Terry Funk, professional wrestler

Terry Funk, Jimmy Hart and Dory Funk Jr

Profile

Height: 6 feet, 1 inch
Weight: 247 pounds
From: The Double Cross Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
Signature Move: Spinning Toe Hold, Moonsault, Piledriver
Career Highlights: Two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ECW World Television Champion, World Tag Team Champion, two-time United States Champion

By the time Terry Funk showed up in ECW, he was already "middle-aged and crazy." Well into his '50s, many thought it was time for the hard-core legend to hang up his boots, but the Funker had other plans.

For several years, Funk took Dreamer on as his protégé and the two paired in some classic tag-team matches. It was also in ECW that Funk's love-hate relationship with Cactus Jack really took form. The two hard-core legends battled so frequently that they began to respect one another, and they became very close friends.

At ECW's Holiday Hell '93, Funk defeated Sabu for the ECW Heavyweight Championship, and four years later at Barely Legal, Funk defeated Raven to capture the title for a second time. The night was so memorable for Funk not just because he won the ECW Championship, but also because of how the fans supported him both during and after the match.

For a man who was only a few years away from collecting a social security check, Funk gave ECW everything he had. Funk embraced the notion of helping younger competitors. He knew that in order to get the next generation of stars ready, he'd have to wrestle with and against them. And it is because of that attitude that Terry Funk was looked at as the Babe Ruth of ECW. (Credit: SciFi Channel - ECW).

Terrance "Terry" Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American professional wrestler, and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the later part of his career that inspired many later wrestlers, most notably Mick Foley.

He has held many championship titles, including the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, the latter of which was also granted to him as an honorary lifetime title.

Funk is often noted for the longevity of his career, which has included multiple "retirement" matches. He is affectionately known as "The Funker."

Return to World Wrestling Entertainment (2006)

Funk was set to wrestle at the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view on June 11. As part of the buildup to the event, Terry appeared on the May 15 edition of WWE RAW, his first appearance on WWE programming since 1998 (the match was held in Lubbock about 120 miles from Amarillo). He confronted Mick Foley over the attack of Tommy Dreamer the previous week. The two argued over whether Foley's legacy was rooted more in ECW or WWE, and ended with a brawl after Funk told Foley "WWE sucks" (a similar promo was done between the two in ECW in 1995, when Foley, as Cactus Jack, was doing a pro-WCW heel gimmick). It was confirmed on the May 22 edition of RAW that Funk and Tommy Dreamer would take on the duo of Mick Foley & Edge (with Lita) at the ECW One Night Stand Pay-Per-View. Funk was at the June 7 WWE vs. ECW Head to Head event in Tommy Dreamer's corner and he competed in a WWE vs. ECW battle royal.

At One Night Stand, Funk, Tommy Dreamer, and Beulah were defeated by the team of Edge, Mick Foley, and Lita. Midway through the match, Foley grinded his arm that was wrapped in barbed wire across Funk's eye. Funk was taken backstage complaining of an eye injury. Funk would later come back (with a bloody cloth tied over his eye) to hit Foley with a flaming 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire. He was later thrown onto the barbed wire board with Foley, and would have to be cut out of it at the end of the match via wire cutters. According to the footage of Funk's medical attention found on WWE.com, it appeared that Funk needed 5 or 6 minor stitches. However, the eye didn't seem to be harmed in any major way.

2006-present

Most recently, Funk has worked some dates on the independent circuit and in Japan. Currently, he is semi-retired. Although he claims to be retired, Funk has returned to the ring all other times he claimed retirement before this current "claim." In fact, Funk has wrestled self-described "retirement" matches in each of the last three decades (dating back to 1980) and in at least three different countries (Japan, Canada, and the United States).

Other Media

In 1999, Funk was featured in director Barry Blaustein's wrestling documentary, Beyond the Mat. His legendary toughness was attested to in the wrestling documentary when cameramen followed him to a medical appointment where he was told, by the doctor, that he shouldn't even be able to walk without intense pain. He has also appeared in other notable movies such as Road House, Paradise Alley, The Ringer, and Over the Top. He also appeared as a playable legend in the video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008. "The Funkster" just underwent knee replacement surgery. (Credit: Wikipedia).

Websites

Dory-Funk Jr. official website

SciFi Channel - ECW - Terry Funk

Australian Sports Entertainment - Terry Funk

Internet Movie Database - Terry Funk

Profiles

Dory Funk. Jr

Terry Funk Comes to The Funking Conservatory

ECW

Wrestling