Ted Turner is a surefire WON Hall Of Fame contender | Opinion
It’s about time Billionaire Ted gets his due.
With Ted Turner’s passing on Wednesday at the age of 87, it is only natural to think about his contributions to pro wrestling and his qualifications for the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame. To me, it’s astonishing he isn’t already in considering he’s been on the ballot for a number of years. In 2025 he did well, earning 55% but ultimately falling short of the 60% required to be inducted. Considering the bump some candidates get after their passing, Turner shouldn’t have any problem reaching that percentage this year.
Still, when thinking about Turner’s contributions, he should have been in years ago. I have voted for him consistently in the past and was always bummed to see he hadn’t made the list. After all, he was the one that brought pro wrestling to cable television, something he would go on to dominate in the 1970s and 80s. Adding Georgia Championship Wrestling to what would eventually become TBS gave pro wrestling a new home after being shunned by major television networks.
After Vince McMahon’s attempt to take over TBS’ coveted World Championship Wrestling timeslot failed in 1985, Jim Crockett Promotions took over, bringing back wrestling for fans who didn’t enjoy the cartoonish antics of the WWF. But by 1988, JCP was struggling and time was running out to save the last major wrestling promotion in the United States that wasn’t owned or bought out by Vince McMahon. Turner opted to buy the struggling promotion, keeping wrestling on TBS and paving the way for World Championship Wrestling.
Although Turner saved WCW, many within his media empire didn’t want anything to do with pro wrestling, and didn’t see why Turner chose to save something that struggled business-wise. There were many times when he could have listened to those voices and pulled the plug. But he didn’t, and with the arrival of Hulk Hogan and other former WWF stars in 1994, business began to boom and by the time the nWo angle kicked off a few years later professional wrestling catapulted itself into a new era of cable dominance.
None of that would have been possible without Ted Turner’s resolve to keep pro wrestling on his television networks. It wasn’t until 2001 that he no longer had the ability to shield WCW from corporate interests, and the company’s dismal track record in its final years ultimately sealed its fate. But the company’s enormous success years prior wouldn’t have been possible without Turner.
Granted, his true hands-on involvement with pro wrestling is a blip compared to the rest of the media empire he built which includes of TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies, and so on. But the choices he made not only gave professional wrestling a national cable platform, but also prevented it from becoming a monopoly. If he hadn’t bought JCP, Vince McMahon may have gotten full control of the industry.
Ted Turner’s involvement with pro wrestling gave it a new home on television, helped it become a cable juggernaut, and most importantly provided an alternative for both fans and wrestlers. For those reasons, he’s a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame.
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.