Terry Funk

Terrence Dee "Terry" Funk (June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an American professional wrestler and actor.

Terry Funk
Funk as NWA World Heavyweight Champion in 1976
Birth name	Terrence Dee Funk
Born	(1944-06-30)June 30, 1944 Hammond, Indiana, U.S.
Died	August 23, 2023(2023-08-23) (aged 79) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Alma mater	West Texas State University
Spouse(s)	Vicki Weaver ​ ​ (m. 1965; died 2029)​
Children	2
Family	Dory Funk (father) Dory Funk Jr. (brother)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Black Baron[1] Chainsaw Charlie[2] Dr Knows-it-All Terry Funk[3] The Texan
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[4]
Billed weight	247 lb (112 kg)[4]
Billed from	Amarillo, Texas
Trained by	Dory Funk
Debut	1965[5]
Retired	2017

He was best known for working with National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He was the first and only person to have been inducted into the WWE, WCW, Professional Wrestling, NWA, Hardcore, Wrestling Observer, and St. Louis Wrestling Halls of Fame.

He had numerous "retirement matches" and was one of the primary subjects in the documentary movie Beyond the Mat.

In June 2021, it was reported that Funk was diagnosed as living with dementia and was living in an assisted living facility.^[6]

Funk died on August 23, 2023, at the age of 79.^[7]

Championships

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • World's Strongest Tag Determination League (1977, 1979, 1982) (with Dory Funk, Jr.)

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Iron Mike Mazurki Award (2005)

• Championship Wrestling from Florida
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (one time)
  • NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Dory Funk, Jr.)
  • NWA Florida Television Championship (one time)
  • NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (one time) (with Dory Funk, Jr.)
  • NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (two times)
  • NWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)

• Eastern Championship Wrestling/Extreme Championship Wrestling¹
  • ECW Television Championship (one time)
  • ECW World Heavyweight Championship (two times)²
  • Hardcore Hall of Fame (2005)

• George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2010

• Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Dory Funk, Jr.)
  • NWA Georgia Television Championship (one time)

• International Wrestling Association of Japan
  • IWA World Heavyweight Championship (two times)

• Juggalo Championship Wrestling
  • JCW Heavyweight Championship (one time)

• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling/World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW Hardcore Championship (three times)
  • NWA (Mid-Atlantic)/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (two times)
  • WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)

• NWA Hollywood Wrestling
  • NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (one time)
  • NWA International Tag Team Championship (three times) (with Dory Funk, Jr.)
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version) (one time) (with Dory Funk, Jr.)

• NWA Western States Sports
  • NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Amarillo version) (two times)
  • NWA International Tag Team Championship (two times) (with Dory Funk, Jr.)
  • NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (seven times)
  • NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (two times) (with Ricky Romero)
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (two times) (with Dory Funk, Jr.)

• Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling
  • 3PW World Heavyweight Championship (one time)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1989) (vs. Ric Flair)
  • PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1997)
  • PWI Wrestler of the Year (1976)
  • He was ranked #22 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1991.^[8]
  • He was ranked #22 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.^[9]
  • He was ranked #9 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Dory Funk, Jr. in 2003.^[9]

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Class of 2004

• Southwest Championship Wrestling
  • SCW Southwest Heavyweight Championship (one time)
  • SCW World Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Dory Funk, Jr.)

• St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2010

• St. Louis Wrestling Club
  • NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (one time)

• Stampede Wrestling
  • Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame^[10]

• Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
  • Best Bout Award (1980) (with Dory Funk, Jr. vs. Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta on December 11)
  • Popularity Prize (1979)
  • Special Service Award (1983)

• United States Wrestling Association
  • USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (one time)

• World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWF World Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Cactus Jack)^[11]
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)^[12]

• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • 5 Star Match (1984) (with Dory Funk, Jr. vs. Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen on December 8)
  • 5 Star Match (1989) (vs. Ric Flair on November 15)
  • Best Brawler (1989)
  • Best Heel (1989)
  • Best on Interviews (1989)
  • Feud of the Year (1989) (vs. Ric Flair)
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

¹He was named the Honorary Lifetime ECW World Heavyweight Champion by Paul Heyman in 1997 because of his contributions to both ECW and Professional Wrestling in general.

²His first reign occurred when the promotion was an NWA affiliate named Eastern Championship Wrestling, and was prior to the promotion becoming Extreme Championship Wrestling and the title being declared a world title by ECW. He held the title again after those events.