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• The professional wrestling world was recently saddened by the loss of Terry Funk, who was such an inspiration and influence on so many of the wrestlers that you see today. With his passing, it has opened the door to fans exploring more of his work, and maybe even introducing some newer fans to Funk as a professional wrestler. There are many matches that are must see, and it only makes sense to explore even more of his all-time best matches in the business. Of course, some of the choices will be objective because he has such a long and extensive list of matches over his decades-long career in the industry.

The legacy of Terry Funk saw him become one of the all-time great wrestling legends thanks to his unpredictable personality and wild wrestling style. Funk was able to get it done in the ring in every way the promotion wanted him to shine. The technical wrestling matches of the 80s allowed Funk to showcase his pure skills. Funk eventually matured into a hardcore wrestler with the violent matches.

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We will look back at the best overall bouts from Funks throughout his entire career. The runs in WWE, ECW, WCW and beyond will all be in play here when it comes to his greatest hits. Each match played a role in the legacy of Funk growing so strongly.

UPDATE: 2023/09/15 07:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY

The professional wrestling world was recently saddened by the loss of Terry Funk, who was such an inspiration and influence on so many of the wrestlers that you see today. With his passing, it has opened the door to fans exploring more of his work, and maybe even introducing some newer fans to Funk as a professional wrestler. There are many matches that are must see, and it only makes sense to explore even more of his all-time best matches in the business. Of course, some of the choices will be objective because he has such a long and extensive list of matches over his decades-long career in the industry.

15 Terry Funk Vs. Cactus Jack, (IWA Japan Kawasaki - The Indie Dream 1995)

Terry Funk and Cactus Jack have been both rivals and friends throughout the course of their careers, and there isn’t a match that quite summed up their extreme chaos as this one. It was a spectacle of violence in this Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch which was both hard to watch but impossible to look away from.

The fact that this is such a classic despite a botched explosion at the end just goes to show how good this was. The pair made up for the dud finish by going for a crazy bump at the end.

14 The Funks Vs. Terry Gordy & Stan Hansen, (AJPW Super Power Series 1983)

It is hard to keep track of how many retirement matches Terry Funk had, because back in 1983, this was an intended farewell - and what a goodbye this would have been.

It was an intense brawl in which Funk perfectly showcased everything about how to play a heroic babyface in peril, fighting through blood and pain to build up the crowd and create a fantastic comeback. The crowd absolutely loved Funk, and even if he hadn’t come back and had several more decades of wonderful memories, he would’ve still been considered an all-time great.

13 Terry Funk, Beulah & Tommy Dreamer Vs. Edge, Mick Foley & Lita, (ECW One Night Stand 2006)

Terry Funk was still stealing the show all the way until 2006, because despite the other names involved here, he helped to hold this together to create an insanely fun match, which for WWE standards was more hardcore than you’d imagine.

It was a surreal throwback seeing Funk & Foley brawl into the crowd, not to mention a barbed wire board being on a WWE screen in front of a crazy passionate ECW crowd. Funk stole the show though, taking a massive bump from the top of the ladder, being bloodied open and sent to the back before a heroic return, bandaged up and wielding a flaming barbed wire 2x4. It was a great celebration of ECW for sure.

12 Terry Funk Vs. Atsushi Onita, (FMW Genten, 4th Anniversary Show)

The whole story of Onita wrestling his hero in such a brutal deathmatch scenario helped to make this a spectacle in itself, and that's before the bell even rings. Even despite the stipulation of a No Rope Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch, this match was built on respect, and it showed in the action.

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It was a brutal brawl with a lot of barbed wire spots which were hard to watch, and the ending in which Onita covered Funk from the ring explosion was iconic. Everything about this was a visual masterpiece.

11 The Funks Vs. Abdullah The Butcher & The Sheik, (AJPW World Tag League 12/13/1979)

This was an all out war fit with blood, forks, and a whole lot more blood too. These four men beat the holy hell out of each other in the 1979 AJPW World Tag League, making this feel like life and death in all truth.

There is no one pretending that this was a technical clinic, but it was a piece of emotional brilliance, as the selling in particular from Funk made him feel like the biggest hero and underdog in professional wrestling. The crowd willed him on to fight back and fight back until he couldn’t last any longer. The crowd was absolutely electric for this, elevating it even more. In terms of cagematch.net ratings, this is Funk’s highest rated match ever.

10 Terry Funk vs Stevie Richards vs The Sandman (ECW Barely Legal 1997)

The first live ECW PPV featured the company having a chance to showcase their worth to the wrestling world. Terry Funk found his way in a huge storyline with Stevie Richards and The Sandman as a triple threat match for a title shot against Raven.

All three men delivered outstanding performances that added to the importance of Barely Legal. Funk pulled off the surprise upset victory as many fans expected Sandman to win as the most consistently used main eventer of the three. The hardcore bout hit a home run with Funk’s win coming off well.

9 Terry Funk vs Bret Hart (Terry Funk Retirement Show 1997)

The retirement show of Terry Funk in 1997 featured talents from WWE, ECW and other promotions working together for one night only. Funk wrestled in the main event against WWE Champion Bret Hart in a non-title match.

Fans were all for Funk given the nature of the event. Both men showcased their stamina with a long match going back and forth. Hart pulled off the win, but he showed instant respect to Funk right after the match. Funk would end his retirement in a few months to work for WWE.

8 Terry Funk and The Great Muta vs Sting and Ric Flair (Halloween Havoc 1989)

Halloween Havoc was always a big show with major stars facing off. Four of the biggest names worked together in this tag team match of unusual partners. Sting and Ric Flair ended their rivalry for the time being to get on the same page against common enemies Terry Funk and The Great Muta.

The tag 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.

7 Terry Funk vs Tully Blanchard (Slamboree 1994)

1994 was the end of the prime of Tully Blanchard, but Terry Funk was just starting his reformation into a new character. Both men opted to ditch their typical technical wrestling of the time to have a brawl during their match at Slamboree.

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The match only went about eight minutes, but the action added to the overall entertainment factor. A double disqualification would see neither man score the victory. Funk’s violent was only starting as he joined ECW shortly after this WCW event.

6 Terry Funk vs Ric Flair (Great American Bash 1989)

The rivalry between Terry Funk and Ric Flair was one of the best wrestling stories of the 80s decade. Funk proved that he could compete at the level of Flair whom was arguably the best all-around performer in the industry around that time.

The Great American Bash 1989 event would see both men deliver a special bout for the NWA Championship. Flair picked up the victory, but Funk had one of the top performances of his career. Despite WWE having the stronger success, NWA was the place for the better main event matches.

5 Terry Funk vs Raven (ECW Barely Legal 1997)

The prior triple threat match mentioned on ECW Barely Legal 1997 would see Terry Funk earn an ECW Championship match against Raven. This main event did not last long, but it told the perfect story of emotion on the night.

Funk turned back the clock to take the victory and become the ECW Champion. Fans reacted in joy as the broadcast ended with Funk celebrating the win and the audience treating him like their hero. Paul Heyman booked the perfect finish to ending the most important PPV in company history.

4 Terry Funk vs Mick Foley (Raw: May 5, 1998)

The best Terry Funk match to come in WWE took place during an episode of Raw in 1998. Mick Foley and his former mentor Funk went toe to toe in a hardcore match fighting all over the venue while Steve Austin was on commentary.

The violent match kept the audience entertained from start to finish as the main event of Raw. Foley scored the victory overcoming the more experienced wrestler. The win helped make Foley a bigger threat to the WWE Championship during his feud with Austin.

3 Terry Funk vs Ricky Steamboat (Clash of the Champions VII)

An argument can be made that Terry Funk and Ricky Steamboat were the top two most underrated performers of the 80s. Despite never getting the same level of success as Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair, they were extremely important to the era of thriving.

Funk and Steamboat were given an outstanding opportunity in the main event of the Clash of the Champions VII event. The intensity of Funk and the babyface fire of Steamboat made the match quite compelling. It does lose some points due to the DQ finish of Steamboat winning without a pin.

2 Terry Funk vs Sabu vs Shane Douglas (ECW The Night the Line Was Crossed)

Many wrestling purists look back at this night as the time ECW truly launched as a product on its own. Terry Funk faced off with Sabu and Shane Douglas in a main event match for the ECW Championship without a winner.

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The sixty-minute time limit draw would see the match end in a draw. Funk proved he was still an elite performer leading the two newer stars to a bigger match. ECW showcased they were doing something that was not found in WWE or WCW with a match like this.

1 Terry Funk vs Ric Flair (Clash of the Champions IX)

The peak of the Ric Flair vs Terry Funk rivalry came at the Clash of the Champions IX event. Both wrestlers faced off in the main event with the unique stipulation of an “I Quit” match. Funk and Flair each got quite violent trying to make the other man give up.

Flair eventually won out by having Funk quit to the end the match, but both men were viewed as top tier superstars during these performances. Funk showcased the ability to thrive in the main event picture of an important show against the face of the company.