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Terry Funk: Legend & Hall of Famer Honored by Wrestling Community

The wrestling world mourns the loss of legend Terry Funk, who passed at the age of 79 - with tributes pouring in from WWE, AEW, NWA & more.


The professional wrestling world is reeling from the loss of legend Terry Funk, who passed at the age of 79 on August 23rd. In a career spanning over five decades, the Texas grappler wrestled all over the world across every single promotion until his retirement in 2017. Trained by his father Dory Funk Sr, made his debut in 1965 for Dory's Western States Sports promotion. From 1970, Funk had runs in Championship Wrestling from Florida, All Japan Pro Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment), World Championship Wrestling, National Wrestling Alliance, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and Total Nonstop Action (now Impact Wrestling).

Terry Funk, Arguably The Greatest Wrestler Of All Time, Has Passed
Image: WWE Screencap

Terry Funk: Wrestling Legend Personified

Funk also amassed numerous screen credits across film and television, with his Hollywood debut in the 1978 film Paradise Alley. He would go on to make memorable film appearances on Road House (1989), Over the Top (1987), Friday Night Lights (2004), and The Ringer (2005). On the television side, he had a recurring role as Prometheus Jones in the Western series Wildside, and he would also appear in Swamp Thing, Quantum Leap (Scott Bakula-starred series), The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr, and Thunder in Paradise. His final TV appearance was in a 2021 episode of Vice's docuseries Dark Side of the Ring as himself. Funk was inducted into several halls of fame, including Hardcore (2005), NWA (2009), International Professional Wrestling (2021), Stampede Wrestling (1995), WCW (1995), and WWE (2009). He's a two-time NWA/WCW US Heavyweight Champion and two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion on top of his other championships, which includes a WWE Tag Team Championship run with Mick Foley (aka Cactus Jack). Several personalities and promotions paid tribute to the Funkster across WWE, Dark Side of the Ring, NWA, All Elite Wrestling, Ric Flair, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Dory Funk Jr., Foley, and more.

Tributes from the Wrestling World

Here's a look at just some of the honors, tributes & fond memories that were shared not just from across the wrestling world but also from across the pop culture universe – here's a look:


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Tom ChangAbout Tom Chang

I'm a follower of pop culture from gaming, comics, sci-fi, fantasy, film, and TV for over 30 years. I grew up reading magazines like Starlog, Mad, and Fangoria. As a writer for over 10 years, Star Wars was the first sci-fi franchise I fell in love with. I'm a nerd-of-all-trades.
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