This week, the industry lost a titan in Ted Turner, who from 1988 through 2001 put his money, belief, and support into the land of professional wrestling. The former media mogul was all about changing the landscape of accessibility, by offering fans the live experience of watching professional wrestling from their television sets nationally. By putting his own money into it, WCW rose to a supremacy that at one point made former WWE CEO and Chairman Vince McMahon blush (in his own way). Turner was all about competition, and through WCW, he and Eric Bischoff soared atop the ratings charts for 83 weeks, besting the Stamford-based promotion. That said, Bischoff thinks his former competitor should pay their respects to the former WCW owner, who inspired them to step their game up.
“I think in many respects, Vince McMahon, WWE, TKO, owes a serious debut of gratitude to Ted Turner,” the former executive producer and senior vice president of WCW said on “Busted Open Radio.” “I firmly believe if we take our emotions out of it and just analytically look at where the business was pre-‘[WCW] Nitro’ for WWE, look at WWE’s trajectory. Look at their growth or lack thereof. Look at everything that was going on in the broader entertainment industry at that time. No one’s ever going to be able to convince me that had ‘Nitro’ not gone head-to-head with ‘[WWE] Raw…’ and that was a Ted Turner decision, that wasn’t an Eric Bischoff decision. I wish I could take credit for that because it was freakin brilliant. And it changed the entire industry. It in many respects, saved the industry.”
Bischoff went on to boast (and rightfully so) how he changed the format of how pro wrestling was showcased and consumed by fans (hardcore and casual), as well as non-familiar watchers. After refusing to adapt to what Bischoff had created, McMahon eventually caved, and reinvented his company and its flagship programming to tailor off Bischoff’s. And all of this was done through the backing of Turner, who not only proved his doubters wrong, but affirmed that sometimes taking the road less traveled by makes for better headlines, so long as you have a clear vision, but most importantly, that you believe.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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