10 WWE Superstars Who Were The Best At Putting Over Young Talent

According to Paul Heyman, hardcore icon Terry Funk's rationale for constantly putting over younger talent was a little bit selfish, but in the best way.

Funk believed that, in order for his legacy in the business to mean something, a new generation of superstars had to take over and carry the torch for the industry. Otherwise, there would be no fans left to remember Funk's long, storied career.

In The Rise and Fall of ECW documentary, Heyman suggested Funk was a bit of a kid in a candy store when it came to developing the young talent: "Oh, I can make him. Oh, I could make him, too. Oh, let me make him, I'll do something special with him".

Funk used his fame to make ECW a reputable company back when the idea of a third "major" promotion seemed more than a little crazy. A lot of ECW guys benefitted from Funk's idea of mutually-assured ascension, including Sabu, Shane Douglas, Tommy Dreamer, and The Sandman, all of whom went on to become some of the company's biggest stars after having programs with Funk.

But if you want to know just how much Funk's developmental prowess paid off, you only need to pay attention to one name: Mick Foley.

Funk was truly something of a dysfunctional dad to Foley in their time in ECW, but the biggest boost Foley got from his hardcore predecessor came from their infamously bloody matches in Japan. That's where Funk made Foley an icon.