WWE celebrated the lives of Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda) and Terry Funk on last night’s episode of SmackDown.
The show opened with a 10-bell salute for both Wyatt and Funk. The roster came out to the stage for a moment of silence, with Erick Rowan being brought in for the tribute. Braun Strowman, who is currently out of action after undergoing neck fusion surgery, stood alongside Rowan as they mourned their Wyatt Family brother.
A tribute video for Wyatt played after the moment of silence. When the video ended, the crowd chanted “Thank you, Bray” and started singing “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” A spotlight was then shown on Wyatt’s rocking chair on the stage.
Cody Rhodes postponed an autograph signing appearance so he could make it to SmackDown last night. He cut a promo honoring Funk and introduced a Funk tribute video. The Street Profits then defeated The Brawling Brutes in what was billed as a Terry Funk Hardcore Tag Team Match.
The night ended with WWE continuing to celebrate the life of Wyatt. LA Knight, who was Wyatt’s last-ever opponent, defeated Finn Balor in the main event. The lights then went out and Wyatt’s lantern appeared in the ring. The fans held up their phones and again chanted “Thank you, Bray” as SmackDown went off the air.
For the first time ever on Wrestling Observer Live, former UFC star, NJPW Strong Champion and MLW Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor hosts all by his lonesome.
Observe and listen to his words about the passing of both Terry Funk & Bray Wyatt, this Sunday’s AEW All In, and all of the rest of the wrestling news of the day.
YouTube video subscribers can also watch today’s show there.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the death of Bray Wyatt and what we know about it at this time, more on the passing of Terry Funk with your questions, WrestleMania and All In ticket sale notes, Collision spoilers and tons more. A packed show live from London, check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including an hour on Terry Funk with Dave, a look at All Out, Dynamite from Wednesday, ratings and tons more. A packed, PACKED show as always, live from London, so check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Live Thursday with myself and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor is back and, as always, there’s a lot to get into — not the least of which is the passing of Terry Funk, one of the greatest professional wrestlers, if not the greatest, in the history of the universe.
We also take a look at Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, the final build to this weekend’s All In extravaganza at London’s Wembley Stadium and so much more.
The wrestling world has been paying tribute to Terry Funk in the wake of news of his passing.
Dory Funk Jr, Triple H, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and more have written tributes to Funk online.
“Every night in cities all over the world, Terry Funk left it all in the ring for our business and for the fans. An icon of our industry. My thoughts are with Terry’s family, friends and fans,” wrote Triple H.
“My Brother Terry Funk was all in with life and Loved pro wrestling and his fans- Terry has been Blessed with 2beautiful loving and supportive daughters All my Love to my brother Terry,” wrote Dory Funk Jr.
Our own Dave Meltzer commented on Funk’s passing and wrote of his legacy on the website here.
“Sorry I haven’t posted sooner. This is a very sad day. Terry Funk’s knowledge and teachings changed the way I look at so many things and changed my life. I wrote a story on the Observer site that should be up soon. RIP, best wishes to his family and to everyone in this industry because he changed so many lives you could never tally them up,” Meltzer posted to Twitter.
“New Japan Pro-Wrestling is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Funk. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go to Terry’s family, friends and fans,” NJPW wrote.
“No matter what generation of wrestling you grew up with, I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about Terry Funk. He was universally respected and loved. Terry knew what was important in this life, the way you treat people. Thinking of Terry and his family tonight,” wrote Natalya.
“The National Wrestling Alliance is saddened to hear of the passing of former Worlds Heavyweight Champion Terry Funk. Our thoughts are with our fellow fans, friends and family as tonight we remember one of the greats. Terry Funk Forever,” the NWA wrote.
CM Punk paid tribute to Funk at last night’s Collision tapings.
“Terry Funk is like an older brother to me and a master. Without him, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I freeloaded at his house for about a month, he helped me a lot. I have many memories. My deepest condolences to his family,” wrote Atsushi Onita.
“I don’t really come here ever anymore but I had to today to say that Terry Funk was the absolute best of us and that getting to be in the ring with him 10 years ago is and always will be one of the absolute highlights of my career, bar none. To this day, I still often think back on that night and shake my head in disbelief at the absolute privilege and incredible luck I had to get to be in there with him. The energy and aura that Terry Funk carried with him into the ring that night is something I had never experienced before and have not experienced since, and I’ve been in there with some pretty crazy names… I’ll never forget it. Terry Funk. Forever,” wrote Kevin Owens.
“Terry Funk was a truly unique performer for the ages that inspired and influenced so many, myself included. There was a passion and a sense of chaos in his work that was so beautiful to watch. My condolences to his friends and family. RIP,” wrote Sami Zayn.
“I’m very sad to hear of the passing of a true legend & a great person, Terry Funk. Several of us had the honor & pleasure of being at his Double Cross Ranch many years ago after a show in Amarillo, I’ll never forget that!! Words can’t explain how Terry was just GREAT on so many levels,” wrote Taz.
“10 years ago, Lance Storm & I had a match with Terry Funk & Tommy Dreamer. I vividly remember standing in the ring crying while Terry made his entrance to Desperado by The Eagles. I was so honored to be in that match with Pro Wrestling’s folk hero,” wrote Sean Waltman.
“Saddened to learn that we lost the great Terry Funk. An unbelievable performer whose passion for our industry was unmatched. Rest in peace, Terry,” wrote Jake Roberts.
Missy Hyatt shared a story about Funk as well, writing “Trivia note. When terry funk did the branding iron gimmick in wcw in 1989. He was using channele lipstick that he kept stealing from me to leave his mark on his opponent’s.”
With the passing of Terry Funk, we hurriedly put together this very special edition of the Pacific Rim Pro Wrestling Podcast.
Terry Funk made over 100 trips to Japan and Fumi Saito was there for many of them. Fumi knew Terry, interviewed him many times over his career, and even visited the Double Cross Ranch. Fumi covers Terry from the beginning at West Texas State and its influence on professional wrestling, his one match in Japan as NWA Champion, booking foreign talent for Baba, his first retirement, how his comebacks were perceived, FMW, Onita, Sabu, and some personal stories as well. RIP Terry Funk.
Terry Funk was the ultimate dichotomy: one of the most universally loved people within the wrestling business, yet one of the greatest working heels in its history.
Terry passed away this morning. He had been in poor health ever since surgery in 2016 when he suffered a hernia. The doctor ordered bed rest after surgery, but Tommy Dreamer was promoting some shows, and Dreamer was like a son to him. He didn’t want to miss the shots, but the drive that led to his being a one-of-a-kind performer was his undoing. Damage was done and one specialist after another was never able to fully fix it. The man who probably told me a dozen or more times over more than 30 years that he was going to retire, only to always change his mind, was in his 70s and the instincts to perform were still there.
The second hit, and by far the worst, was the death of his wife Vicki in 2018. He told me he was in love with her when they were in the same class in sixth grade. They were together from that point on, went to college where he was a football star and she was a cheerleader, and got married amongst a good deal of local publicity.
Their love story had its stumbling blocks. They divorced while he was traveling the world as NWA world champion. In 1977, while holding the title that signified him being one of the top guys in the business, he voluntarily gave it up to win Vicki back. He got the most important win of his career when they got back together and remarried.
She appreciated wrestling, but I can recall sitting with her during a bloodbath match and her telling me as her husband was in the ring with barbed wire, that she sometimes, like at that moment, hated pro wrestling. Terry would do anything to get a match over and get his opponent over. He never bragged about being the best worker. He didn’t have to. But he did have confidence in his instincts. In 1989, in Nashville, when he was preparing to shoot the angle with Ric Flair that lauded him all kinds of awards, he knew that many in WCW thought he was too old and too injured and were critical of the idea of bringing him back in the top heel slot. He told me right before he shot the angle that those people didn’t understand because it was going to draw money. WCW was not doing well at the time, but Flair-Funk was the best drawing series WCW had until many years later.
He had supreme confidence in his ability to get over and his instincts. Until he realized one night that things had changed. He was working a WWF taping, a Shotgun Saturday Night show. He was just a guy booked on the show. But he knew exactly how he would steal the show and be more than just a face in the crowd. He did his thing, and the small crowd reacted. Then he went home and watched it. The TV cameras never focused on him, and what he was doing to get over to the live crowd wasn’t aired. He wasn’t the chosen one. After that show, he told me that things had changed and that the only way to get over was if they wanted you over. Ironically, today, with the current audience, he probably would have proven his own statement wrong.
His passing will immediately bring forth a flood of memories for any wrestling fan over multiple decades. It goes without saying he was one of the greatest wrestlers who ever lived. But he went through a career of different roles, different looks, and different style of performances, all based on time and place. For many, including myself, he was one of the great teachers. He was always accepting of changes but never forgot the past.
He knew how to flash a smile in the right way and make you like him. He had a brilliant memory. He knew how to talk to garner whatever the emotion was he was looking for. He was not afraid to take chances in the ring and on angles. He would note that some of the things he was most famous for in the 80s, like pouring motor oil over his head in doing a racist angle against Mexicans that would never fly today, or the legendary and brilliant empty arena match with Jerry Lawler, were, in his mind not great angles because they didn’t draw money.
He was the son of a local wrestling legend, Dory Funk Sr., who was also the lead promoter of the Amarillo territory which he and his brother later ran after his father’s death in 1973. He grew up with the idea of protecting the business, including his father at times having him do police work, like giving real life beatings to people who wanted to be wrestlers like the horror stories you hear about Eddie Graham in Florida. It was a different world. When he was a kid and out to dinner he remembered someone going up to his father, a college wrestler and real-life tough guy, and saying wrestling was fake. There was no discussion, or argument, his father gave the man a vicious beating.
In time, he would have mixed feelings about things like that. He didn’t like the bullying, but it was about time and place. That’s what he thought of wrestling. I’ve been backstage with him at shows and he was peeking through the curtain during the prelim matches, studying what the crowd was and wasn’t reacting to. His performances were instinctive, not planned, past understanding the destination and figuring out the best way to get there. You wouldn’t fully know what a Terry Funk match would be because so much of it was about what he thought the crowd was reacting to and how to take them where he wanted them to be. He had the ability to go into a new territory and in his first match, within seconds, get the crowd going crazy.
When he was in Japan in the 80s during the heyday of the Crush Gals, the idea was that women’s wrestling was something put on for teenage girls. The idea of 130-pound women being serious wrestlers was scoffed at by most of the male fans and almost all of the talent. Terry Funk and Bruiser Brody were very different, both saying that they were better than the men. What they were doing was not something to ignore and scoff at – they were a window to the future. While most dismissed Lucha Libre as something too fake because of all the flying and in-ring rhythm, he, likely because he would regularly work in El Paso, across the border from Ciudad Juarez, was ahead of the curve.
While many of his era hated working with Mil Mascaras for a variety of reasons, Funk would always praise him for his different style, and at the end of the day, because Mascaras could draw money. In the end, drawing money was the key.
Funk was a good college football player at West Texas State, good enough to get NFL tryouts but not good enough to be an NFL player. He broke into wrestling after college, and because of his college football background and his father being a promoter, was pushed as a star from the start. Within a few years, he was one of the biggest stars in the world.
He went all over from 1969 to 1973 as the younger and crazier brother of NWA world champion Dory Funk Jr. His role was to go into a territory, cut great promos, be a complete wild heel and threaten to maim the local top babyfaces. The idea was that he was wilder and more of a street fighter than his brother, and tougher. So when the top babyface beat Terry, an international star, the fans would think he could beat Dory in a later title match.
His reputation from main events during the Dory Jr. era made him a top contender during the Jack Brisco era, and when Brisco burned out on the travel, the Board of Directors voted 4-3 for him over Harley Race to be the next champion, with the promise that when it came time for Funk to lose, Race would be the guy.
His accomplishments in the ring would take a book. Funk’s knowledge and instincts and open mindedness made him a walking encyclopedia. Multiple people in wrestling will tell you this, and I would be one of them. His teachings changed our lives in the most positive of ways.
The last few years were not kind to him. He loved to travel and see his friends and he no longer could. He loved to talk and keep in touch, and eventually he no longer could. At least to his closest friends, this was a day we knew was coming and a day we dreaded. The knowledge of that made today no easier.
Sometimes people say when a sports or entertainment icon passes away that there will never be another. In this case, those words are true, because wrestling is about time and place. He had his time and place from his 20s into his 50s, and even in his 60s could do an appearance and for one night it was Terry Funk’s time and place. Those times and those places were always different and for that reason, there will never be another.
One of the most beloved professional wrestlers of all time has died.
Terry Funk passed away today at 79 years old.
Mick Foley wrote on social media that the news was confirmed to him by Funk’s daughter Brandee.
“Terry Funk is gone. I just talked to Terry’s daughter, Brandee, who gave me the awful news,” Foley wrote. “He was my mentor, my idol, one of (my) closest friends. He was the greatest wrestler I ever saw.”
“If you get the chance, look up a Terry Funk match or a Terry Funk promo, and give thanks that this incredible man gave so much, for so long, to so many. There will never be another like him. May God bless Terry, his friends, family and all who loved him. RIP my dear friend – it was an honor to know you,” he continued.
The wrestling world has been paying tribute to Funk in the wake of news of his passing:
In My Entire Life, I’ve Never Met A Guy Who Worked Harder. Terry Funk Was A Great Wrestler, Entertainer, Unbelievably Fearless, And A Great Friend! Rest In Peace My Friend Terry Funk Knowing That No One Will Ever Replace You In The World Of Professional Wrestling! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/EYMAKOzxnx
Not only were you the most amazing pro wrestler ever, you were the most incredible human being. Godspeed, Funker ❤️ My thoughts are with your family, friends & fans. You’ll be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/DaIpIp3Ass
Just heard that Terry Funk is gone. Truly heartbroken over this. He has known me since I was a child. He was an incredible mentor and friend. Love him so much and sad to see him go. I know he is no longer in pain and has probably rekindled his war with Pops in heaven. Rest easy…
Considered one of the greatest workers and on interviews in wrestling history, Funk was inducted into the inaugural Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Funk has been honored by numerous other wrestling organizations as well including The Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1995), WCW Hall of Fame (1995), NWA Hall of Fame (2009), and the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame (2010).
Funk also was given the Iron Mike Mazurki Award by the Cauliflower Alley Club in 2005 and The Hardcore Hall of Fame that same year. He was inducted into the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2021
He also received The Tokyo Sports Lifetime Achievement Award in 1983.
Round two of the DKK Greatest Kayfabe Tournament continues to ask the question: if wrestling were real (not a shoot but if the characters as presented on TV were real), who would win?
Two legends collide this episode with multi-time world champions Terry Funk vs. Triple H. Both are legendary brawlers having been involved in some of the most famous matches ever.
Can the former NWA and ECW World Champion beat the former multi-time WWE Champion?
Terry Funk, who just turned 77 on 6/30, has been moved into an assisted living home, which is really heartbreaking to hear.
On the Terry Funk twitter account, a note was posted after Don Muraco has spoken about hearing about Funk’s issues on his podcast after hearing from Scott Casey, who was going to visit him in Amarillo.
“Yes, Mr. Funk is currently receiving residential care for his multiple health issues, which do affect his mind as well as the rest of his body. As you can imagine, some days are better than others. He and his family appreciate all of your kind words.”
Funk was a genius when it came to crowd psychology and working and one of the greatest all-around to ever do it.
Muraco stated that Funk has advanced dementia. I talked with Funk about two months ago and we had a great conversation and at that time I would not call what he had advanced dementia. But he had been having problems dating back a few years. He had been having physical problems for much longer, particularly after he made the mistake of flying to work on a Tommy Dreamer show years ago leaving the hospital after hernia surgery. He was told not to travel but he had the mentality that you don’t miss a booking and from a personal level he was very close to Dreamer so that was a booking he wasn’t going to miss. But he was in so much pain and the abdominal hernia never recovered, and he almost never traveled after that point even though he wanted to attend events like the Cauliflower Alley Club and see his old friends each year.
Through his Twitter account, a representative for Terry Funk provided an update on the legend’s health status.
Following Don Muraco saying on his podcast that Funk is in an assisted living facility for those dealing with dementia, PWInsider confirmed and said Funk “has been dealing with issues for some time that have gotten progressively worse over the last year in the wake of the passing of his wife Vickie.”
After word got around and tributes on Twitter began to increase, several people noted that Funk might not be as bad as the news initially indicated.
“Yes, Mr. Funk is currently receiving residential care for his multiple health issues, which do affect his mind as well as the rest of his body. As you can imagine, some days are better than others. He & his family appreciate all of your kind words! FOREVER!”
Terry Funk is currently recovering from COVID-19, according to Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Meltzer said the 76-year-old recently contracted the virus and is doing fine outside being in isolation. The Amarillo, Texas, resident believes he got it from attending church recently.
“The Hardcore Legend” canceled a scheduled appearance at the March 2020 Big Event convention in New York City due to health reasons. It was reported earlier this year that he wasn’t doing well with Dustin Rhodes tweeting that Funk was experiencing “a lot of pain” in his hip but that “he’s a tough SOB.”
Funk last wrestled in 2017 and had performed sparingly in the years leading up to that event. He last famously made some 2016 dates following hernia surgery despite his doctor said he needed to take it easy.
A fixture in wrestling for nearly 60 years, Funk is a multiple-time Hall of Famer and has won singles or tag team titles in every major organization he has been part of.
We return to the retro Underground episodes this week as MLW takes a break from current-day action. This week. MLW revisits a vicious encounter between longtime rivals in Jerry “The King” Lawler and Terry Funk.
Jimmy Yang defeated Sonjay Dutt (11:22)
This was Dutt’s high-flying debut in MLW before he competed in their upcoming Junior Heavyweight championship tournament. This was great and a real showcase for Dutt. Yang got the win, but Dutt stood out and was given a lot of offense to show what he can do.
The action quickly exploded as Dutt hit a tilt-a-whirl/around the world headscissors and an enormous springboard corkscrew high crossbody to the floor which must have been very close to 15 feet in the air.
Yang, who was playing the lazy and cocky heel, nearly took Dutt’s head off with a spinning heel kick to retake control.
Dutt fired up with a middle rope springboard legdrop, a tilt-a-whirl DDT and a top rope hurricanrana but couldn’t put Yang away. He had another great close near fall after a 450 somersault and hurricanrana from the top rope, but Yang kicked out as the crowd were on their feet.
Dutt then got caught with a rib breaker coming off the top rope. Yang quickly went up top himself and hit a big corkscrew moonsault to pick up the win in this fantastic opener.
— We heard from CM Punk who was unknowingly cutting a promo with Raven listening behind him. After Punk badmouthed him and said his piece on being straight edge, Raven gave him a swift kick to the face, flooring the future WWE star.
— We saw a highlight video of the ongoing feud between Sabu and Christopher Daniels (also featuring James Mitchell and Mikey Whipwreck). Spikes to the eyes, fireballs and car doors to the head were all featured before we heard that Daniels and Sabu would meet in a “spike match” match next week followed by a loser leaves town match shortly after.
Jerry Lawler defeated Terry Funk in a $10,000 Bounty match (time N/A due to edits and commercial breaks)
Lawler had been hired by MLW World Champion Steve Corino to end Funk’s career so he would not be able to challenge for the title.
In his pre-match promo from earlier in the night, Funk recalled back to their empty arena match from Memphis when Lawler jabbed the end of a stick in his eye. Lawler said he hated Funk more than anyone else in the wrestling business and was ready to end his career when he took the mic before the match.
Styles hyped up their previous historical battles in Texas and Memphis so this was set up as having all the ingredients for a brutal and bloody clash.
After an early commercial break, we were back to see Funk knock Lawler down with a series of jabs. The action went to the floor as Funk piledrove him twice on the hardwood floor in the aisle. As Funk was coming back to ringside, Simon Diamond snuck out and wrapped Lawler’s fist in barbed wire which he used to bust open Funk across the forehead.
After another commercial break, we were back in the ring with Funk hitting two stunners and a neckbreaker for a two count. Funk whipped Lawler to the corner but as he came back in, Lawler double-legged him and got his feet on the ropes with a jackknife pin for the quick and shocking three count.
Immediately as the bell sounded, Diamond and CW Anderson jumped Funk and kicked him out of the ring.
Lawler got on the mic, thanked the Extreme Horsemen and was about to leave when Diamond told him they weren’t paying him to pin Funk and win the match. Rather, they are paying him to beat Funk up and take him out of wrestling. Lawler clarified by saying Corino called him and that he was paying him to beat Funk which he did. He then demanded his money, but Diamond said the deal was Funk had to at least be taken out in an ambulance for Lawler to get any of it.
Getting more and more frustrated, Lawler demanded a “yes or no” answer to whether he was getting paid or not. When Diamond confirmed no, Lawler clocked them both with right hands and a pair of stunners.
A masked man, who Styles called out as Corino (Corino was currently suspended and banned from the building for this match), ran to the ring and along with Anderson and Diamond, they began a 3-on-1 beatdown on “The King.”
Funk recovered and the two teamed up to clear the ring of the Horsemen. Styles was pretty heavy on calling the masked man Corino so I thought a twist was surely on its way which there was…sort of.
Funk clobbered the masked “Corino” with a chair and began unmasking him. Styles was yelling that Corino was going to be unmasked and stripped of the title for breaking his suspension, exposed in front of the crowd, etc. Suddenly, a second masked man came in and clobbered both Funk and Lawler with a chair.
The Sandman and “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, who were feuding with Anderson and Diamond, then entered the melee to make the save and hit a pair of Oklahoma Stampede powerslams.
Funk and Lawler then turned to each other again and had to be restrained by Sandman and Williams as they started going for each other’s eyes, harkening back to their legendary Memphis match.
The Horsemen then challenged the four in the ring to War Games. Lawler and Funk agreed they had a common enemy, shook hands, and agreed to partner up.
Final Thoughts:
This was a nice little bit of nostalgia in between two major current-day MLW episodes. The Dutt-Yang match was a high flying spectacle and Funk-Lawler bell-to-bell was decent while it lasted. The post-match chaos had an ECW feel to it which is good now and again and built toward their War Games match (that Lawler wasn’t part of in the end).
I was sure we were going to see either Corino using the masked man as a distraction to jump the babyfaces or a babyface being the masked man, but it was still a good entertaining segment to finish the show. This was one of the better Underground episodes they have aired recently so it’s one to check out on their YouTube.
Next week:
National Openweight Champion Alex Hammerstone vs. Mil Muertes for the title
IWA Caribbean Champion Richard Holliday vs. Gino Medina for the title
