Turner, Ventura, DeNucci, Gordienko Enter Observer Hall of Fame
Summary: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Ted Turner, Dominic DeNucci, Jesse Ventura and George Gordienko to its 2026 Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 13, in its Nov. 16 issue. Each cleared the 60 percent vote needed.
The quick version
- The Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed its 2026 Hall of Fame class on Friday, Nov. 13: Ted Turner, Dominic DeNucci, Jesse Ventura and George Gordienko, per POST Wrestling.
- A candidate needs 60 percent of the vote. Turner got 70.2, DeNucci 69.7, Ventura 63.0 and Gordienko 60.5, per POST Wrestling.
- Outlets differ on how narrowly Gordienko got in: two votes per POST Wrestling, one vote per a WrestlingNews.co post.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has named Ted Turner, Dominic DeNucci, Jesse Ventura and George Gordienko to its 2026 Hall of Fame, POST Wrestling reported on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. The class is in the newsletter's Nov. 16 issue. Voters are current and former wrestlers, historians and reporters. We did not read the newsletter, which is behind a paywall. This story is built from POST Wrestling's report and a second outlet's summary.
The vote
A candidate needs 60 percent in his region to get in, per POST Wrestling.
- Ted Turner: 70.2 percent
- Dominic DeNucci: 69.7 percent
- Jesse Ventura: 63.0 percent
- George Gordienko: 60.5 percent
POST says Gordienko got in "by two votes." WrestlingNews.co's post, which credits Dave Meltzer's announcement, says one vote. We could not settle that. WrestlingNews.co also says Ventura got in by 12 votes.
POST lists the next group, short of the line: June Byers, Kevin, Kerry and David Von Erich, Jon Moxley, Hayabusa, The Briscoes, Morris Sigel, Gorilla Monsoon and Salvador Lutteroth III.
Who they are
- Ted Turner. POST says Turner died in May at 87. He built WTCG, later WTBS, around Georgia Championship Wrestling, bought Jim Crockett Promotions in November 1988, and approved Monday Nitro in 1995, per POST. POST also notes the argument against him: he did not run WCW day to day.
- Dominic DeNucci. He started in 1955 in Montreal, per POST. POST credits his case to his run as a top draw in Australia in the 1960s and says a published article by historian Ethan Tyler likely helped. His vote more than doubled from last year.
- Jesse Ventura. He is in as a non-wrestler, for the heel commentator role. POST says he called the first six WrestleManias and that his video royalties lawsuit against WWF changed how talent was paid.
- George Gordienko. POST says he was a top-ten headliner in the U.K. for several years and a respected worker.
What it means
Turner was already on the edge of induction last year, per POST. Ventura came close last year at 57.4 percent, per POST. The Observer's Hall is separate from WWE's. We did not find a ceremony date or a plan to hold one in the reports we read.
Source: POST Wrestling's report of the Nov. 16 Wrestling Observer Newsletter issue, which we read in full. The vote shares match a second outlet's post, WrestlingNews.co on Threads, which also credits Meltzer. We could not open the newsletter or its F4W page. POST links the issue at members.f4wonline.com. The vote margin for Gordienko and the Ventura detail differ between the two outlets, and we say so. Nothing in this story is a rumor.
Sources
- POST Wrestling, "The 2026 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame Class", Nov. 13, 2026 (the class, the vote shares, the candidates who fell short, the biographies). https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/11/13/the-2026-wrestling-observer-newsletter-hall-of-fame-class/
- WrestlingNews.co (@wrestlingnewsco on Threads), post on the 2026 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame class, Nov. 13, 2026 (the vote shares again, the one-vote and 12-vote margins; a different outlet from this site). https://www.threads.com/@wrestlingnewsco/post/DfsB-hylN2g/ted-turner-jesse-ventura-dominic-de-nucci-and-george-gordienko-are-the
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter (Dave Meltzer), Nov. 16, 2026 issue, "The WON Hall of Fame Issue", as linked by POST Wrestling. No link: the issue is for members and we did not read it. https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/november-16-2026-observer-newsletter-the-won-hall-of-fame-issue
- WrestlingNews.com staff reporting: read the POST report in full, compared the vote shares with a second outlet's post, and checked our own site for earlier Hall of Fame coverage. We did not contact the Observer.
How we credit sources: Editorial standards.