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James Allen Crockett, a professional wresting promoter, was born on June 2, in 1909 in Bristol, Virginia to Charles S. and Josie E. Crockett. He was popularly known as Jim Crockett, Sr and "Big Jim" to the people within the industry. He married Elizabeth Jackson Eversole Crockett and had four children with her, David Finley Crockett, Frances Earl Crockett, James Allen Crockett, Jr. and Charles J. "Jackie" Crockett.
The Southern Hockey League’s Championship Trophy which is a development circuit for World Hockey Association was named after him.
From a very young age, in the 1920s, Jim Crockett loved professional wrestling. During that time professionals like Strangler Lewis and Joe Stecher were extremely popular. A new wrestling sensation, Jim Londos, emerged in the early 1930s and a disagreement occurred at that time over London’s bookings. It is then that, Jack Curley, a New York promoter settled the dispute between the various regional managers. So the promoters shared the profits earned across the different regions while London travelled across the country as the champion.
In 1935, Jim Crockett, who was just 25 years old, was a concert promoter and already owned a theatre and restaurant. Since new wrestling ‘territories’ were emerging throughout the United States at that time; Crockett established a permanent wrestling shop in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Jim Crockett Promotions, an association under the Eastern States Championship Wrestling banner, organized many wrestling events in the Carolinas and Virginia too and featured many top wrestling names of that time.
Crockett’s territory, Carolina, was one of the most successful ones over the next 25 years. He featured top wrestling stars like Rip Hawk, Gene & Ole Anderson, Johnny Weaver, and Swede Hanson on Championship Wrestling program and as a result, Greensboro Coliseum, with a capacity of 16,000 was mostly completely sold out.
In 1948, the very first governing body for wrestling called the National Wrestling Alliance was formed by the top promoters of wrestling at that time in Waterloo, Iowa. Jim Crockett was an important member of this alliance as he was a dominant promoter of Carolina. Sam Muchnick, the promoter in St. Louis, was the President of the National Wrestling Alliance. Crockett held the post of chief lieutenant under Muchnick.
During the early 1970’s, Crockett, as a result of poor health had to retire. During that time his son-in-law John Rigley began to take over the responsibilities of his territories. On April 1, 1973, Jim Crockett Sr. passed away. Then the control and responsibilities of the company were handed over to Crockett’s son Jim Crockett Jr. who was 28 years old at that time. Jim Crockett Jr. renamed the company to "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling." Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, a tag team tournament was held from 1986 to 1988 by Jim Crockett Promotions in his honour.
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