10 Best Late Career Runs In Wrestling History

10. Terry Funk (1993-1997)

Terry Funk has likely had more “retirement” matches than anyone else in the business. He walked away from wrestling for the first time in 1983, but returned just a few months later, and his propensity to quit and come back has since become a running joke. Funk just can’t stay away from the business, and by the time he joined ECW in 1993, he was already 28 years into his career.

At 49 years old, Funk promised to use his name and notoriety to spur the fledgling promotion towards greater success, and that’s exactly what he did. Already a wrestling legend, Funk’s presence drew countless eyes to the product, and when Eastern Championship Wrestling went Extreme, Funk reinvented himself as a fearless hardcore brawler.

Completely moving away from his tradition Southern wrestling style, Funk cemented his reputation as one of the toughest (and craziest) men in the business. He held the ECW Championship twice, with his second victory coming in the main event of ECW’s first pay-per-view (Barely Legal, April ‘97), and that August, he partook in a legendary barbed wire match against Sabu. Funk left ECW by the end of the year, but he was presented with a “Lifetime ECW Championship” on his way out, signifying his importance to the company.