[1997-02-01-ECW-Crossing the Line Again] Tommy Rich vs Terry Funk

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

This is the first time I've seen this. Good match. Bloody brawl, as you'd expect. I found myself drifting out because there was a sameness to a lot of this after a while. Rich is old and fat, but he can still throw a punch and work up a crowd with the best of them.

[Childs]

Well, this was about as far from Han/Tamura as you can get! But hey, that's wrestling. It was a lot of fun watching two chunky, over-the-hill Southerners get a Philly crowd this riled. I liked Funk battering Rich's knees with the chair and then taking the receipt spot a few minutes later. Rich's control segment dragged a little, because as Loss said, he just couldn't do much at this point. But they took it home with a nice burst of action.

[soup23]

This was some good southern style brawling. There was not a whole lot of bravado in what they were doing but both guys made good strikes and made this an entertaining watch. I enjoyed this for what it was but can see this not being a fit for everyone.

[Kevin Ridge]

Rich got too much offense in for me. I think Terry should have been more strong in this match building towards Barely Legal. Desperado is a great intro for Funk. ECW fans let Rich know about his conditioning.

[PeteF3]

This went on too long, and I agree with everything Kevin said about Rich getting too much. Rich DDT'ing Jim Molineaux twice as completely pointless. Still, there's some decent psychology here, and Rich still throws a good punch. Dig the idiot ECW fans "whoo"-ing because of the spinning toe hold. Uh, that's not the same thing as a figure 4, guys.

[KB8]

I've always dug this a bunch. Rich is a total scuzzball, spitting at folk, telling some guy in the crowd to come shine his shoes, and he generally looks crazy enough that you buy him following through with his threats of hitting a fan with a chair. Old man Funk being old man Funk will always be fun to me and the stuff build around smacking each other in the leg with a chair was cool. Not a MOTYC or anything, but mighty enjoyable. 

[Chorros3]

As the introductions take place, Rich jumps the barricade to antagonize and jaw at some fans. Funk attacks him from behind in the crowd as the bell rings. Wildfire is busted open within the first minute and gets a beatdown with a chair until a perfect timed haymaker completely reveses the roles in the match. Funk gets busted open with Rich in firm control. Fat, old Tommy Rich now DDT’s the ref Jim Molineaux. Rich add insult to injury by placing Funk in the spinning toe hold, but when he goes for it a second time, Terry reverses it and hits a knee for a low blow and snaps it in himself for the submission. Fun, over the hill southern battle in the right environment. ***1/4

[Superstar Sleeze]

Terry Funk vs Tommy Rich - ECW 2/1/97

I am pretty sure I have seen this before as this is a pretty famous match both because it is great and because it is TERRY FUNK VS TOMMY RICH in ECW of all places!

Funk was in the last Showdown in the OK Corral phase of his ECW career to make a big push for him winning the Title at Barely Legal one last time. Tommy Rich was actually getting a bit of a push at the start of his ECW career before settling in as a comedy role in the Full-Blooded Italians. Rich was in full heat-seeking mode. He goes out into the crowd to jaw with the fans and Funk gives chase and decks him right in the crowd drawing blood. There's no confusion what this match was going to be. It was a Southern-fried, bloody brawl between two old men. I liked that because they were so old, they didnt bump a lot. It gave more of a barroom brawl feel. Funk works the leg, but the best part is he sits down in a chair and lectures Rich while giving him a shellacking. The transition to Rich's heat segment could have been better. He just started punching Funk and brawling on the outside to bust him open. It was DDTs galore as Rich DDT Funk and the ref twice. Rich works the leg with a chair to set up the Spinning Toe Hold, Funk's own move! How dastardly! Funk makes his comeback, knees him in the balls and makes him submit to the Spinning Toe Hold. Simple, violent pro wrestling. This will always get over. ***1/2