3. Terry Funk Vs. Sabu Vs. Shane Douglas - ECW The Night The Line Was Crossed
WWE.com
Back when ECW still stood for Eastern Championship Wrestling, there was certainly no shortage of guys on the roster who were willing to bring the extreme side of things into the ring. Chief among them: Sabu and Terry Funk. But, perhaps surprisingly to fans at the time, it was Shane Douglas who would really elevate this match into 'classic' territory.
Billed as an American Three Way Dance, which had a time limit of 60 minutes and some unusual, Royal Rumble-style rules regarding how the competitors were introduced into the match, this ended up being the bout that put ECW on the map. It blended classic wrestling psychology, technical maneuvers, and a dangerous hardcore element that made it impossible not to get engrossed by.
The whole thing turned into mesmerizing bedlam in the last ten minutes, with The Bad Breed and Sherri Martel all interfering in a major way, while Funk beat down the referee like an insane person. Also of note, Sabu began his long and storied tradition of botching the hell out of every high-risk maneuver he ever tried.
It was messy, and only got messier once the time limit ran its course and no clear winner was decided. But the crowd certainly didn't seem to mind, erupting at the announcer's statement that the match had "no winner". It didn't matter. It was about the action in the ring, not whose hand was raised at the end of it.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 70,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast.
He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
