Wrestling Culture Episode 2

[puropotsy]

In Episode 2, Dylan "Randy" Hales make an argument for why we think Terry Funk is the greatest wrestler of all time.

 

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkC...2658&cmd=tc

[shoe]

The show was really good. Even though I have Flair as my GOAT. Funk makes a top 5 easy for me. When we did the Smarkchoice poll years ago I had Funk I believe #3 or 4. I hope you guys do a show in the future on something that you guys have polar opposite opinions on. So we get a little more debate going on.

[JerryvonKramer]

Enjoyed show 2 very much. Loved the way you systematically compared him to ALL of the major contenders. This is pretty much perfect GOAT discussion.

[Kostka]

Great show. I hold Jumbo in a much higher regard than you and is probably the only guy I think I have a notch higher than Terry. Great as a young boy vs the NWA champions, great as the company ace, was right there for three company stylical changes and helped pioneer two of them...great as the grumpy old guard in the 90s where he created a star in Misawa. Had MOTDCs in three separate decades...etc. He's the only guy Id put above Terry and feel comfortable about it. Everyone else can go fuck themselves.

 

Dude, I've been shot down on these very boards for even mentioning Teddy in the same breath as Arn.

and rightfully so. Ted is certainly a better overall candidate, but he isn't as good as Arn or Tully if we are talking strictly in-ring. Tully is a strange case of an all time great heel whos run was just too short for consideration. I think, while Tullys run was super short, his peak run against Ron Garvin and the Magnum match are better than anything DiBiase did in-ring. I prefer Blanchard vs Magnum I Quit quite easily to DiBiase vs Duggan Super Gimmick match, while admitting that was an amazingly well executed "angle" match, tieing eveything together. I also prefer Tully/Arn (and possibly Tully/Gino if I had more footage) over any variation of DiBiase team (Dr. Death, Hansen, Rotundo), prefer Tully vs Garvin to DiBiase vs Roop, etc. I'm an admittedly huge Tully and Arn mark, and like Ted a lot, but I don't see DiBiase as "easily better" then Arn or Tully as a worker. I'd rather watch Rude than Ted, too. Teds got nothing on Rude vs Warrior.

[shoe]

Another cool thing point you guys brought up was the Lawler/Funk match from 81 being just slight below Lawler/Dundee and Lawler/ Mantell. Yet didn't work Lawler as much as the other 2. The same logic would apply with the Flair feud. They did the injury angle and the GAB was the 1st time they worked and had a great match. They shot an an angle with Sting and Funk worked him on houseshows lead up to the GAB 89. I know Funk worked Flair in Japan in 78 because of that handheld. I wonder if they worked each other prior. You would think they would in St. Louis or Florida at some point.

[NintendoLogic]

Great show. I hold Jumbo in a much higher regard than you and is probably the only guy I think I have a notch higher than Terry. Great as a young boy vs the NWA champions, great as the company ace, was right there for three company stylical changes and helped pioneer two of them...great as the grumpy old guard in the 90s where he created a star in Misawa. Had MOTDCs in three separate decades...etc. He's the only guy Id put above Terry and feel comfortable about it. Everyone else can go fuck themselves.

I agree completely. The way I see it, in-ring ability can be broken down into longevity, versatility, and peak performance. Jumbo is my pick for GOAT because he's the only one I'd consider great in all three categories. Funk's a solid #2, though. It's a shame we never got to see middle-aged and crazy Terry go up against grumpy old man Jumbo.

[JerryvonKramer]

Did Terry ever have another run in AJ after 1983?

[kjh]

He returned in late 1984 and did several tours for the company into the early part of the next decade, but it was never the same.

[jdw]

Did Terry ever have another run in AJ after 1983?

 

He returned in late 1984 and did several tours for the company into the early part of the next decade, but it was never the same.

For all the tours that Terry did with All Japan after the "retirement", the last time Terry and Jumbo were in the ring together on TV was the 1984 RWTL: Jumbo & Tenryu vs. Funks. Jumbo was opposite Terry in the 1986, 1987 & 1990 RWTL, but the Jumbo & Tenryu/Yatsu/Taue vs Funks matches were scheduled off TV.

 

"Jumbo didn't want to work as hard as Terry, so he asked for those matches to be off TV."

-New Meme

 

John

[FLIK]

Listened to most of the Terry Funk ep, have you gus seen his WWC title tournament stuff from 86? He wrestles Barry Windham, Rick Martell and Carlos Colon, it's amazing to watch as he puts on a totall 1 man show in all 3 matches. Colon stinks so you exspect Terry to have to carry the load thear but he completely blows Martell & Windham away in their matches too, outshining & outworking both.

[Dylan Waco]

Funk v. Martel is hilarious and one of my favorite matches of all time

[FLIK]

Oh, and if you guys ever want to see a rare disapointing Terry Funk match, watch the FMW 3 way w Bubba Ray & Sandman in late 97. So bad that I consider it an embarasment for everyone involved and ECW as a whole, really the whole tour was as the ECW guys largely stunk up the joint in all their matches. Funk/Dreamer vs Dudleys vs Mike Awesome/Hido was crap too, Dudleys vs Jado/Gedo was one of the worst matches ever, etc...