Athletes - Terry Funk

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	Athletes - Terry Funk

Terrence (Terry) Funk (born June 30, 1944 in Amarillo, Texas) is an American professional wrestler, 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 is affectionately known as "The Funker".

Career

Funk started out his career in his father Dory Funk, Sr.'s promotion in Amarillo, Texas. He and his brother Dory Funk, Jr. quickly rose the ranks and became big money wrestlers by the end of the decade. In his tenth year as a pro, Terry defeated Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, then the most important wrestling championship in the business, and began a grueling fourteen-month title reign which ended in Toronto when he was defeated by "Handsome" Harley Race who won the title for the second time. Terry Funk took some time off after his world title reign but he and his brother traveled around the country (mostly in Texas, Florida and Detroit) looking for a fight. Terry and Dory, Jr. also made a name for themselves in Japan where they became one of the top drawing foreign acts in the history of Japan. (The Funks were the first gaijins to be considered faces in Japan.) He made a name for himself with his over the top mannerisms and sometimes colorful get-ups as well as his brawling ability.

Terry made his World Wrestling Federation debut in 1985 a memorable one. in his televised debut on Championship Wrestling he not only beat Aldo Marino, but he also beat up a ring Attendant named Mel Phillips who was also at the time, one of the WWE ring announcers.

In in the mid 1980s, Funk teamed with Dory and Jimmy Jack Funk, a storyline "brother." They were managed by Jimmy Hart.

In 1989, he started a feud with Ric Flair that began when after Ric Flair beat Ricky Steamboat in a classic match at WrestleWar for the World Heavyweight Championship. Funk who was 1 of 3 judges for the main event was the first to congrulate Flair and then challenged him for the title, when Flair refused the challenge, Funk attacked him viciously that would end when Funk piledrived Flair on the table, Flair would be sidelined for 2 months with a broken neck.

In 1994, Funk promised to help the fledgling Eastern Championship Wrestling (later renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling) by lending his talent and notoriety to the promotion, which had just split from the National Wrestling Alliance. Funk maintained a regular schedule of wrestling for ECW in its early days while also competing in Japan and had many feuds and programs with wrestlers such as Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack), "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, the Sandman, Sabu and Terry's own protege, Tommy Dreamer. Terry Funk further elevated ECW by headlining their first Pay-Per-View, Barely Legal, on April 13, 1997 and winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship from Raven. He was later defeated for the title by Sabu in a much talked about barbed wire match, in which the ropes of the ring were taken down and replaced with barbed wire.

Chainsaw Charlie was the name used by Terry Funk in WWF for a short period in 1998. As Chainsaw Charlie, Funk won the WWF's World Tag Team Championship with Mick Foley (using the name Cactus Jack) at WrestleMania XIV, when they beat the New Age Outlaws in a Dumpster Match.

Funk wrestled for World Championship Wrestling in 1999 and 2000 and won the WCW Hardcore Championship and the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. He was also the WCW Commissioner at one time and the leader of the short-lived Old Age Outlaws that feuded with the nWo.

In 1999 Funk was featured in director Barry Blaustein's wrestling documentary, Beyond the Mat. He has also appeared in notable movies Roadhouse and Over the Top as well as other film credits. His legendary toughness was attested to in the wrestling documentary when cameramen followed him to a doctor's visit where he was told he shouldn't even be able to walk without intense pain.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Terry Funk ]

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Athletes - Terry Funk

Career

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