It has been nearly a month since Ted Turner passed away on the age of 86, and his former worker Eric Bischoff has remained energetic in keeping Turner’s legacy alive, not less than relating to Turner’s contributions to wrestling via his ownership of WCW. In an interview with “Complex,” Bischoff again talked about how helpful Turner was in keeping WCW entering into the 90s, even when other executives at Turner Broadcasting wanted WCW gone because of the financial losses it was enduring.
“Despite those devastating losses, Ted still believed within the product when most executives would’ve burned it down,” Bischoff said. “They might’ve pulled the plug. They would not need to have…they would not want it on their resume. They’d distance themselves from it. Not Ted. Ted protected it. And when the chance got here along to make a move, that is when ‘Nitro’ happened. That level of commitment by an executive at Ted’s level I’ve not heard of it before and I’ve not heard of it since.”
Despite the fact that Turner’s involvement with “WCW Monday Nitro” didn’t extend beyond him greenlighting the concept, Bischoff credited Turner’s decision for allowing Bischoff to introduce pro wrestling to a brand new audience, the 18-49 male demographic, and by extension forced Vince McMahon to do the identical with the Attitude Era a number of years later. Consequently of that call, Bischoff believes that Turner not only modified the face of professional wrestling, but he forced the industry leader to vary alongside it.
“WWE as we comprehend it today would absolutely not exist where it not for Ted Turner,” Bischoff declared.
In case you use any of the quotes in this text, please credit “Complex” and supply a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription