Funk’s career spanned five decades, during which he wrestled for nearly a dozen different promotions, exploding into the mainstream in 1975 with a 420-day run as NWA champion.
Terry Funk, the legendary professional wrestler whose long career in the ring was defined by the “hardcore” style he helped pioneer, has died. He was 79.“Revered by fans and peers across the globe for his tenacity, heart and longevity, Funk will be remembered as one of the toughest competitors to ever step inside the squared circle,” the promotion said.
Funk wrestled for nearly a dozen different promotions over the course of his 50-year career, debuting with Western States Sports—then owned by his father, Dory Funk—in 1965. His early career was defined by his tag-team partnership with his brother, Dory Funk Jr. The pair rose through the ranks and became known as brawlers with colorful promos both in the U.S. and Japan.
Funk and his brother were signed to WWE, then called the WWF, in 1985. His first run was brief, lasting roughly a year, but he would return to Vince McMahon’s promotion several times in subsequent decades. It was in the WWF’s so-called “Attitude Era” of the 1990s that Funk would later be able to popularize the “hardcore” death match style he favored in the ring, bloodying his opponents with barbed wire, chairs, and well-timed pile-drives through tables.
“In My Entire Life, I’ve Never Met A Guy Who Worked Harder,” Flair tweeted on Wednesday. “Terry Funk Was A Great Wrestler, Entertainer, Unbelievably Fearless, And A Great Friend!”
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