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Legendary Wrestling Promoter Jim Crockett Jr. Dies at Age 76
March 4, 2021
WWE announced the death of legendary professional wrestling promoter Jim Crockett Jr. at the age of 76 on Thursday.
Crockett's death was first announced Wednesday by Rock 'n' Roll Express member Robert Gibson on Facebook: "Rest In Peace Jim Crockett, Jr. You will be missed by so many."
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported last week that Crockett was in "grave condition" due to liver and kidney failure.
WWE and AEW both tweeted their condolences regarding the passing of Crockett:
Crockett Jr. took over Jim Crockett Promotions from his father, Jim Crockett Sr., upon his death in 1973. Crockett Jr. served three terms as NWA president from 1980 to 1991 and eventually began referring to JCP as the NWA.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native eventually sold JCP to Ted Turner in 1988, at which point JCP became World Championship Wrestling or WCW.
Crockett acquired several NWA-related territories during his time as owner of JCP, and he also helped cultivate some of the biggest stars, events and ideas in wrestling history.
Among the performers who reached new heights under Crockett were "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and fellow Four Horsemen members Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Barry Windham, as well as Dusty Rhodes, The Road Warriors, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Harley Race.
Crockett also had a hand in creating the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, which ran from 1986 to 1988 before being resurrected in present-day NWA in 2019.
Additionally, Crockett was at the helm for the creation of JCP and WCW's top pay-per-view, Starrcade, as well as Clash of the Champions, which was a revolutionary show that provided fans with pay-per-view-quality cards on free television.
While JCP was never quite able to truly rival WWE, Crockett put the promotion in a position to succeed by selling it to Turner.
WCW would go on to become one of the biggest wrestling companies ever, and from 1996 to 1998 it beat WWE's Monday Night Raw in the ratings with WCW Monday Nitro for 83 consecutive weeks.
WWE eventually regained its stronghold and purchased WCW in 2001, but no company has come close to giving WWE the type of run WCW did since that time.