Wrestling World Reacts To Passing Of Former WCW Owner Ted Turner

Posted by admin on May 6th, 2026

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.”

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.

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.

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