

— 👑 Frankie Kazarian 👑 (@FrankieKazarian) May 6, 2026

When someone notable from the wrestling world dies, it sometimes can be a bit too easy for people to overrate their accomplishments, or their importance, in the history of wrestling. That's not the case today when it comes to Ted Turner. If anything, I would argue that Ted Turner's death reveals just how underrated a figure he is in pro wrestling history. Because he was largely hands-off owner with WCW and was never an onscreen character, I think it's easy to think that Turner, while important, was really just an offscreen figurehead, someone not nearly as memorable as Vince McMahon, who was a force of nature onscreen and off. In reality, Turner is probably more important to wrestling than McMahon, and not just because he was the owner of WCW for years.

To be fair, Turner's ownership of WCW does enhance his legacy quite a bit. Was he hands-off? Sure. But he still greenlit "WCW Monday Nitro," he was willing to pay wrestlers high salaries, thus raising the pay scale for wrestlers in all promotions, and most importantly, he saved WCW from death when he bought Jim Crockett Promotions in 1988. People forget that JCP was in financial peril and probably wasn't going to make it; Turner provided a lifeline, and as a result changed the industry for the better just by keeping it alive. But even more important than that, in my mind, is that Turner was the first person to give wrestling television exposure with the Superstation back in the '70s, opening the door for wrestling to become more popular via television. Is there anything more important to wrestling history than that? Without television, what is pro wrestling today? What is WWE, AEW, TNA, or any other promotion? By giving Georgia Championship Wrestling a timeslot, Ted Turner opened the door for wrestling to become what it is today. In my mind, that makes him not just one of the most important people in wrestling history, but the most important.