All Elite Wrestling pays tribute to Ted Turner after his death at 87

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) started a peculiar treble occurrence of "Dynamite" and "Collision" connected Wednesday with a 10-bell salute to Ted Turner.

Turner, who helped motorboat TNT and TBS and purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to assistance alteration the pro wrestling world, died connected Tuesday. He was 87.

AEW co-founder Tony Khan announced the tribute to Turner earlier the show.

CNN FOUNDER AND CABLE NEWS PIONEER TED TURNER DEAD AT 87

Sting and Ted Turner shingle hands successful Atlanta, Georgia, successful December 1993. (WWE/WWE/Getty Images)

"It’s a precise bittersweet time successful the satellite of television, and surely successful the satellite of nonrecreational wrestling," Khan said successful a livestream posted to his X account. "The antheral who gave america this platform, the antheral who created TBS and TNT and truthful galore large tv channels and truthful galore large concepts successful the tract of television, the precocious large Mr. Ted Turner has passed."

AEW commentator Tony Schiavone had immoderate heartfelt words to accidental astir Turner astatine the commencement of the show.

"Ted Turner believed successful pro wrestling," Schiavone said. "He believed successful you, the fans, and helium believed that pro wrestling belonged connected nationalist television. And due to the fact that of his passion, due to the fact that of his vision, it recovered a location connected TBS and past aboriginal successful the 90s, connected TNT. And therefore, generations of fans astir the world, knew that we were destination viewing.

"And I knew that firsthand. I began successful the workplace successful TBS successful 1985. Decades later, due to the fact that of the instauration that was laid by Ted Turner, we inactive past contiguous done the enactment of Tony Khan successful AEW, done the enactment of Warner Discovery, wrestling inactive survives."

Founder of CNN Ted Turner attends the "Cold War: The Complete Series" screening astatine The Paley Center for Media successful New York City connected April 29, 2012. (Matthew Eisman/WireImage)

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Schiavone said that 1 antheral became the look of "what wrestling means to TBS." He revealed that antheral to beryllium pro wrestling icon, Sting.

A silver-haired Sting made his mode down the entranceway ramp to "holy s---" chants. Sting, who became a fable successful WCW earlier aboriginal signing with AEW for the past tally of his career, remembered Turner arsenic well.

"Can you ideate having an all-in billionaire who perfectly loved pro wrestling?" Sting asked the crowd. "I can’t judge what helium (Turner) did for us. He was wholly committed to us, devoted to america successful each conceivable way. So overmuch truthful that erstwhile immoderate of the apical brass up determination successful CNN Towers would person their meetings with Ted, they’d say, ‘Ted, we don’t cognize astir this full pro wrestling thing. I deliberation it’s clip to chopped ‘em disconnected due to the fact that we’re ever successful the red.’ Ted would archer america that communicative and accidental I’d look astatine each of them and say, ‘You wrestlers conscionable support connected doing what you’re doing due to the fact that I got immoderate heavy pockets.’

"There wouldn’t beryllium a TNT title, determination wouldn’t beryllium a Sting. There wouldn’t beryllium a Darby Allin, determination wouldn’t beryllium a Tony Schiavone present tonight. You wouldn’t beryllium present tonight. So, convey you, erstwhile again, Ted."

Schiavone worked for WCW until the end. He had a front-row spot to the "Monday Night Wars" betwixt WCW and WWE. He returned to the airwaves for AEW erstwhile the institution started successful 2019.

Sting was successful the midst of the "Monday Night Wars" arsenic well, battling the New World Order faction and helping enactment WCW supra WWE for 83 consecutive weeks successful the 1990s.

Wrestler Sting appears astatine the Cow Palace for World Championship Wrestling, a large wrestling enactment competing with the WWF. (Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle)

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AEW was the archetypal pro wrestling programme to instrumentality to TNT and TBS aft WCW was purchased by WWE. AEW holds 2 shows a week connected the presumption – "Dynamite" and "Collision."