Born to Jim Crockett Sr. and Elizabeth (Eversole) Crockett, Jim Jr. graduated from Myers Park High School in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1960. He and his younger siblings (David, Jackie, and Frances) were largely uninvolved in professional wrestling until their father's death in 1973. The elder Crockett had been a promoter of wrestling and other forms of entertainment since 1931, with JCP joining the NWA in 1952.[2]
Career
Taking over Jim Crockett Promotions
Although Jim Crockett Sr. had decided his son-in-law John Ringley would run JCP, Jim Jr. reluctantly took over ownership of the company after his father's death in 1973 and a dispute with Ringley.[3] Crockett brought in wrestler George Scott as head booker,[4] and he recruited wrestlers from across the country, from veterans such as Wahoo McDaniel to younger wrestlers like Ric Flair.[5]
Crockett was elected to a second term as NWA President in 1985. He bought Vince McMahon's Saturday night TV time slot on Superstation WTBS and his business began to flourish. The following year, he organized the first annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup, in which wrestlers from eight NWA regional territories participated in a day-long tag team tournament at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The Road Warriors defeated Ron Garvin & Magnum T. A. after 7½ hours to win the tournament. Although Crockett had organized the tournament as a tribute to his father, several rival promoters suspected he was using the event to further his own plans for expanding his promotion nationally.
Their suspicions increased as Crockett began holding wrestling events in Memphis and Florida without contacting the local NWA promoters. He eventually purchased promotions based in Oklahoma and Kansas City in the Mid-South territory and began airing his own televised wrestling events, which were syndicated across the United States.[7]
Third term
Crockett was elected to a third term as NWA President in 1987. That same year he bought out Championship Wrestling from Florida and the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), thus acquiring such talent as wrestler Sting and commentator Jim Ross. Although initially planning to keep the UWF and NWA as separate promotions in order to promote an annual inter-promotional event similar to the Super Bowl, Crockett instead moved the old UWF headquarters from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Dallas, Texas.[8] and incorporated its stars into his own promotion.[9]
Crockett promoted his company, JCP, as the NWA, since he owned six NWA territories and was the NWA President, much to the confusion of fans.[10]
In the early 1990s, Crockett attempted a return to wrestling, briefly serving a fourth term as NWA President. In 1994, Crockett launched the World Wrestling Network, an NWA-affiliated wrestling network. Crockett also brought the NWA back to the Dallas Sportatorium.[14] Both projects were short-lived, and he left the sport for good in 1995.
Post-wrestling career
After his retirement from professional wrestling promoting, Crockett worked as a Texas realtor and mortgage loan originator.[15][16]
Death
On February 28, 2021, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer reported that Crockett was in grave condition.[17] Four days later, Robert Gibson reported that he died from complications of liver and kidney failure.[18] His brother David attributed his death to COVID-19, which Crockett contracted two months earlier. He was 76.[19]
