The May 7 episode of AEW Dynamite started on an emotional note as wrestling legends Sting and Tony Schiavone honored the late Ted Turner after news broke of his passing at 87 years old. Sting also mentioned how Turner’s backing helped WCW survive difficult times and grow into one of the biggest wrestling companies ever.
Turner, who founded CNN and built Turner Broadcasting into a major media company, was remembered not only for changing television but also for his support of professional wrestling.
Sting recalls Ted Turner defending WCW internally despite mounting financial losses
The tribute began with Schiavone standing in the ring while an “In Memoriam” graphic appeared on the screen. He talked about how much Turner loved wrestling and how committed he was to keeping wrestling on TV.
He then welcomed Sting to the ring.
Sting, who became one of WCW’s biggest stars during the ’90s, remembered Turner’s love for wrestling and shared how he protected WCW when others wanted to shut it down.
“I can’t believe what he did for us. He was completely committed to us, devoted to us in every conceivable way. So much so that when some of the top brass up there in CNN Towers would have their meetings with Ted, they’d say, ‘Ted, we don’t know about this whole pro wrestling thing. I think it’s time to cut ‘em off because we’re always in the red.’ Ted would tell us that story and say, ‘I’d look at all of them and say, You wrestlers just keep on doing what you’re doing because I got some deep pockets,” Sting said.
“There wouldn’t be a TNT title, there wouldn’t be a Sting. There wouldn’t be a Darby Allin, there wouldn’t be a Tony Schiavone here tonight. You wouldn’t be here tonight. So, thank you, once again, Ted,” Sting added.
The segment ended with AEW giving Turner a ten-bell salute. The TNT and TBS Championship sideplates were also redesigned for the night as a tribute to the legendary broadcaster.
Turner’s support helped WCW become WWE’s biggest rival during the famous “Monday Night Wars” of the 1990s. With stars like Sting, Hulk Hogan, and the NWO storyline, WCW famously beat WWE in TV ratings for several weeks.
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