Jim Barnett (wrestling)

James Edward Barnett (June 9, 1924 – September 18, 2004) was an American professional wrestling promoter and executive.

During his career, he was at times one of the owners of the Indianapolis National Wrestling Alliance promotion, Australia's World Championship Wrestling, and Georgia Championship Wrestling, as well as serving as an executive with the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling.

He also served as a member of the National Council on the Arts during the Presidency of Jimmy Carter.

Barnett was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he attended Harding Junior High School followed by Classen High School, graduating in 1943.

In 1943, he enrolled in the University of Chicago, studying theater and aspiring to become a playwright.

During his time at the University of Chicago, he served as business manager for student newspaper The Chicago Maroon, bringing him into contact with the professional wrestling promoter Fred Kohler.

Barnett graduated in 1947 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree.

In 1949, Barnett went to work for Kohler's Chicago-based professional wrestling promotion Fred Kohler Enterprises, writing press releases and serving as deputy editor for the magazine Wrestling as You Like It.

In the mid-1950s, Barnett became a part-owner (with Kohler) of the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliate Indiana Wrestling, relocating to Indianapolis.

While in Indianapolis, Barnett pioneered the practice of recording wrestling matches in a television studio (rather than transporting recording equipment to arenas).

In the late-1950s, Barnett entered into a partnership with wrestling promoter Johnny Doyle and started to run wrestling shows on a national basis in cities including Cincinnati, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Windsor, Ontario, in some cases competing with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

He went on to work for Kohler as a road agent, eventually becoming Kohler's right hand man (in 1954, the New York Daily Mirror jestingly described him as Kohler's "Man Saturday").

Barnett helped Kohler get his Wrestling from Marigold program syndicated across the United States.

Barnett left Fred Kohler Enterprises in 1958.

In 1964, Barnett travelled to Sydney in Australia with Doyle to inspect the Australian wrestling scene.

Selling his Indianapolis promotion to Dick the Bruiser and Wilbur Snyder and his Detroit promotion to The Sheik, he returned to Australia with Doyle under the banner of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), presenting their first card on October 23, 1964, at the Sydney Stadium.

WCW's shows were broadcast in Australia on Nine Network on Saturdays and Sundays; the program later also began airing in New Zealand and southeast Asia.

After Doyle died in 1969, Barnett became sole owner of WCW.

In the same year, Barnett joined the NWA.

In 1973, Barnett became a part-owner of the Atlanta-based promotion Georgia Championship Wrestling.

After joining Georgia Championship Wrestling, he eventually became secretary-treasurer of the NWA.

Barnett used the growth of local Atlanta station Channel 17 into the national cable network TBS to promote Georgia Championship Wrestling.

In 1974, Barnett sold WCW to Tony Kolonie and returned to the United States.

He donated $1,000 to Jimmy Carter's successful 1976 presidential campaign and $1,000 to Carter's unsuccessful 1980 re-election campaign.

Tommy Rich's less-than-a-week NWA World Heavyweight Championship reign in 1981 was one of Barnett's attempts to boost Georgia gates and secure his primacy within the promotion.

During his time running Georgia Championship Wrestling, at the behest of TBS owner Ted Turner, Barnett renamed Georgia Championship Wrestling's eponymous Saturday evening television show to World Championship Wrestling, reusing the name of the Australian promotion he once owned.

Barnett served as a senior vice president of Titan Sports, Inc., the parent company of the WWF, from 1983 to 1987.

While with the WWF, he negotiated the sale of the time slot on TBS to Jim Crockett Promotions, as well as contributing to the first three WrestleMania events.

In 1984, Barnett sold his share of Georgia Championship Wrestling to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), leading to what was known as Black Saturday, where the WWF took over the former Georgia Championship Wrestling time slot on TBS.

He left the WWF in 1987 after chairman Vince McMahon demanded his resignation.

In late 1987, Barnett began working for Jim Crockett Promotions.

When Jim Crockett sold his promotion to the Turner Broadcasting System in November 1988, after which it was renamed World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after the Saturday show at Barnett's suggestion, Barnett stayed on as a senior adviser and a confidant of Turner.

Barnett was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996, the NWA Hall of Fame in 2005, and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.

He worked for WCW until its acquisition by the WWF in 2001.

In 2002, Barnett became a consultant for the WWF, a role he held until his death two years later.

During his tenure he identified John Cena to WWE executive Bruce Prichard as "your next guy".

Barnett served as vice chairman of the State of Georgia Board of Medical Assistance and as a member of the Georgia Council of the Arts and Humanities.

He was also a board member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and a national trustee of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Barnett was active with the Democratic Party.

He supported various politicians, including mayor of Atlanta Maynard Jackson, Representative Wyche Fowler, and governor of Georgia George Busbee.