Ask any wrestling historian about the most influential families in wrestling, and the name Crockett usually gets brought up. David Crockett, in particular, built a reputation for himself for being a pro wrestling executive in the North Carolina region. Son of Jim Crockett Sr. and brother of Jim Crockett Jr., David Crockett's name will permanently be etched in pro wrestling history. He's often mentioned when discussing the most outstanding wrestling executives of all time.
While those within the industry can speak of what David Crockett has done, many fans still don't know his history. Fans of this generation may've heard of David Crockett here or there, but they may not know of his backstory and why he's such an influential figure in pro wrestling.
7 Jim Crockett Sr. Was The Hardest Working Promoter In Wrestling
David Crockett's father, Jim Crockett Sr., ran Jim Crockett Promotions under the banner of Eastern States Championship Wrestling in the Carolinas. Crockett Promotions would become an essential asset to NWA, with most shows occurring within the region.
Unlike other successful promoters at the time, Jim Crockett Sr. ran his wrestling promotion without the help of a secretary. He was always the one answering the phone and had an office about the same size as a janitor's closet.
6 David Crockett Was A Commentator With Tony Schiavone
David Crockett started commentating because one of the other announcers was drunk. He was paired with now AEW commentator Tony Schiavone and the two became the official annoucing team for NWA World Championship Wrestling from 1985 to 1988.
Crockett eventually stopped commentating once Jim Ross came onto the scene. He would later become an executive producer for WCW. Funny enough, Wrestling Observer awarded Crockett with the worst commentator award for three years straight. Crockett often was the color commentator, while Schiavone did play-by-play.
5 Survived The Same Plane Crash That Ric Flair Did
Perhaps some fans of Ric Flair will remember that he survived a terrible plane crash on October 4th, 1975. The plane crash of 1975 broke Flair's back in three places and caused fellow wrestler, Jimmy Valentine life-sustaining injuries.
What many don't know is that David Crockett also was on board the same plane. Crockett felt the effects of the crash for six months but luckily was the one who took the least impact thanks partially to his seat not breaking loose.
4 David Crockett Wrestled Under The Name David Finley
The Crocketts were most known for their contributions outside of the ring. Crocket Sr. had his promotion, and after his death, Jim Crockett Jr. took over and renamed it "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" and went on to have a long career as president of NWA.
David Crockett though had a brief stint as a professional wrestler, working under the name David Finley. He was trained by Gene and Ole Anderson and was considered a preliminary guy in most of his wrestling appearances.
3 David Crockett Helped Start The Ric Flair vs. Nikita Koloff Feud
Nikita Koloff clotheslined David Crockett on the American syndicated television show, World Wide Wrestling in 1985. While it looked as if Crockett was in serious jeopardy, Ric Flair came to the aid of the man who had survived the same hellish plane crash as he did a decade prior.
Flair aiding Crockett led to a historic match between Flair and Koloff at the inaugural Great American Bash show in 1985. The event drew a reported 27,000 fans to the Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was the sight of Flair and Koloff's first match. Koloff lost to Flair and was even attacked by a fan. He would resume his quest to go after Flair and his NWA world title, ultimately leading to his feud with The Four Horsemen.
2 David Crockett's Relationship With AEW
The working relationship between David Crockett and Tony Schiavone spilled over decades later into AEW. Crockett even appeared on the Christmas edition of AEW: Rampage last December, sitting in the crowd and being introduced by Justin Roberts.
Crockett and Schiavone would eventually work together again on the AEW control center for the AEW: Dynamite Holiday Bash episode last year. After years of commentating for NWA, they ran down the match lineups and had a terrific time working together again.
1 Jim Crockett Promotion's Legacy
David Crockett's father built something that would rival Vincent K. McMahon's World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s. By 1988, the promotion was in jeopardy of going under when Ted Turner stepped in to purchase a majority stake of the company for approximately $9 million. This led to the formation of WWE's biggest rival, WCW.
Decades later, it looks as if David Crockett's promotion is seeing somewhat of a resurgence as Ric Flair recently announced that he would wrestle his last match under Jim Crockett Promotions. With the help of organizers from the Starrcast wrestling fan convention, Crockett filed for U.S. trademarks on "Jim Crockett Promotions."