Terry Funk

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[Loss]

The more I watch of him, Terry Funk is someone I don't get. Definitely a great worker, but I don't think he's a clear top tier pick. He deserves credit for reinventing himself multiple times to stay relevant, but the spaghetti-legged selling and the flailing himself over the guardrail to jaw jack with ringside fans just never works for me. I need to watch more 70s and 80s stuff, because I'm saying all of this about a guy based on observations while he's in his 40s and 50s. I think his best quality is that he's a very earnest wrestler. He really commits himself to everything he's doing and you never get the impression that he thinks he's above his material (even when he is).

[DR Ackermann]

Right now my number one is most likely Funk or Hansen. One thing I really like about Funk is that he embodied the mindset of giving back and knowing what's important for the business. Terry was always willing to make other people look great and not in a superficial way either. He isone of the all time great sellers and while I don't think he has the best punch, I think he might be the greatest brawler ever too.

[NintendoLogic]

I also find myself less enamored of Terry the more I see of him. It's the opposite of the issue I have with Lawler-he's transcendently great as a heel but borderline intolerable as a babyface. When he's working heel, his whole schtick helps him come across as a dangerous psychopath. When he's working face, he just comes across as a goofy dipshit.

[JerryvonKramer]

Lock top 10. The stuff I've seen tagging with Dory in the 70s in All Japan is out-of-this-world good and you can see the real making of a star there. The stuff in Memphis with Lawler is legendary. The matches with Stan Hansen in All Japan are among the best brawls I've ever seen. He did some good stuff with Hogan in 85. He worked an all-time great feud with Flair in 89.

 

Tremendous heel or babyface. Unique charisma. Actually more multifaceted than he's given credit for because like Flair he can switch personas from madman to coward or any one of several other modes. Few do symapthetic bloodied babyface better.

 

I am very excited to see him in Puerto Rico -- and will probably be unable to resist peaking when I'm watching more of the Dory stuff. I need to see more of him as NWA champ.

 

To be honest, I don't care much about his ECW career. I will watch it unfurl as part of the 90s Yearbook watching which I intend to power through before the end of this project. But to me, it's in the same bucket as post-96 Flair. Whatever is good is a nice bonus, whatever is bad is "oh well, he was well past his prime anyway".

 

Funk does not have a shot of finishing about Flair for me for two reasons. 1. Because I think he has an unfair advantage over him: he worked short stints, whereas Flair was a mainstay for 10+ years. It's easier to come in and make an impact (when you are a guy like Funk) than it is to maintain a level of performance over a long period. Funk is an impact player, Flair is the franchise. And 2. He doesn't have the number of great matches Flair does in such density, especially during the 80s.

[Lee Casebolt]

Terry's a guy where I see why other people are into him, but it doesn't do as much for me. Legitimate all-time talent, but will probably be far lower on my ballot than most.

[Timbo Slice]

I can't see him falling out of my Top 5. He might be the most well-rounded pro wrestler ever. And while I understand Parv's argument for longevity in the sense that Funk moved around more than Flair did, it's amazing to think Funk moved around as much as he did and was that good basically everywhere he went.

[Jmare007]

I don't think I've ever watched a wrestler that entertained me as much as the Funker. Shit, I remember him completely saving a horrible legends battle royal at a PWG show when he started going at it against Piper. Doesn't matter the style or the age, Terry Funk always finds a way to make me interested in what he's doing. Top 5 easily for me.

[goodhelmet]

I love Terry funk. I don't have him in my Top Ten after factoring in luchadors and Japanese dudes I like more.

[BillThompson]

He will be on my list, but he's the opposite of Flair in the sense that his late career stuff helps him. I don't think he's been great since 1990 or so, but he has been very good and always entertaining. As he got older he changed his style, wrestled to his limitations, and because of that he still looked like he belonged in a wrestling ring and consistently held his own. His earlier stuff being excellent in a lot of different styles certainly doesn't hurt his case.

[TravJ1979]

I agree with Parv, Funk will be in my Top 10. Even past what he notes in his post, Funk in the 90's and even in the 2000's still had some shining moments. Funk v. Gilbert in ECW '93, Funk v. Lawler, both in USWA and indies in 1990, His return to the ECW arena in 1995 run with anti-hardcore Cactus Jack provided some great promos and brawls ... Then his late 90's WWF and WCW runs are a bit disappointing, but some of the hardcore matches he had on 2000 WCW PPV are just absolute fun. And although I haven't seen them yet, I'm told his 2003 matched with Homicide are good as well.

 

Match of the Year candidates in three consecutive decades and still churning out enjoyable stuff in the 2000's is a testament to not only his longevity, but his ability to maintain the quality throughout.

[Childs]

Where's his MOTYC in the '90s? Can't think of one. Not that he didn't have plenty of good outings.

[Dylan Waco]

I think WarGames 94 is a US MOTYC for whatever that is worth

[Childs]

Yeah, I could see that.

[Loss]

These are Funk's best singles matches of the 90s in my opinion:

 

Terry Funk vs Eddie Gilbert (01/23/93, ECW/WWA Battle of the Belts)

Terry Funk vs Atsushi Onita (05/05/93, FMW)

Terry Funk vs Eddie Gilbert (06/19/93, ECW Super Summer Sizzler Spectacular)

Terry Funk vs Sabu (02/28/94, WWN)

Terry Funk vs Cactus Jack (01/08/95, IWA Duel of the Wilds)

Terry Funk vs Sabu (08/09/97, ECW Born To Be Wired)

Terry Funk vs Bret Hart (09/11/97, Wrestlefest)

 

I wouldn't call any of them MOTYCs, but the Sabu matches and the Bret Hart match are only slightly below that level for me.

[tim]

94 is actually my favorite wargames

[Dylan Waco]

I absolutely love the Tony St. Clair match from 93 if you are looking for another really high end Funk performance from the 90's

[Loss]

Dylan, have you written about the Bret match anywhere? I was curious what you thought of it. If anyone is looking to see Terry Funk do more wrestling and less brawling as an old guy, that's the match to see.

[Dylan Waco]

I probably reviewed it years ago, but have no memory of it. Perhaps I'll revisit it soon

[Matt D]

Funk's career range is pretty astonishing to me.

[JerryvonKramer]

Dylan (or anyone), can you put together a "must watch" Terry list?

 

It's ironic really that Dory has been the much more discussed Funk brother so far for this.

 

Sadly, it seems that there is less Terry-as-NWA-champ on tape than Brisco, Dory or Harley. I wonder why that is, but it's unfortunate, because he's looked great in the glimpses I've had, the Brisco 76 match highlights from St. Louis especially.

[Dylan Waco]

This is a bad week for me to try and compile a solid list, but I will give it a good go next week when finals are over and I'm in Chattanooga with the other wrestling brothers Hales'

[JerryvonKramer]

Another question is how strongly do people weight his 90s and 00s stuff in his GWE case?

[El McKell]

I don't weigh that stuff too strongly; well I haven't seen him wrestle in the 00s and I don't really plan to, I've got too much stuff to watch to spend time on that.

In the 90s he wasn't actually that bad, he was pretty good in WCW in '94. He wasn't as good as he was before that but he could still perform on a decent level and he was old and his body was kinda broken down, so I think he did good enough that it doesn't hurt his case really at all.

[Grimmas]

Another question is how strongly do people weight his 90s and 00s stuff in his GWE case?

I think it is a HUGE bonus, but not the main criteria. It's like the amount of wins in regulation for seeding in the NHL playoffs, it's a tie breaker.