Wrestling thread

[Kevin D]

Jim Cornette discussing the possibility of booking wrestling with Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon:

 

(5:00 onwards)

 

 

[Kevin D]

The latest Dark side of the ring episode, on Bash at the Beach 2000, was good watching.

[Kevin D]

 

[Kevin D]

 

[Kevin D]

Terry Funk died.

 

 

 

[Kevin D]

NY Times obituary:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/23/obituaries/terry-funk-wrestler-dead.html
 

Terry Funk, the Hall of Fame professional wrestler whose hardcore fighting style in the ring inspired decades of bloody brawls and entertaining matches, has died. He was 79.

 

His death was confirmed on Wednesday by World Wrestling Entertainment, the company for which Mr. Funk’s career exploded. No cause of death was given, and relatives could not be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday evening.

 

Mr. Funk’s wrestling career, which began in the mid-1960s and lasted four decades, took him around the country and world, from playing in front of sold-out crowds for W.W.E. to entertaining fans in a growing Japanese wrestling market with All Japan. He quickly became known as a fierce wrestler who would wield many kinds of improvised weapons against opponents: chairs and ladders, barbed wire and bats, trash cans and fire.

 

That extreme quality to his matches made Mr. Funk among the most celebrated wrestlers of his generation in a sport built on performer-athletes playing exaggerated or downright invented versions of themselves.

 

Much of his highlight reels shows Mr. Funk in a bloodied mess, his long wet hair slicked back and his face bleeding from some kind of punch, kick or chair shot. He did not have the chiseled, six-pack build typically expected of a professional wrestler. But his frame was wide, his grappling of opponents was precise and he displayed a barbaric creativity inside the ring that earned him respect among his peers.

 

Ric Flair, a retired professional wrestler known for his flashy outfits and extravagant lifestyle, said on Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he had “never met a guy who worked harder” than Mr. Funk. Mick Foley, the professional wrestler who also had matches with Mr. Funk, said on Facebook that Mr. Funk was “the greatest wrestler” he ever worked with.

 

Terry Funk was born on June 30, 1944, in Hammond, Ind. His father, Dory Funk Sr., was also a wrestler, according to the book “Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the World’s Most Entertaining Spectacle.”

 

After Mr. Funk’s father finished his tour of duty in the South Pacific during World War II, his family relocated to Texas, where the elder Mr. Funk became a well-known wrestler and promoter.

 

It was in Texas where Terry Funk’s love and familiarity with the sport deepened, and in 1965, he made his debut for his father’s wrestling company.

 

By 1985, he reached the World Wrestling Federation, and at WrestleMania 2 in 1986, he and his brother Dory Funk Jr., who is also a Hall of Fame wrestler, defeated Tito Santana & the Junkyard Dog.

 

In 1989, he went to World Championship Wrestling, where he would have one of the most acclaimed matches of his career against Mr. Flair.

 

The 20-minute contest was an “I Quit” match, in which both men would scuffle and fight until one man surrendered. The match, considered a classic, was a showcase of the brutal realism that drew fans to pro wrestling, which determines the winner in advance.

 

There were chest slaps from Mr. Flair, headlocks by Mr. Funk, tosses out of the ring, wrangling along the sidelines, hair yanks and repeated shrieks from both wrestlers: “Want to quit?”

 

Finally, when Mr. Flair wound Mr. Funk into a figure-four leg lock, Mr. Funk, his face contorted in pain, said the words that prompted the match bell to ring: “I quit.”

 

In 2000, in his mid-50s, Mr. Funk returned to W.C.W., winning the United States Championship and W.C.W. Hardcore Title belts. His final W.W.E. match was in 2006.

 

In 2009, Mr. Funk was inducted into the W.W.E. Hall of Fame.

 

Mr. Funk also took his menacing image to Hollywood. In 1989, he played a bouncer in the film “Road House,” which starred Patrick Swayze. He played the intimidating character Frankie the Thumper in the 1978 wrestling drama film, “Paradise Alley,” alongside Sylvester Stallone.

 

A full list of survivors was not immediately available on Wednesday.

In Mr. Funk’s autobiography, “Terry Funk: More Than Just Hardcore,” he wrote about his fond memories of listening to his father talk about wrestling, how his “eyes would sparkle with pride when they talked about the tough guys in the profession and the crazy ones.”

 

“When I grew up, I was fortunate enough to live the wrestler’s life, a life that gave me stories to tell, just like the ones I had heard as a boy,” he said. “Pirates, millionaires, kings and adventurers have nothing on me! I would trade my life with no one.”

 

[John102]

Bray Wyatt dead. Cant believe he was only 36.

[Lee909]

1 hour ago, John102 said:

Bray Wyatt dead. Cant believe he was only 36.

 

Heard he had been pretty badly ill but was recovering. Didnt expect this

 

 

UPDATE: Sean Ross Sapp is reporting that Wyatt’s death was heart related, which PWTorch had heard also but wasn’t cleared to report at the time due to privacy issues. He adds that Wyatt got COVID earlier this year and it led to serious complications with his heart.

 

 

 

I was given permission to reveal that earlier this year Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) got COVID that exacerbated a heart issues.

There was a lot of positive progress towards a return and his recovery. Unfortunately today he suffered a heart attack and passed away.

[House of Dirk]

Thats really sad news. He had been struggling with MH issues since Brodie Lee passed a couple of years ago.

[Chris]

Disappointing that Funk obit didn't mention ECW. 

 

It really was a rebirth for his career and brought incredibly legitimacy to the promotion. Some of the moonsaults he was doing off ladders and such were incredible at his age. 

 

What a guy. The realest of the real (dammit)

 

[Chris]

On 08/08/2023 at 20:35, Kevin D said:

 

 

I don't fucking get this guy. I am effectively The Miz when it comes to LA Knight. 

 

People treating the tribute act like the rock star.

[Clem H Fandango]

 

[3 Stacks]

2 hours ago, Chris said:

 

I don't fucking get this guy. I am effectively The Miz when it comes to LA Knight. 

 

People treating the tribute act like the rock star.

He is over. That's the only important thing.

[Kevin D]

Cornette on his hero, Terry Funk:

 

 

[Kevin D]

His Terry Funk impression in this is extraordinary:

 

 

[Bruce Spanner]

You can get tickets to All In tomorrow for less than twenty quid.

[Chris]

On 25/08/2023 at 14:15, 3 Stacks said:

He is over. That's the only important thing.

 

LA Shite. 

[Scott_M]

On 26/08/2023 at 21:55, Bruce Spanner said:

You can get tickets to All In tomorrow for less than twenty quid.

I’ve acquired a download of the event. Got it on now. A hot crowd makes the events so much better, Wembley hasn’t bounced like this since we beat City in the FA Cup Semi. 

 

I did look at tickets on Thursday. It’d have been a good laugh. £30 tickets were the very back few rows. You’d barely be able to see anything from there. 

[Scott_M]

On 25/08/2023 at 16:40, Chris said:

 

I don't fucking get this guy. I am effectively The Miz when it comes to LA Knight. 

 

People treating the tribute act like the rock star.

I quite like LA Knight but I know what you mean. He’s done nothing memorable.

[Chris]

17 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

I quite like LA Knight but I know what you mean. He’s done nothing memorable.

 

The Miz promos are on the nose. All event-going WWE fans care about in this current time are the singalong aspects of going to the shows.

 

Same with that annoying cunt Rollins and his theme song. How is he a babyface? He has the most annoying heelish mannerisms of anyone on the roster. He's pretty much the exact same as he was as a heel. The difference? He got that dumb song they can all sing along to with that dumb conductor gesture.

 

At least with Rollins, he has an incredible body of work in the ring and has earned the respect. LA Knight seems incapable of getting through a match without falling over someone or screwing something up.

[Gruntfuttock]

On 18/06/2023 at 18:05, Kevin D said:

CM Punk is back:

 

 

 

On 18/06/2023 at 21:19, Gruntfuttock said:

Has he left again yet?

Almost got to three months!

[an tha]

Has he been sacked or is it a work....highly unusual for a worker to be released and it be announced by the owner of the company on camera as the opening of a tv show.....

[Kevin D]

 

 

[Dicko]

It's more akin to synchronised swimming now than wrestling.

 

Terry Funk is a huge loss and on my personal mt rushmore along with Bret Hart, Ric Flair & Shawn Michaels.

[Lee909]

 Brilliant