Terry Funk

At 79 years old, Terry Funk has this physical status:

Professional wrestling career

Funk began his career in 1965, working in his father Dory Funk's Western States Sports promotion in Amarillo, Texas. On December 9, his first match was against Sputnik Monroe. Dory Funk Jr. and his brother, Dory Funk Jr., soared to the top of the charts as a team and in single matches against top names such as Ernie Ladd and Hank James. By the end of the decade, they were all wealthy wrestlers.

Terry defeated Jack Brisco in the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Miami in 1975, when Dory failed to appear for a championship shot. He began his fourteen-month title defense against Jack Brisco, Dusty Rhodes, Carlos Rocha, Giant Baba, Giant Baba, and Pat O'Connor. He defended the belt in Australia, Japan, and Singapore, in comparison to North America. He was disqualified in Toronto by "Handsome" Harley Race, who had earlier defeated Dory, Jr. for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship before losing it to Jack Brisco. Funk was able to get a shinbreaker before being trapped in an Indian death leglock. The match was called off if Funk was unable to respond to referee Fred Atkins.

Terry spent some time in the Continental Wrestling Association feuding with Jerry Lawler in 1981. In April 1981 at the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, the most memorable match in this feud took place. Lance Russell, a cameraman, and a photographer were both present in the crowded arena. Funk had asked Lawler to this match because he felt he was unfairly treated in Memphis. Funk only lasted a few minutes, and ended with Funk trying to pull Lawler's eye out with a broken 2x4. But the guy kicked Funk's elbow, causing him to punch himself in the eye. On April 25, 1981, the tape first aired.

In Japan, Terry and Dory, Jr., as a result of their fame. Terry made a name for himself in the eyes of Japanese fans, with his over the top demeanor, often colorful get-ups, and his brawling skills. The Funks in Japan were in elution until they met The Sheik and Abdullah The Butcher in Tokyo. Stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody, and Giant Baba were among the two characters later in memorable feuds.

After a brief stint in the AWA, Terry Funk made his World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debut in 1985. In his televised debut on Championship Wrestling, he not only defeated Aldo Marino, but also defeated Ring announcer Mel Phillips. After Phillips made the mistake of wearing Funk's cowboy hat, Funk retaliated against Phillips. Funk also had the advantage of taking a branding iron with him to ringside and using it to "brand" his deceased rivals. The assault on Phillips resulted in a rivalry with Junkyard Dogs. Funk, Dory (calling himself "Hoss") and Jimmy Jack Funk became a "brother" in the mid-1980s. Jimmy Hart was in charge of them. At the time, Terry Funk and Hoss Funk were a tense rivalry with the Junkyard Dog, which culminated in a match between Terry Funk and Hoss Funk, as well as the team of Tito Santana and Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania 2. Terry had a string of WWF championship matches against Hulk Hogan. In April 1986, Funk joined the WWF.

Funk joined World Championship Wrestling in 1989 and became a member of the J-Tex Corporation. He began feuding with Ric Flair, who had defeated Ricky Steamboat at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Funk, one of three judges in the main event, challenged Flair to a title match. Flair denied, saying that Funk was "spending time in Hollywood" rather than focusing on wrestling. On a ringside table, funk was then attacked, stacking Flair. Flair, the champion, was held out of action until the Great American Bash, where he met Funk. Flair won the game by reversing a tiny package into one of his own, but Gary Hart and The Great Muta followed him shortly after. Sting came to assist Flair, and the two performers fought with Funk and Muta to close the performance. Funk was wounded, but Ric Flair has revived the feud. Funk then lost after screaming "Yes, I quit!" at Clash of the Champions IX. After Flair brought on the Figure four leglock, he took the plunge. Dave Meltzer gave this match a 5-star rating. After Flair and Sting defeated Muta and Dick Slater at Battle of the Champions VIII, a significant portion of the feud occurred on television, when Funk used a real plastic shopping bag to suffocate Flair. After losing a Clash of Champions match against Flair, he shook Flair's hand and was confronted by Gary Hart's stable. A tuxedo clad Funk, both face and heel, will amiably interview the top stars of WCW shortly after he became a color commentator and host of his own segment Funk's Grill. This didn't last long, and he left the USWA soon after.

Funk appeared in WCW and fought Tully Blanchard to a double disqualification at Slamboree 1994, and later that night, he became a member of Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable. The stable, as well as Bunkhouse Buck, Arn Anderson, and Meng, will focus on Dusty and Dustin Rhodes, as well as The Nasty Boys, which will culminate in a War Games match at Fall Brawl.

Terry Funk will compete for the first time in 1994 in Japan's fledgling IWA Japan wrestling promotion. Funk will continue to participate in the IWA's most coveted event, the King of the Death Match Tournament, held in Kawasaki on August 20, 1995. Funk will first defeat Leatherface and Tiger Jeet Singh in extreme-style matches that featured barbed wire wrapped boards, glass, and chains before moving on to the tournament's finals. Funk was defeated in the finals by protégé Cactus Jack, later known by American audiences as Mick Foley, in a No Ropes Barbed Wire Boards & Exploding Ring Time Bomb Death Match. Terry will also compete in several other deathmatches during 1995.

Funk's style evolved from wrestling traditional southern style wrestling matches to the more brutal style of hardcore wrestling later in his career. Funk promised to assist the fledgling Eastern Championship Wrestling or ECW) in 1993, after a special appearance against Blanchard at World Championship Wrestling's Slamboree, by lending his talent and notoriety to the cause. Terry and Dory Funk lost a barbed wire match against The Public Enemy on July 16, 16-18. While competing in Japan, Funk maintained a regular schedule of wrestling for ECW in the early days. He had many rivalries and grappled with wrestlers such as Cactus Jack, "The Franchise," Shane Douglas, The Sandman, Sabu, and Terry's own protege, Tommy Dreamer.

Funk further boosted ECW by lining their first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, who took the ECW World Heavyweight Championship from Raven on April 13, 1997. He defeated The Sandman and Stevie Richards in a Triple Threat match earlier in the night, earning him the match with Raven. Funk continued to win in Chapter 2's Battles, The Buffalo Invasion, Wrestlepalooza, and Heat Wave. He was eventually disqualified from the title by Sabu in a barbed wire brace match at Born to be Wired in August 1997, in which the ropes of the ring were pulled down and replaced with barbed wire. Both men had to be cut out of the wires at the end of the game. Sabu's biceps were clearly broken open by the barbed wire as a result, the wound was taped up and the match continued.

A show was held in Amarillo, Funk's hometown, in September 1997. It was titled "Terry Funk's WrestleFest" and it was both his own display and a celebration of Terry, his father, and his brother's careers. In the main event, a non-title match, Terry lost to then WWF Champion Bret Hart. However, ECW owner Paul Heyman presented Terry with a belt purchased by wrestlers on the ECW roster, naming him the Lifetime ECW World Heavyweight Champion before the match.

Funk's deposition lasted just 11 days before returning to the ring. Funk, who spent time in Japan with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and on the United States independent circuit (mostly a match with Rik Ratchet that attracted many viewers on the east coast), has rejoined the World Wrestling Federation. Funk appeared on the WWF's December 29, 1997 episode as the masked "Chainsaw Charlie" (although the announcers soon revealed his identity), teaming with Mick Foley who was wrestling under his Cactus Jack costume, who was wrestling under his Cactus Jack costume. Charlie and Jack began feud with The New Age Outlaws, where they were disqualified by them on January 26, 1998.

On Raw, Charlie and Jack would face each other for the first week, with the match ending in a no contest after the Outlaws would ban both men from entering a dumpster and then throwing it off the stage. No Way Out of Texas: Charlie and Jack will team up with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Owen Hart in Your House, defeating Triple H, Savio Vega, and the Outlaws. Charlie and Jack would defeat the Outlaws in a Dumpster match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania XIV. Following night, on the following night of Raw, Charlie and Jack, they will lose the titles back to the Outlaws in a Steel Cage match.

Funk will be seen wrestling as himself and as a team with 2 Cold Scorpios on April 13th. The team will be short lived, with them defeating the likes of The Quebecers and The Midnight Express. Funk will be defeated by Foley in a Falls Count Anywhere match on May 4th on Raw's May 4 episode. Funk will be defeated by Mark Henry in a King of the Ring qualifier match on June 1st. On the July 25 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, Funk then formed a short lived tag team with Justin Bradshaw, defeating Too Much. Funk and Bradshaw will be defeated by Faarooq and Scorpio, with Bradshaw attacking Funk after the match. As he will officially retire from wrestling, Funk's last match in WWF will be decided on.

Funk was reported to have been Tommy Dreamer's mystery partner against Justin Credible and Jack Victory at ECW November to Remember. However, Jake Roberts turned out to be the mystery partner. In late 1998 and early 1999, an enraged Funk assaulted Dreamer at every opportunity. Funk, on the other hand, went down sick before they could play, and Funk "retired" in mid-1999.

Funk appeared on television in 2000 and 2001, winning the WCW Hardcore Championship three times (which is the company's record) and the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship for the second time. He was also the WCW Commissioner on Monday's episode on Monday, and was the pioneer of the short-lived Old Age Outlaws (Funk, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, and Paul Orndorff) who clashed with the nWo.

Funk was a regular top star for Ring of Honor Wrestling and Major League Wrestling from 2002 to 2004. In special matches involving a No. Ropes Barbed Wire Death Match and a 5 on 5 WarGames match, Funk had several battles with the likes of CM Punk, the Extreme Horsemen (Steve Corino, C. W. Anderson, Justin Credible, and Simon Diamond). Funk was assaulted by his former boss Gary Hart and his syndicate on MLW's last show before 2017. Funk appeared in the annual show The Battle Fortress, a UK wrestling company, featured Funk in November 2004. In a 6-Man Tag Team match against The Triad, managed by Greg Lambert, he teamed with Paul Burchill and Paul Travell, as a result of "The Twisted Genius" Dean Ayass' management. In front of a crowd of 2,000 people in the Coventry Skydome, Funk's crew emerged victorious. Funk received a call from World Wrestling Entertainment in 2005 to attend One Night Stand, but it was turned down in favour of watching the ECW nostalgia show Hardcore Homecoming, which had been put together by Shane Douglas. Funk lost a three-way barbed wire match to Sabu at Hardcore Homecoming.

The Sandman, Funk, and Punk were all entangled at The Gathering on February 4, 2004, (CM Punk and Julio Dinero). The Gathering, which was defeated by NWA-TNA, Funk and Raven on February 18, 2004 (CM Punk and Julio Dinero).

Funk made an unannounced appearance at a house show for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on May 23, 2009. For a match between Scott Steiner and Samoa Joe, Terry joined longtime friend Mick Foley as special guest enforcers.

Funk appeared on Raw's May 15 episode for a brief time in 2006, confronting Mick Foley about the assault on Tommy Dreamer on the previous weeks episode of Raw. Funk will compete against Foley, Edge, and Lita in a losing effort against Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty at ECW One Night Standout. Foley injured Funk's left eye with barbed wire midway through the game, and Funk was taken backstage. He returned to the game (with a bloody cloth tied over his eye) to smash Foley with a flaming 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire.

Funk and his brother Dory were inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 by his longtime friend Dusty Rhodes. Funk inducted Mick Foley into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Funk made a cameo appearance on Raw's March 21, 2016, giving Dean Ambrose a pep-talk for his match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32. Funk finished the segment by wielding a chainsaw in reference to his previous gimmick as Chainsaw Charlie.

Funk revived his appearance at the WWE One Night Stand and made Japanese appearances. In an Extreme Rules match against Jerry "The King" Lawler in September 2006, he claimed to be semi-retired after wrestling in his last match against The Great Plains Coliseum in Lawton, Oklahoma, promoting Impact Zone Wrestling. During the Raven and Johnny Webb vs. Khan Kussion and Homeless Jimmy match on "Cold Day in Hell," Funk was also the special guest referee. Terry made a surprise appearance at Insane Clown Posse's Juggalo Championship Wrestling at the 10th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos on August 8. For a match between Viscera and 2 Tuff Tony, he served as special guest referee. Funk also appeared at the annual NJPW January 4 Dome Show in 2010, working with Manabu Nakanishi, Masahiro Chono, and Riki Choshu to beat Abdullah the Butcher, Takashi Ishii, Toru Yano. In a match between Kevin Nash and Hannibal in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in May 2010, Funk was supposed to be the special guest referee. Funk and Hannibal's altercation caused an altercation that may have fractured Funk's eardrum during the press conference to announce his presence, and may have harmed Funk's headdrum.

Funk was the ringside enforcer for the ROH World Championship match between Tyler Black and Roderick Strong on September 11, 2010, at Ring of Honor's Glory By Honor IX. Funk appeared at the fifth WrestleReunion exhibition at the LAX Hilton in Los Angeles, California, from January 28 to October 30, 2011. On the second day of the competition, he competed in a Legends Battle Royale on the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show. He survived until Roddy Piper was eliminated at the end. On October 1, 2011, Funk wrestled Jerry Lawler unsuccessfully in a "No holds barred contest" for Northeast Wrestling. Funk never met his longtime friend and protégé Tommy Dreamer at the AWE "Night Of Legends" festival on October 15, 2011. Funk said in a shoot interview conducted the next day starring himself and Dreamer, that he believes that would be his last match. Funk announced that he had officially retired from professional wrestling at the age of 68 on January 12, 2013. However, it would appear that Funk would come out of retirement. Funk returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling, fighting with Dory in a tag team match, where they defeated Masanobu Fuchi and Osamu Nishimura to a twenty-minute time limit draw. Funk appeared at House of Hardcore 3 as Tommy Dreamer's tag team partner on November 9, 2013. They defeated Sean Waltman and Lance Storm, and the match was billed as the last match between Dreamer and Funk.

Funk, Masakatsu Funaki, and Mil Máscaras all participated in a Tokyo Gurentai independence festival on December 11, 2014, defeating Kaz Hayashi, Nosawa Rongai, and Yoshiaki Fujiwara in a six-man tag team main event. Funk performed at the Little Cleveland event on October 16, 2015, when he assaulted Eddie Kingston and his boss, The Duke, destroying the concession stand in the process. Funk lost by DQ in his last match at USA Championship Wrestling in Jackson, Tennessee, on October 24, 2015. Funk resigned at House of Hardcore 17, who died on September 17, 2016. Funk made his second appearance in Raleigh, North Carolina, on September 22, 2017. In a six-man tag team match, he competed with Doug Gilbert, Jerry Lawler, and Lawler's son Brian Christopher, who was disqualified by disqualification.

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