What can be said about Terry Funk? He's a living legend that has done it ALL in the wrestling business and there will only ever be one Terry Funk. The Texas wild man is from a wrestling family and considered one of the most influential performers of all time. In many respects, Funk had two different careers over the course of his fifty years in the ring, as during the first half of his career he was a technical competitor before morphing into the "middle aged and crazy" Funk during his later years. However, Terry was ALWAYS wild during his career and brought a sense that anything could happen to the ring. Again, Terry made the fans BELIEVE, a staple of being hardcore. A true global superstar, Funk reached mythical status in All Japan and throughout his career wrestled for every major promotion in the world. More so than the style and presentation that Funk brought to the table, he legitimized hardcore and a series of promotions along the way. Funk, a former NWA Heavyweight champion, lent his credibility to both the style and performers during his career. His stamp of approve and endorsement of a promotion let the fans know that it was worth watching. ECW promoter, Paul Heyman was quoted in "The Rise and Fall of ECW" documentary as saying, "There wouldn't have been an ECW without Terry Funk." Heyman was right because without Funk's credibility, extreme wrestling could have been seen as a flash in the pan. The same could be said for Onita's FMW, as Funk was the first major star from one of the "big two" promotions in Japan to sign with the independent group. Even IWA Japan, which promoted the legendary "King of the Death match" tournament that was written about in Mick Foley's debut book, was given a boost because Terry Funk was on the card. His feud with Mick Foley in 1995, when the two quite literally set each other on fire, elevated Foley's profile enough that he was signed to the WWE a year later. The same can be said for Sabu, as his visibility increased after his matches with Funk. Basically, the hardcore style was given the chance to excel to new heights because Terry was willing to give back to the business, which is a noble gesture.
