Legendary Promoter and Wrestling Stalwart Jim Crockett Jr. Passes Away at 76

The wrestling business has lost one of its biggest figures. Former President of the NWA, Jim Crockett Jr, passed away at 76. Crockett was a stalwart of the wrestling business, who led his family’s promotion, Crockett Promotions, to international fame. He was under medical care in a hospital after his kidneys and liver failed.

Legendary promoter Jim Crockett Jr. passes away

Jim Crockett Jr wasn’t involved in wrestling until his father’s death in 1973. Having taken over the family business, Crockett poured his heart and soul into the business. He signed legendary wrestlers like Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, and several names that wrestled in the 1980s.

Crockett was named the NWA President in 1980. His reign lasted two years before he would again become the President in 1985.

The NWA was divided into several promotions across the southern states during that time. He brought them all together for a mega-event, one of the biggest wrestling tournaments in the world: Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup.

He named the tournament, which has taken place only four times, after his father. The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, were the winners of the tournament. The tournament went dormant for 31 years until current NWA President Billy Corgan revived it in 2019.

In his third and final reign as the NWA President, Crockett gained a once-in-a-lifetime talent named Sting. However, in 1988, Crockett was on the verge of bankruptcy and sold his company to Ted Turner. This would be the impetus for the birth of WCW.

The legacy of one of wrestling’s most legendary promoters

Jim Crockett Jr. came much before the likes of Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, Jim Cornette, Vince Russo, and, of course, Tony Khan. He lived in a time where wrestling in North America only existed in pockets in the southern states. Hence, the NWA owned smaller promotions in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and other states.

Crockett brought them all together for a spectacular tournament, named appropriately after his father, Jim Crockett Sr. This tournament served as the blueprint for wrestling tournaments that followed, from the Dusty Rhodes Classic, the King of the Ring, and the AEW Women’s Title tournament.

Even though promotions like the NWA and Crockett Promotions had the life sucked out of them by WWE and WCW, they are still an extremely crucial part of wrestling history.

Jim Crockett Promotions was the first winner of the WON’s Promotion of the Year award. Furthermore, they brought stars like Ric Flair, Sting, Harley Race, and the legendary Four Horsemen into the spotlight.

Wrestling has lost a true icon, and we offer our sincerest condolences to his family.

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