Jim Crockett Jr. Passes Away at Age 76

Legendary wrestling promoter Jim Crockett Jr. passed away last night at the age of 76.

The announcement of Crockett Jr.’s passing was made on Facebook by Robert Gibson of The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express.

Prior to his passing, the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported that Crockett Jr. had been suffering from liver and kidney failure.

Crockett Jr.’s career in wrestling spanned from 1973 to 1994 and was memorable for his time as President of the National Wrestling Alliance on three occasions from 1980 to 1991. Crockett Jr. was also the owner of Jim Crockett Promotions from 1977, which he inherited from his father Jim Crockett Sr., until his sale of the company to Ted Turner in 1988.

Among the notable moments during Crockett Jr.’s tenure as the owner of JCP were his purchase of the valuable Saturday night time slot on cable network WTBS in early 1985, which had been under Vince McMahon’s ownership since July of 1984. This purchase became a key moment in the eventual creation of World Championship Wrestling by Turner.