Summary

Ted Turner has died at the age of 87, and the news quickly led to tributes from across professional wrestling.

Turner founded TBS, TNT, and CNN, but his place in wrestling history is tied most closely to WCW and the national platform his networks gave the business for decades. After news of his death broke on May 6, promotions and wrestling figures alike reflected on the impact he had on the industry.

Social media reactions

AEW shared its condolences and noted that Turner had supported pro wrestling on his networks since the 1970s. The company also said Wednesday night's episode of Dynamite on TBS would be dedicated to his memory.

Eric Bischoff, speaking in comments shared by Ariel Helwani, said Turner changed his life and the lives of his children. Bischoff also pointed to Turner giving WCW the chance to compete directly with WWF, which he described as a major turning point for the business.

The National Wrestling Alliance said Turner's vision helped bring the NWA to a national audience. William Regal wrote that Turner gave him the chance to come to the United States and support his family, while Ric Flair remembered him as a bold media figure who was never afraid to take risks.

Marc Mero called Turner a wrestling visionary who helped save WCW in the early 1990s, and MLW also paid tribute to him after the news became public.

Ted Turner's WCW legacy still connects to AEW

AEW dedicating Dynamite to Turner is a reminder that his influence did not end with WCW. Turner helped make TBS and TNT central homes for televised wrestling, and AEW is still benefiting from that same network history today.

Bischoff's remarks also underline how much of wrestling's modern television boom was shaped by Turner's willingness to let WCW challenge WWF head-on. That decision changed the stakes of the industry in the 1990s, and the reaction to his death shows how many people in wrestling still tie their own careers to that era.

Sources

AEW, Eric Bischoff via Ariel Helwani, and multiple wrestling figures via X