Jim Herd Dies at 87, Former WCW Executive Jim Remembered
Jim Herd, the former World Championship Wrestling executive vice president, died in October at age 87. His death became public on November 10. Conrad Thompson, Herd’s son-in-law, defended his business record while acknowledging the controversial decisions that defined his time running the promotion.
Jim Herd, World Championship Wrestling’s first executive vice president and the former WCW executive Jim best known for firing Ric Flair, died in October 2026 at age 87, Conrad Thompson said. Herd’s death was publicly announced on November 10.
Herd led the promotion from 1989 until January 1992, after Turner Broadcasting bought Jim Crockett Promotions. Thompson, Herd’s son-in-law, said the executive had been tasked with making WCW profitable.
A business executive in wrestling
Before joining WCW, Herd worked in television broadcasting and the restaurant business. He managed KPLR-TV in St. Louis before taking an executive role overseeing 68 Pizza Hut locations.
His business record attracted Jack Petrik, a Turner Broadcasting executive who brought Herd into WCW after the acquisition of Jim Crockett Promotions. Thompson argued that Herd was hired to improve the company’s finances, not to direct wrestling storylines.
“Petrick didn’t hire Herd to ‘fix’ wrestling storylines, he was brought in as a business executive to turn Crockett’s red ink into black ink,” Thompson wrote.
During Herd’s tenure, WCW secured a Coors beer sponsorship and a footwear deal with Roos. He also expanded the promotion’s merchandise business to include trading cards and action figures, which Jim Crockett Promotions had not offered, Thompson said.
Controversies shaped his reputation
Herd’s most widely criticized decision came in July 1991, when he fired Flair after contract negotiations broke down. Flair moved to the WWF and appeared on television carrying the WCW/NWA Big Gold Belt.
Other ideas associated with Herd included recasting Flair as a gladiator-style character called Spartacus and introducing a tag team of hunchbacks who supposedly could not be pinned. He also oversaw Kevin Nash’s Oz character, tied to Turner’s interest in classic films.
Thompson said Herd’s creative missteps have overshadowed other parts of his record. “History, it is said, is written by the winners. It’s also decided by those with the loudest voices.”
Several prominent moments also came during Herd’s leadership. Flair and Ricky Steamboat had their trilogy of matches in 1989, and Sting won his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash in 1990. Big Van Vader, The Great Muta, Terry Funk and Scott Steiner also arrived or established themselves in WCW during that period.
