Report: Former WCW executive Jim Herd passes away at the age of 87
Podcast host Conrad Thompson revealed in his Uncrowned column that Jim Herd, World Championship Wrestling’s first executive vice president, passed away in October of 2026 at the age of 87.
Herd ran WCW from 1989 until January 1992, following Turner Broadcasting’s purchase of Jim Crockett Promotions. A top executive for Ted Turner, Herd was tasked with making WCW a profitable business.
Herd is perhaps best remembered for firing Ric Flair in July 1991 after contract negotiations broke down. Flair subsequently jumped to the WWF, leading to the moment when Flair appeared on WWF television holding the WCW/NWA Big Gold Belt.
Thompson noted the following about Herd’s time with WCW…
“Jim Herd was hired to stop WCW losing money. As much as we don’t love the way it reads, it’s the truth that WCW never turned a profit with Ric Flair as their top star. Crockett lost so much money he had to sell and then WCW lost money every single year, no matter who was in charge, until another ‘non-wrestling guy’ — Eric Bischoff — took over.
Herd’s primary responsibility was to find the black ink. He tried Sting, he tried Flair as a babyface, he tried Luger, and nothing ever worked. When those attempts failed, Herd moved on into the casino business.
I tracked him down several years ago, and he explained he never looked back on wrestling because it stopped being fun for him. WCW was simply a job he took to advance up the Turner corporate ladder. He did his best and then moved on.”
— Conrad the Mortgage Guy (@HeyHeyItsConrad) November 10, 2026