Wrestling legend Terry Funk, whose career spanned five decades, has passed away at the age of 79. Funk was widely considered the father of hardcore wrestling and a mentor to Mick Foley. He was known for the ‘goofy’ or crazy element he brought to wrestling, but he was also considered a wild man in the ring and a great fighter. Funk provided his sport with some of the more memorable moments in its history, but also transcended wrestling and entered the doors of Hollywood. He appeared alongside some of the greats of the movie industry, including Patrick Swayze and Sylvester Stallone, and also made a name for himself in television.
Terry Funk has had many great matches throughout his career, but one of his most famous matches was against Ric Flair in 1989 at the Halloween Havoc. The match was a tag team match with Terry Funk and The Great Muta against Sting and Ric Flair. The bout took place in a Thunderdome match with the legendary Bruno Sammartino as the special guest referee. Sting and Flair picked up the win as their star power was clearly bigger. Funk and Muta played the perfect foes in the underrated main event match.
Terry Funk was one of the most influential performers in the history of professional wrestling. He was responsible for bringing a level of credibility to ECW in its early days of operation, which was rewarded when he won the ECW World Championship at the promotion’s first PPV, Barely Legal in 1997. Funk’s involvement with ECW helped to establish it as a legitimate wrestling promotion and paved the way for future stars like Rob Van Dam and Sabu.
Funk’s death was confirmed by his manager Timothy Beal and WWE. He had been battling dementia in recent years and living in an assisted living facility.
