TERRY FUNK - INDUCTEE #115
hall of fame fast fact:
Both Dory Jr. and Terry Funk are members of WT's Hall of Champions. Did they ever face each other in the ring? "One time in Japan," Terry said. "It was the toughest match in my life. You know, trying to beat an older brother at anything is very hard. He won it."
Terry Funk
At 6-3, 240-pounds, Terry Funk followed his father and brother and became a professional wrestling champion.
Funk played football at Canyon High School, then became an offensive lineman at West Texas State under coach Joe Kerbel. Terry was an offensive guard, then tackle, and captained the 1965 team that went 6-4.
21-year-old Terry Funk won his professional debut by beating Sputnik Monroe in the Amarillo Sports Arena. Then began 42 years and 5,000 matches in the ring, a life that took Funk all over the world and made him one of the most recognizable names in his sport.
Terry Funk won numerous titles, the most prestigious being the National Wrestling Alliance championship in 1975. He championed a style called hardcore wrestling. Fans would riot after a Funk match, and during an uprising in Corpus Christi, someone stuck a knife in the back of his neck.
Funk has appeared in 15 movies, the latest being a bit part in Friday Night Lights. He also made a documentary, Beyond the Mats, and had his biography, More Than Just Hardcore, published.
