10 Beautiful Moments Of Respect In Wrestling

7. "You're A Hell Of A Man, Ric!"

Funk Flair I Quit
WWE Network

Terry Funk was tremendous in the build to his I Quit match with Ric Flair at Clash of the Champions IX.

An unsettling, sinister presence, his menace intensified and mutated into fury as Flair underplayed his credentials for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. Flair reckoned Funk had no right to parachute from Hollywood and into the picture; Funk, apoplectic, drew the match from him by smashing him through a table in an ultra-violent scene years removed from becoming the norm.

Your writer is among those who rate this generation as the greatest-ever in-ring practitioners, but watching the match back now gives pause; there is a certain, working magic missing. The animosity engineered is palpable, and the anguish of the selling is completely immersive in its suspension of disbelief.

Flair won, with the Figure Four, and his endurance and spirit were so admirable to his opponent than Funk can only express it: "You're a hell of a man, Flair!" he screamed, in a moment that was corny, for sure, but so earned that it cannot be derided.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!