Terry Funk
Terrance Dee Funk (June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an American professional wrestler. Considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Funk was known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – and the influential hardcore wrestling style he pioneered in the latter part of his career.
| Terry Funk | |
|---|---|
Funk as NWA World Heavyweight Champion in 1976 | |
| Birth name | Terrance Dee Funk |
| Born | June 30, 1944 Hammond, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | August 23, 2023 (aged 79) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Alma mater | West Texas State University |
| Spouse(s) |
Vicki Weaver
(m. 1965; died 2019) |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Dory Funk Sr. (father) Dory Funk Jr. (brother) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Black Baron Chainsaw Charlie Dr Knows-it-All Terry Funk The Texan |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Billed weight | 247 lb (112 kg) |
| Billed from | Amarillo, Texas |
| Trained by | Dory Funk |
| Debut | 1965 |
| Retired | 2017 |
Over the course of his career, Funk wrestled for numerous major promotions, among them All Japan Pro Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, the International Wrestling Association of Japan, Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, the United States Wrestling Association, World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories including Big Time Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Georgia Championship Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling. He was the promoter of the Amarillo-based Western States Sports promotion.
Championships held by Funk included the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Heavyweight Championship, USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, WWF World Tag Team Championship, and ECW World Television Championship. He headlined ECW's premier annual pay-per-view event, November to Remember, three times. Funk was inducted into multiple halls of fame, among them WWE, WCW, NWA, and Hardcore.