Prologue: In his first book ‘Have a Nice Day’ Mick Foley wrote about how he always admired Terry Funk’s punches and learned the secret behind the realistic-looking strikes.
“No matter what mannerisms I ‘borrowed,’ I knew that I would never throw a punch like Terry’s, which was truly a thing of beauty. Many people, including me, considered the Funker’s big left hand to be the nicest punch in the business.
A few minutes into the big match, Terry took me into the corner, and I saw him rear back with the big left. This was going to be great. Here it comes.
Thwack.
I felt like I did when I was eight and my mother came clean about Santa Claus. I had just learned the hidden “secret” of the great Funk left hand. It was so simple–I’d been a fool for not knowing the whole time. Terry Funk had just punched me as hard as he could in the forehead.”
The Funker’s response: “Oh, Mick, all this time you thought I was good.”
-Terry Funk 1944 – 2023
The world of professional wrestling received some sad news on Wednesday when one of the true legends of the industry, Terry Funk, passed away at the age of 79. Whether fans remember Funk’s fierce technical wrestling ability that initiated his career in the mid-1960s or the bloody hardcore brawler that defined it, he left an indelible impression on the industry.
Terry Funk could do it all exceptionally well. He could have a great match in any setting and make fans cheer, jeer, smile, cry, and laugh on the microphone. The man would wield weapons against his opponents: ladders, chairs, barbed wire, fire, and beat them with one of the most basic moves, a spinning toe hold.
That shouldn’t work, but Funk made it his trademark, thus one of the reasons he’s celebrated by wrestlers of his generation and beyond. Technical masterpieces or exploding barbed wire death matches and everything else
My introduction to the crazy inhabitant of the Double Cross Ranch occurred when I was eight years old. WWE was my life and the idea that other wrestling promotions existed never dawned on me until a random Sunday afternoon of channel surfing brought me to TBS.
Ric Flair was being interviewed by Jim Ross and Terry Funk entered the ring and challenged him to a title match. Flair rejected the match due to Funk returning from a five-year stint in Hollywood and only wanted to wrestle top-ranked contenders.
Funk fuming over the insinuation he wasn’t worthy disguised his rejection with adulation and gave Flair a congratulatory handshake before blindsiding him with that legendary left hand.
Flair was beaten from pillar to post and piledriven onto a table for the finale. All of this was unfamiliar, ridiculously exciting and more violent than anything I had seen in WWE.
I didn’t see Terry Funk again until several years later. I got my own TV and stumbled upon ECW at 1:00 a.m. However, instead of the bad guy from year’s earlier, he was a highly respected veteran looking for one more run as world champion.
Funk’s portrayal in the role was the polar opposite of what I had seen before, and he was equally as compelling. His trek and eventual title win ECW’s inaugural pay-per-view Barely Legal left the promotion better off than before. An accolade only a handful of wrestlers can claim.
Terry Funk’s short-lived alter-ego Chainsaw Charlie & Cactus Jack against the New Age Outlaws in a dumpster match at WrestleMania 14 is the most fun I’ve had watching a wrestling match live.
Internet tape trading allowed me to finally see the culmination of Funk’s attack on Ric Flair. Their legendary I Quit Match at Clash of the Champions 9 is one of the greatest wrestling matches anyone will ever see.
King of the Death Match tournament is literally an explosive performance. The Empty Arena match with Jerry Lawler is more than worth going out of your way to see. A 1998 hardcore match on Raw against Mick Foley injected even more attitude into WWE’s Attitude Era.
Before Austin 3:16 made wrestling wear en vogue, Terry Funk’s iconic Funk U t-shirt revolutionized wrestling couture. It was a clever way of saying f*** you to the man under the guise of celebrating your matriculation to the school of hard knocks.
There are too many memorable moments, superb matches, and unforgettable promos to name them all. Whether you fancy blood, bombs, and barbed wire, a historic reign as NWA World’s Champion, or a middle-aged and crazy veteran who defied the odds, Terry Funk was something for everyone.
Epilogue: Tragedy in the wrestling world continued the day following Funk’s passing. Bray Wyatt passed away at age 36 due to complications from COVID-19 that triggered a heart attack.
Bray Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, was a creative force in WWE like no other. From backwater cult leader to puppet toating fiend, Rotunda entranced audiences all over the world.
The Wyatt character was a heel until he was fired by WWE back in the summer of 2021. Wyatt returned to WWE in October 2022 and was a babyface this time around. His last match was with LA Knight on 2/26/23 in Rockford, Illinois.
Loss is a hard pill to swallow. They say it comes in threes. Perhaps, in the realm of wrestling, the third loss occurred on Saturday with the passing of the long-time host of the Price is Right, Bob Barker.
The celebrity general manager era of Monday Night Raw is not remember fondly. However, the one bright spot occurred when Barker was the guest GM and produced a Price is Right-themed episode.
It sounded like garbage to mat mat-crazed enthusiasts of the grappling arts. Once cameras rolled, the staunchest critics sang a different tune. The game show theme fit wrestling’s zany storytelling like a glove and Barker was sensational as the host, making for one of the all time great episodes of the show.
Losing two of wrestling’s best creative minds one day after another, Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt is something we won’t soon forget. Funk is already in the Hall of Fame and next year’s class should include Bray Wyatt and Bob Barker.
Actors, athletes, and musicians have been inducted into the celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame for next to nothing. Barker’s unforgettable contribution to the genre certainly merits entry.
Wyatt will be remembered as one of the most memorable characters of a generation and his career was at the very least on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
My condolences to the family and loves ones of Terry Funk, Bray Wyatt, and Bob Barker. There is nothing else to say, except, Thank you.
RingsideLogic.com 