Ep. 368: The Lapsed Funk 'Funkin in Japan' (Part 3)

You know, good for nothing, egg sucking dumb. We did it our
way because we love it that way. We love it that way. I
have this wonderful gun feeling and I've had it all my life. When it's
time to go, I think it's now, there's time to go. It's
the Lapsed Funk And it's been a refrain throughout the course of this series.
I look back on the life and times the legacy of Terry Funk that forever,
forever, right, boss, Yes, heard it a bunch of times,
heard it even during Beyond the mat did we not? Yes, yes
we did. It's there, it is there. So what is the story
of that? Why did Terry Funk find himself in the middle of an all
Japan ring in nineteen eighty three, tearfully screaming whatever to what we're learning is
a hyper adoring Japanese public. Well, as we conclude our Funk and in
Japan installment of the Lapsed Funk here this week, we're going to connect with
that exact moment in time, all right, and the first of what would
be several, almost a comic amount of retirements of the Funker over the course
of his decades in the business and nobody was better about, you know,
joking about that than Terry Funk himself. He was very much self aware that
he called it quits for reasons other than actually feeling like he was prepared to
retire. Well, as we heard him say, you know, when the
when the when the bank accounts getting low, the knees start hurting a little
less. That's exactly right. And as we've also heard him say, Al
Japan Pro Wrestling with him and his brother Dory booking essentially the whole promotion for
Show a Giant Baba was hurting in the competitive wrestling war with New Japan Pro
Wrestling as the seventies became the eighties, of course, both companies breaking off
from the JWA and starting their respective New Japan and Al Japan promotions in nineteen
seventy two. And as we've learned here in Elapsed Funk, Terry Funk was
absolutely central to all Japan's attempts to win that war. Yeah, but it
was it was very difficult. Antonio Andoki was a very dynamic personality, had
a very dynamic way of presenting pro wrestling, and had great star power to
present to the public and a great sort of sense of how to promote and
how to capture the imaginations of people, whereas Giant Baba was hewing much more
to the traditional, essentially that the japan outpost of the National Wrestling Alliance style
of presenting pro wrestling, and so for Terry and Dori Funk with the book,
it was hard for them to conceptualize things that they could do to capture
the attention of the Japanese wrestling public in a war that in so many ways
Boss foreshadowed the Attitude era a WWFWCW, Monny Night Wars. Sure, that's
a big part of why Terry Funk was always ahead of the curve in the
business is because the way the business evolved in Japan always seemed to be ten
to fifteen years ahead of the exact same thing happening in the United States.
And it's not that he was just, you know, particularly prescient or particularly
like an oracle about things or a soothsayer or some kind of fortune teller.
It's because he lived it. He had to live it, and he could
see the exact same conditions presenting themselves in the American wrestling scene that he had
dealt with as an executive as well as in ring performer in Japan, And
what do we learned last time? What's one thing that Terry Funk thought to
do when it came time to win the attention of the wrestling public in Japan.
What do you have to get in there and do sometimes to get people
buzzing about your company? Um? Shit, I have it. Get violent?
Get a fork, Get a fork, right, get a weapon if
the she can Abdullah forks and let them stab you in the fucking face and
arm and leg bleed from your biceps. You know, Funk is very straightforward
and showed interviews and in his book about the reasons to take that hardcore turn.
It was basically a bid to get the attention to the wrestling fans,
and it definitely worked in the matches we watched last time, didn't it?
Yes, it didn't. I mean, what what did you see? How
are we coming into this final leg of funking in Japan looking, at least
to you, looking at Terry Funk differently now that you've seen those battles with
Abby and the Sheik. I mean, it's certainly a guy who's taking that
step into from being a a more of a conventional wrestler to to really having
no boundaries, Yes, into what he's willing to do to get the attention
of wrest fans. Right. Yeah, this is a guy who he's not
just competing because he's good at pro wrestling. He's competing because he'd still be
swinging. If there was a nuclear holocaust and every single building around him was
burning to the ground, He'd still be standing there in the middle of the
field. I'm not sure you could say the same about Dorry. You know,
Dorry be a little Cagy or Dory is ready to compete, and he's
ready to fight, but he finds the exit when I think things get rough,
I think I'm just gonna go home. It was a great time.
It was a great experience for me and my family and my brother Terry.
And but for now, I feel my work is done here and it looks
like it's getting a little a little tight, a little harry in this situation.
And the last thing I want to do is find myself compromised. I
just think that what we're doing here is it's just it's just not fun anymore.
Terry. Why but I'm having fun? Yeah, Dorry, you know
what's wonderful? And wyn't you go ahead and take some time think about it.
You want ahead and want ahead. I don't want to make you do
anything that you don't want to do. It gets all like considerate, but
you know, I just want you to, you know, if you need
to take a moment to consider, and then you come back and and we
can maybe talk about it some other time. Uh. I just feel like
you're going to be missing out. And I don't like my brother missing out
when I'm not missing out. I don't like my brother missing out when I'm
not missing out. I mean, it makes sense. It just seems like
the longest possible way to express that that feeling. It's circuitous to say the
least. I mean, I guess what else I say I'm saying here,
Dorence is I may be around with a fork. You know. They'll say
some people do anything to get ahead. Terry Uncle, do anything to go
ahead. Yeah, and go ahead and go outside that fucking scarred head of
Abdullah the butcher to get a fork. I'll tell you definitely it was a
fork in the road for Terry Funk as the eighties done and among other things,
in addition to getting those hyper violent matches going in the elite seventies,
with Chik and Butcher. Another thing they did to try to get the public's
attention was have a Terry versus Dori Funk Junior one on one match for the
first time. I'd imagine that would be some big business. It's the first
time in Japan, I think. Earlier in the Lapsed Funk we were able
to document that as Terry first got involved in wrestling in sixty four in Amarilla,
he actually had a match against his brother according to the record books,
but it's not that one survives in any other way than on paper. This
match was widely televised and was an attempt to get a lot of attention on
all Japan, and it kind of went down as a dud. It took
place April thirtieth, nineteen eighty one. It's like a forty five minute affair,
both guys exchanging holes and counter holes and just you know, Brett versus
Own. It wasn't it was. It's kind of in some ways the blueprint
of how you do a match where you kind of keep the credibility somehow that
even though these brothers are brothers, they are you know, unwilling to seed
any ground to the other in a competitive match. And as long as it
doesn't get too ridiculous in terms of like, no one's going to do that
to their brother, you know what I mean. Yeah, it's a fine
match, but it just it didn't it didn't resonate. It was one of
the first examples that I can think of where, you know, the edict,
the central tenet of wrestling, the brother versus brother does not work unless
you're absolutely brilliant psychologists like Bretton Owen were. This is like the first example
of it. It doesn't work from the perspective of the fans don't really want
to see who the better brother is. They want to see them team up,
they want to see them cohesive. They're not really interested in Jeff versus
Matt Hardy, for instance. And so that that was the case there as
it took place in the spring of eighty one, but again an outgrowth of
an attempt to throw different things against the wall and get the momentum in All
Japan's corner for Terry Funk. Now, one thing is we've now well documented
that Terry Funk had managed to do was win the hearts of the people who
did turn out to the Al Japan shows. As evidenced by some of the
wonderful ring entrances we saw last time on The Lapsed Funk, because people are
holding up signs and banners and mobbing these guys, and you put it perfectly
just like the van Erics in this sportatorium. And we talked about Terry Funk
cutting record albums and getting all kinds of television endorsements and being featured in and
anime cartoons and the like in Japan. And to go back to the album,
he cut the track, the title track that Dory and Terry came to
the ring to during their All Japan Salad Days, which we've heard a few
times now, is also featured on the track. And it sort of struck
me as appropriate now that we've laid a sufficient foundation to explain the bond that
the Funks had established with the Japanese wrestling fans at this point, to drop
a coin in the jukebox for the first time here on the Lapsed Funk and
have the Boss Man share with us what, in many ways is the title
track from that album. This is Spinning toe Hold. Of course, the
Funk Family's signature finisher is the name of the track, and this is the
this is the Boss Band's rendition here on the laps funk of the music that
meant the Funks were here, and it was timed a cowboy up in Japan
back in the eighties. We'll see what I can do now. So I
think the Funks have made their way to the ring. I think that's safe
to say. Leave. The lyrics were humming, oh my god, it's
so fucking incredible, thank you for that, thank you for hyat, thank
you, thank you for the cowboy hyatt as it were. But you know
what else they did in nineteen eighty one to try to get the people with
them, to get the people's attention, they decided that if this is going
to be war, we're going to have to raid some talent, brother,
and we're going to have to go back to West Texas State University and pull
on the heartstrings that that university laid at the feet of Terry Funk to exploit
and to use. Because among the many, the many, and we've outlined
most of them West Texas State alumni to make it in pro wrestling was Stan
Hanson, and certainly Stan Hansen was somebody that Terry Funk got acquainted with before
he ever became a superstar, you know in the Rings of the WWWF for
instance, wrestling Bruno San Martino, one of Bruno's favorite opponents, and before
he became really a breakout star in Japan and one of the leading attractions as
a foreign invader type brawler type in the Rings of Japan. He says in
his book Terry that Stan Hansen came to the school, the wrestling school they
had a couple of years, that is to say, West Texas State,
not the wrestling School, a couple of years after a Bruiser Brody. As
a matter of fact, Funk wrote that Stan is the greatest guy in the
world and was a very talented wrestler. Like a select few others. Stan
Hanson got his start in wrestling through the funks. Stan came to me one
day in nineteen seventy two and asked, would you talk to your dad about
me wrestling? I said, I talked to my father. Stan, at
six foot three and two hundred eighty pounds, was driving a Ford Pinto and
was coaching high school football in New Mexico. I told my father I thought
Stan could be a good wrestler, and I set up a meeting between my
father and Stan at my house. My father told Stan about all the training
he'd have to do and how he'd have to learn some amateur wrestling. That
was something that was important to my father as he was breaking guys in,
you know. He also showed them that they could be beaten in an actual
wrestling contest. Wow, that's story for you. Let me test you on
the roof kid. At the end of their meeting, Stan asked my father,
so, how much do you think I can make wrestling? My dad
said, well, I think you can make two hundred and fifty dollars or
three hundred dollars, and that's just starting. Stan. I'll see that you
make more than that before long. Stan said, well, I don't think
I can do that. I'm making five hundred fifty dollars now teaching. My
dad said a week. Stan's eyes got wide and he said a week.
God, damn, it's five hundred and fifty a month I'm making now.
Stan always talked loud because he was half deaf. He'd douced that as an
excuse too. Oh, I'm sorry I didn't hear you kill four offense four
of Stan's favorite words where I didn't mean to as in I didn't mean to
take your head off, clotheslining you. I didn't mean to hurt yeah,
the Stan hands story, I didn't mean to hurt myself in the next.
I can't tell you how many wrestler biopicks that would be a perfect title for
it, right, because they don't. They don't mean to hurt themselves in
the ring, because it's fake, not at all. Then when they end
it. Stan was smart, though, because he was always saved every dollar
he ever made from wrestling. Hanson wore tennis shoes all the time. For
four years. He wore the ones they had issued him at West Texas State
for nothing until they had holes in them and were the most god awful smelling
things you ever smelled in your life. Welcome to the lapsed funk Stan Hansen
with the fucking stinky ass shoes. Ah and gimmick upon gimmick upon gimmick.
So it's desperate and Stan Hanson is already by virtue of the fact that you
know he's become a big star in the WWF Wrestling Bruno and the like was
a natural to leverage the relationship that New Japan Pro Wrestling used to have with
WWF at that point in time. Remember we talked about how while Bruno went
to Japan and worked for Baba, that was him crossing lines there, that
was him making a power play Bruno because the preferred office to work with out
of New York was New Japan, and that was a relationship that lasted all
the way through WrestleMania One. In fact, when Antonio and Oki was said
to be quite rankled at the fact that he loaned Vince McMahon a million dollars
right before the first WrestleMania, and while he did get paid back, was
never really given any kind of credit for playing a key role in allowing Vince
McMahon Junior to succeed to create a financial basis upon which to launch the successful
initiative. We talked a lot boss in the past and the TLF archives about
how much New Japan influenced there was on those nineteen eighty four Madison Square Garden
shows, and the Coliseum collection tapes from the months and years before the first
Mania has all kinds of Japan to talent, and you certainly see a lot
of talent sharing back and forth in terms of Madison Square Garden main inventors who
wrestle Pedro Morales or Bob Beckland and then go over to New Japan and make
big money there. And among them was in fact stan Hansen. So it
was not a thing yet. Really, the idea of jumping this was this
was another thing the All Japan and New Japan Wars brought us before the Monday
Night Wars ever, did in this peak to fashion in the United States,
the idea of guys, you know, being so thoroughly associated with one brand
or the other, right that the notion of them even appearing in the other
promotion's ring was like this exotic what if scenario. And stan Hansen, because
of this situation that the Funks found themselves in trying to wrest momentum away from
New Japan, was, I think we can say, really the first big
ship jumper of consequence in a wrestling war. Really in that, you know,
the American system was still full of territories and the idea of jumping from
one territory to the other wasn't that crazy of a thing. Right, The
business hadn't been you know, balkanized in that way in the United States.
It wasn't There weren't only two entities to jump back and forth from that really
didn't settle in until you know, the late eighties, really when Jim Crockett
went national on TBS and eighty five and it was very clear as NWA or
WWF and there was jumps there, and you know, you could even say,
you could you should say as a matter of fact that you know,
Hult jumping from Vern and everybody jumping from Awa was also a similar crossing of
a line that wrestling fans had erected in their head. But prior to that
it wasn't really you know, people wouldn't have blinked twice if somebody that had
been in the Carolinas for ten years went to Florida or went to Portland or
whatever the case may be. Whereas now in Japan, because of the nature
of how Anoki and Baba both split off in their own separate ways and became
promotional rivals, and there were really only two wrestling Japan wrestling promotions of consequence.
In Japan, the idea of ship jumping is now a thing, and
god damn it, the Funks, with their guile and their Amarilla backing and
their West Texas know how, was able to get Stan Hansen to jump from
New Japan Pro Wrestling to All Japan Pro Wrestling after the aforementioned departure of Abdullah
the Butcher. Remember we talked at the very end of the last episode of
The Lapsed Funk, after all that bloodshed between the Funks and Abbey and all
of the buzz and momentum it created in the real world tag league to have
them stabbing each other all over the horn, Abby jumps to New Japan.
That's right, So I should I should say that Abdullah the Butcher was really
the first to do a ship jump like we'd be accustomed to calling it in
the eighties and nineties in American pro wrestling. And the answer to that,
the return fire to that was Stan Hansen jumping to All Japan Pro Wrestling in
nineteen eighty one. And here we have some sound first from Hanson doing a
shoot interview with Hannibal talking about coming up in the business and how he was
sort of primed to be plucked by the Funks when circumstances required it. Terry
had gotten to know me in college. I used to go to the matches
and watch him, and a bunch of us would all go down and happy
hour and then go to the matches and have a good time at the wrestling
matches, and Terry just kind of noticed me, and I favored Terry.
And when I first got there, a couple of the assistant coaches that were
my coaches were actually really good friends with Terry. He says, guy,
you look just like Terry Funk, you know. And of course I knew
who he was, you know, I knew about wrestling a little bit,
not a whole lot. But anyways, through that relationship, Terry and I
developed a little bit of a not a friendship, but acquaintance and so forth.
And after football, he says, you know, if you ever interested,
I never ever thought about it that much. But so that's how it
was. I was starving teaching, and I realized that maybe a chance to
get into wrestling make a little bit of money that I, you know,
didn't didn't get the MIC in pro football. So yeah, he was starving
teaching, But the two had nothing to do with each other. Starving because
he's like the biggest Texas buck you'll ever see, and he knows how to
teach starving as well. Let's not forget this is the guy who Zeus kills
in the beginning of No Holds Barred. That's right, I want to talk
about it. He looks exactly like Frankie the Thumper while he does it.
By the way, from Herodi Sally, it totally does on wrestling scenes.
So a lot of ties that bind between Terry Funk and Stan Hanson. We
can say both in the wrestling ringing on the big screen perhaps, but Stan
Hansen, man, what an operator, you know. He's got such a
such a gentle lilt for a guy who's manipulated his way into like massive,
just massive, like waterfall, windfall, I should say paydays, you know.
Yeah, yeah, And it really just after the run with Bruno was
just like almost Japan exclusive because of the amount of money you could make over
there. That's a huge part of all of this is that there was no
better place to work in terms of money than Japan in the in the late
seventies and the eighties for a pro wrestler. Everybody was almost unable to keep
wrestlers from going to Japan because of how much money they'd be asking them to
pass up if they did it. All the way to Rick Flair when he
was world champion. For Crockett throughout the eighties, would would work shots for
Baba because you know, they just love the idea of the prestige of the
NWA Championship and were willing to pay top dollar for it. And they love
the idea of you know, GUIDs and superstars coming in and lighting up the
territory and just you could not compete with the money Japan was paying. And
so that's a big part of the financial nest egg that Terry Funk was able
to build and give himself such independence and autonomy in the wrestling business way he
never really had to slavishly, you know, bow to the whims of one
of the big two companies. He just made so much fucking money, not
only wrestling at the top level in al Japan through the seventies and eighties,
but booking as well, in the money and influence that came with that.
So this is high stakes business. This is not like some guys just fucking
around trying to like manipulate their way in a foreign wrestling scene and stay stay
employed. This is this is the highest Some of the highest paid positions in
the wrestling business that the business had ever seen that are now starting to sprout
out of the Sinochi versus Bob a war and so for Terry Funk, it's
time to fire back for the loss of Abdullah the Butcher. And so here
Stan Hansen talks a little bit more in that shoot interview about where he found
himself vis of the Al Japan in this circumstance. Well, they they went
and got New Japan ended up going and getting Abdullah the Butcher. So,
you know, they started this war in and talent, which is there's you
know, that's good. I mean, it's good for the talent didn't but
I was getting pushed and they were pushing me good and uh and they you
know, they brought ab duel over and there was big news and everything,
and so I was sitting there looking, you know, with it. Hogan
and I were teamed up, and I mean we both you know, saw
it. And uh, you know, Hogan ended up going back to the
States, and I was just sitting there saying, God, well, I
wonder where they're bringing him in? You know, what where does this leave
me? You know, they were pushing me too, you know, so
I mean, do we need the butcher? You know how we were doing
good business. So anyway, Uh, Terry Funk got a whold of me,
and you know, and because he we had, you know, a
relationship from college, and he broke me into the business and he was the
he was with All Japan and John Baba, you know. So they said
are you interested? I said, well, I don't know. Many they
really treat me good here, you know, and I got a good job
and so forth. But he says, well, let's talk, you know,
and let's meet, and I said okay. So anyway I met with
Baba. And one of the things going back, Bruno always told me,
he says, you know, he worked for Baba, and even though Vince
was working with the Noki, you know, Bruno only worked for Baba.
And he told me in a way back there in seventy six, he said,
you know, you can trust Baba Boba's word, and that always stuck
with me, you know. And so anyway I met with Baba, and
you know, they we made a deal and we had to keep it quiet
for a while and be sure everything was done the right way, you know.
And anyway, ended up going to All Japan and ended up working twenty
five years for him. You hear him there being like, why do we
need Butcher, Why do we need butcher. I mean, we need a
butcher, but I don't know why we need butcher. Yeah, I got
I got the black apron right here. I'll tell you I definitely need a
butcher because I like my my steaks thick. But I don't know why we
need butcher. I don't think I like him that thick. I don't like.
I like my steaks thick, I don't like I don't like my opponents
thick. So clearly rankled a little bit and a little paranoid at what it
meant for his spot as one of the top you know, brawling foreign heels.
Was Stan Hanson at the arrival of Abdulla the Butcher in New Japan,
and he made a critical point there. We keep referencing Bruno Simmartino as the
guy with enough stroke in America to insist on working for Baba even though New
York was aligned with New Japan. Who else had the kind of pull and
sway to make that decision? Hulk Hogan brother what who teamed with Stan Hanson
And that's kind of where he developed the axie Bomba was kind of like a
counterweight to the Lariat And indeed, and of course paying off the Pacific,
exploring Hulkgan's legacy in Japan, a massive star in Japan as well. Sure,
and yeah, Hogan was also able to work with Anoki there and didn't
you know, he didn't cross the line and go over to all Japan,
but that's what he's doing over there at that point in time, you know,
sort of like coincident with working for Ganya. And we talked about how,
you know, Ganya suddenly coming up with this idea that he's somehow owed
a piece of what Hulk Hogan's doing in Japan kind of led him. Hogan
to basically declining Vern when he told him he's going to win the world title
from Bockwinkle, and that began the slow unraveling of the relationship between those two,
and Vince plucked him that way. But Hogan was with Anoki, you
know, when I'm sure Ganya would have Baba would have preferred that Ganya sent
talent exclusively to him. So that was kind of a crossing of the delta
as well. For Hogan to be so prominent in Anoki's organism when there was
such a strong bond between Vern, Ganya and Antonio and No Game, and
of course Billy Robinson was a big star in New Japan, so it wasn't
like there was a weak relationship between Enoki and vern Ganya. But still,
Hogan's stature in Japan at that time illustrative of the kind of thing we're talking
about. But yeah, Stan Hansen was teaming up with Hulk Hogan at the
time of this jump, which is something to consider and something to accept the
reality of. I mean this is pre Rocky three Hogan boss right, Oh,
yeah, totally there he is with Stan Hansen, And so Hanson's got
a decision to make funks, making the overture Abby's coming in. What does
that mean for his position? What's going through Abdullah's mind? Of course,
he's a man of few words and a man of many calories. But he
did sort of address the situation in that one of the rare shoot interviews he
did. We excerpted it last time as well with our video years ago,
and here he sort of talks about what's going through his mind and deciding to
make the jump and deciding what to have for dinner as well. And why
did you jump so often? Because number one, I worked my ass off
when I went to Japan. It was just me who was the top man?
You us? I mean, so now today they have ten guys who
are on top. I'd done it all. I'd done everything to draw people.
You know. I used to go in my room think of different things
how to draw people, right, And they didn't give me the credit for
that, you know what I mean? And me and Boba was together for
many many years. And when they tried to shaft Bob, you know what
I mean, when they tried to shaft them. Well, there's a lot
of things I can't mention about this, but when they tried to, you
know, shaft him, I was in his corner when he started his new
company, you understanding, because him and they know he was together right when
they started a new company. I went with Bobo. When I told the
TV people, they asked me, if Baba starts his company, would you
stay with Baba? I suppose does it mean? Yeah? It was?
It? So uh. When people don't give you what you really deserve,
you supposed to be what Yeah, yeah, you gotta run you see,
Yeah, you worry about people not giving you what you deserve when someone comes
around dangling a bigger check, I you know, I just I was concerned
that I wouldn't. I but I wouldn't. I wouldn't be able to eat
breakfast. That is a concern. And I'll just I'll tell you, I'll
be honest with you. If I can't eat breakfast, then the whole the
whole day shocked. I'm not just kid. Get it back on track.
That was Boba's big mistake. You know, if you wanted to keep Happy
around, you really should have saw to it that breakfast was delivered to his
room every morning. I mean, it's just that hard of accommodation to make
for a guy that what did he say? He goes back to his room
and thinks of ways to draw people. I just, you know, sometimes
and I understand this is not the per se a a popular you know option,
but sometimes I need to be hand fed. Yep. And I was
so hungry. He was stabbing Terry Funk in the thigh with a fucking fork
trying to get some meat. And sometimes, you know, if I'm just
being a perio, honest, I need to be hand fed and I need
to feed myself correct with a brandy glass full of two percent milk. Yeah.
And I like to have an ivy set up with some kind of a
liquid I can, so I can drink eat at the same time. I
just don't see the problem. I mean, you know, guys probably either
Abby, I mean makes two of us. Those guys you know in the
eighties would go back to the hotel and have cocaine blowouts with hookers and everything
and just booze it up and take pills. And Abby would go home and
have like a full fucking feast like I would out the meat hook remember what
the what the hoo's eat and the grinch. I do love a good roast
beast. So so that's that's uh, if I may say, that's the
reverse engineering mentality of the pro wrestler there laid bare. So basically some he
offers me more money to jump, and I come up with a bunch of
reasons to feel underappreciated from the guy I'm leaving in the dust by making the
jump. I just I just I just god ah that just all I asked
for was was a sandwich that never has a has a has a fucking refusal
to order a PASTRAMI cost somebody so much money as it did, so and
Baba when he didn't, I didn't order out for Abby a Budagan, I
said, all along was a nice old baba. I said, I just
want to I want to pastrami, I want ry bred I just want He's
just he said, heasy to find in Tokyo, abby Son, it's hard.
We can't. We can't do that in Tokyo. And I said,
well, I'm not coming if you can't supply me with the pistrami on rye
when I got off the plane, What the fuck am I going there?
Hold on if you can't, if you can't supply me the pastrami on rye
when I got off the plane, Okay, not get me one or feed
me one, or not provide even supply like he's running a factory. And
this is a key input. Do you think Abby is on like a payment
agreement with door dash yet? Do you imagine you eyes have to type two
things on this gimmick here? And they dropped three hundred pounds of food on
my porch, on my chest. That'll be extra. I listen to pay
before I say just, I won't even shut the door, just leave it
wide open. Come in, I'm in. You know I'm in the cline,
say dropping on my chest? What a mess? The bag drop the
bag. I mean, you know, they take like door Dash takes the
picture of the food on your porch. Every time they take a picture,
it's like Abby's faces. You can see the silhouette and then behind the glass
door, take a picture of it on his chest. The algorithms like,
what the fuck are these pictures from this one Dasher, don't I don't detect
a porch here, I detected bark a lounger. Leave it at my door,
leave it on my chest. Oh whatever, float your boat. So
that's Abby's thought process in making the jump from All Japan and New Japan at
a critical time for the funks. And here's a Dori Funk Jr. That
sly son of a bitch talking about recruiting Stan Hansen as the CounterPunch. This
is to RF video that was there was a reason for that was the Butcher
made the jump from All Japan to New Japan, and he did it secretly.
In fact, my brother Terry told mister Bobba. He said, I
think Bruise is going to jump. Baba said, I don't think so it
means butcher. Terry said, I'll bet you fifteen thou And mister Boba said
okay, mister Baba lost the bed Butcher went to New Japan and drew big
money for Enoch. Strangely, and my wife Marty was in the audience when
Abdullah the Butcher made his first appearance there and New Japan Pro Wrestling, and
she tells me the people went crazy. The line I'll never forget is in
TV President mister Hara came to Terry and myself and said, in response to
the Butcher going to New Japan Pro Wrestling, we must steal somebody, and
he left it with us that way, and this was the highest ranking person
we knew from MTV. Terry and I got in touch with Stan Hansen.
It had to be a complete secret. Our company, at least the backbone
of All Japan Pro Wrestling in TV wanted it that way, and it was
arranged and set up. One night we watched Stan Hansen work on television for
New Japan Pro Wrestling, and the next night he was working for All Japan
Pro Wrestling. And that's the first time that a switch has ever taken place.
If they had done that quietly, and it's been copied a few times
in WW and WCW, but that was the first time I ever saw one
like that take place. Stan Hanson won one day on television for New Japan
Pro Wrestling, and he won his match the next day working for All Japan
Pro Wrestling. Marty, it's Terry, we have information that Butcher is jumping
to New Japan. Can you can you go ahead and find some kind of
pretense to be in the audience on that night, so that you know,
in thirty years when Dori does a shoot interview, he can say, my
wife happened to be in the audience. What the fuck was Marty Funk doing?
Can you get her? Exactly? It's even betterwise, Mary Funk kowser
at the New Japan show where Abby makes the jump. That's espionage, is
what that is? Marty. You want to find your way in there and
just observe what the fuck Larry, just observe. NTV president comes to dorient
Ari and says, we must steal somebody. This is war, boss,
Yes, this is war. I've shared with you an excerpt, a wonderful
excerpt from Stan Hansen's wonderful book, talking about all of the cloak and dagger
stuff that went on here to make him make the jump back over to All
Japan Pro Wrestling to respond to Abby jumping and before you start and just before
warned. It's an extended passage, but it kind of threads together beautifully,
just all of the how delicate the situation was in nineteen eighty one to have
this kind of a ship jump happen, and i'll all of the different considerations
that went into pulling it off well. But first a bit more from Terry
Funk's book and how it all came together. Just a few months after the
Fork and the arm Angle, Anoki really went for the jugular when he took
Larry Shrie v aka Abdulla the Butcher right out from underneath us. I understood
why Abby was doing it, more money for him, but it was a
terrible blow to us, so we decided to hit back. In nineteen eighty
one, Stan Hanson was working in Japan for Anoke and in the States for
Vincent J. McMahon's Worldwide Wrestling Federation based in New York. Vin Senior and
Oke were still working together and had been for years. Well. I'd known
Stan ever since he went to West Texas State. Now he was working for
the other side, and he was very strong in Japan, Junior and I
got hold of Stand that I met with him without anyone knowing. I offered
to Stand a deal Junior and I had put together with Bob to work for
All Japan for a period of years, and we made the deal official when
the two of us met with Bob and Hawaii. It was a big money
deal for Stan. He ended up making more money than Junior or me.
He got a bonus plus fifteen thousand dollars a week for twelve to fifteen weeks
a year. That was the biggest fifteen grand a week in nineteen eighty one,
okay christ to be a pro wrestler. That was the biggest money deal
funk rights in the country. And as I recall, he had a clause
in the contract to cover inflation that called for a ten percent increase every year.
That might not sound like a lot until you get to the point where
Stan's been there for twenty years. That's why Stand shitting through silk drawers and
I'm still wrestling for Joe the Independent. No one knew about it, not
even the wrestlers on the curry. What's that ice? What's that smell?
That'd be some mydochie brother. No one knew about it, not even the
wrestlers in the card that night my Silk Drawers, except for Snook and Brodie
Funk Rights. We wanted it to be surprised to everyone, and that was
important to Stand too, because he had to finish up a New Japan tour
and then immediately come over and appear with us. That made New Japan a
snake pit during Stan's last days there, because he wasn't going to do a
job before he left. They wanted him to do a job even though they
didn't know he was going. He wasn't going to do one because he wanted
him to be strong coming in. It put him in a very precarious position
in New Japan because the promotion in Japan didn't pay the wrestlers still after the
last match on the tour, and he had to be very careful so no
one would know what he was going to do. We knew the reaction he'd
get when he came out with Snook and Brody for their match against Junior and
Me in the finals of All Japan's nineteen eighty one Real World Tag Team Tournament,
and he certainly didn't disappoint. The finish involved him giving me a clothes
line in leaving the buzz over Hans and jump spread through Japan's wrestling world.
The final move was to pull stand out from under Vince Senior when Stan was
in the middle of a main event feud with his champion, Bob Backlund.
That was actually Stan's second big run in New York. His first one was
in nineteen seventy six when he was wrestling Brunoso Martino. During one of their
matches, Hanson accidentally dropped him on his head, et cetera, et cetera.
Not long after Stan made his debut, I was sitting at home,
reading at my desk one day when the phone rang. It was Vince McMahon
Senior. Why did you do that? Goddamn it, Terry, Why did
you do it? Well? Dog gummet Vince. I said, you guys
took Abby. Well, you guys took Abby. I didn't know what else
to do. And so this will be a through line for Terry Funk's life,
said, Mama's time to go home right, as much kind of deference
as he forced towards Vince McMahon Junior in shooting, interviews and the like in
the latter stages of his life, make no mistake about it, Terry Funk
and the McMahons. The Funks and the McMahons were very much on opposite sides
of the spectrum and definitely bumped up against each other's interests one too many times
to be considered friends. And I think the idea that Terry you know,
certainly he came through is we'll get to here on the lapsed Funk in nineteen
eighty five to work with Hogan in the very beginning of the National Expansion era.
It was short lived for a reason. He didn't come into the nineteen
ninety three Survivor series as planned for a reason, and he drove them nuts
when he did that shot gun angle with Steve Austin and ended up, you
know, causing all kinds of chaos for a reason. It goes way back
with his family, all the way back to the politics of which Japanese office
WWF was aligned with, and taking Stan Hansen when he was feuding with Bob
Backland. But you stole Hanson from McMahon replied, yeah, next time,
we'll take your kitchen sink. If it happens again, we both laughed,
Yes, hah, Terry X. Like they always you know, had an
understanding when they hung up the phone, and we're still friendly, but clearly
the McMahon's we're just waiting for an opportunity to rename Dory haas Funk. I'm
like, fucking kill this guy. We both laughed. It was actually a
very casual conversation. So now we turned to Stan Hansen's book The Last Outlaw,
where he talks about getting the phone call, about making the jump and
how it all came together, and Boss, I turned it to you for
this extended conveyance of oral history, if you will here on the lapsed Funk.
I wasn't surprised to hear from someone from all Japan. In fact,
I have expected someone to contact me sooner or later, but I never thought
it'd be Terry Funk who would make the call. After we caught up on
what we had been each been doing, I said, I've been expecting to
hear from you. I think I took him by surprise. He said,
well, what do you mean were expecting to hear from me? Well,
it's been a year since we last spoke. You must want to talk to
me about something important. It was important. When he asked me about my
feelings towards Abdula coming to New Japan. I told him I wasn't shocked,
which I was, and that I was confident it would be it would help
our business. And he then asked me if I was happy at New Japan.
I told him I was, and that was the truth. New Japan
had given me a good spot and they had treated me as treated me well.
However, what I didn't tell Terry was that I'd just begun negotiating a
new contract with New Japan. Terry launched into his purpose for calling, how
would you like to how would you feel about talking to Baba Terry work in
the phones. After thinking about it for a few seconds, I told him
I'd be willing to talk, but I won't guarantee a move from New Japan,
and it will take a lot of money for me to even consider it.
I also emphasized that there must be complete secrecies about the meeting. I
want to talk to anybody but you and Baba, and I insist on absolute
secrecy. I wanted to kept between the three of us and nobody else.
Terry assured me he would do he would and that he'd be back in touch.
I didn't hear from terry for a while. When he did call,
he said, Baba would like to meet with me at a hotel on the
grounds of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport State in June nineteen eighty one,
because I planned to attend a big family reunion. It at Possum Kingdom Lake
was one hundred miles west of Dallas in Graham, Texas. Ram I had
to drive from Mississippi through Dallas anyway, so Dallas was a convenient place to
meet. Baba also had other business to take care of in the States.
I learned that he also had a meeting with Tiger Jeet Singh, with whom
he also was negotiating. After hanging up the phone, I was faced with
mixed emotions. I enjoyed working for New Japan. I didn't know for sure
what the future held, but they had always treated me well. They gave
me a good push and an opportunity to get over. On the other hand,
they kept putting me off whatever I asked for details my new contract,
and I was relegated to lower spots in the cards. They were putting their
efforts behind Abdullah and Jeet Singh as a tag team and Russia Kimura as a
single. I was getting me uncomfortable feeling that they didn't have they didn't have
me figured out, figured for a top spot in the future. I talked
to Shinmuff several times and we negotiated, but I could tell he was in
no hurry to put anything in writing. So of course I was anxious to
hear what All Japan had to offer, and I looked forward to my meeting
with Baba, so there wasn't any urgency on my part either. One of
the things which bothered me was that every time I met with Shinma he had
something negative to say about All Japan's business or Baba's financial stability. He would
say things like they're own their last legs, or the TV is going to
cancel their contracts just a matter of time. I didn't have reason to wonder
whether or not All Japan was having trouble. Nipping TV air their TV show
on Saturday afternoons at five point thirty, which was not a good time slot.
That was prime time for weekend television America, but in Japan, ninety
percent of the young wrestling fans were outside during that time. The VCR was
not yet a centered itumn in Japanese homes here in shin must say those things
made me feel a sense of doom in the back of my mind. I
kept thinking, if there isn't any competition, you know where, will that
leave all of us wrestlers without competition or value to the company would diminish because
the market would be flooded with talent looking for work. He's just he's just
thinking of all the other guys. I mean, that's I'm just thinking about
everybody else. I'm not concerned about myself, clearly not. I mean joined
my New Japan. You know, situation here. Shim didn't make an attempt
to put me at easy. He'd frequently take time to talk to me,
but the subject matter was of no real importance. I usually kept quiet and
let him do most of the talk, and I expected the office to do
what was going to benefit them the most. So the early details of negotiation
didn't concern me. But I was having a hard time getting Shinla's comments about
Abdullah out of my mind. They spent a lot of money to get him
to jump to New Japan, and yet they talked about him in such a
negative way. I thought, well, why were they think any differently?
About me. I also was beginning to feel that New Japan wasn't counting on
me as much as they had been, especially since they had convinced Abdullah to
jump. They had also picked up some Japanese wrestlers from Assayo Yashiwara's Promotion International
Wrestling Enterprise, which had gone out of business after losing their television Rusher Kimura,
Animal Hamaguchi, Yes and Isamu Teranishi all came to work for New Japan
when the company closed the doors. Yoshiwara was later hired by New Japan as
a booker, but passed away in nineteen eighty five at the early age of
fifty six. I was a businessman, so during the negotiation process, I
continued to do my job. I did it to the best of my ability,
and I worked hard. At the time, I was teaming with Dick
Murdoch, who had also left All Japan and made the jump in New Japan.
Hogan had gone back to the States and was spending most of the time
working for Verne Gagny's Awa Promotion. It was good to have Murdoch as my
partner. He was a good fit for me. I thought he was one
of the best tag team, best big men in wrestling. He could move,
he was quick, and he was one of the masters of crowd psychology.
I also enjoyed working with him because he was from Amarillo, Texas.
There is a bond between Texans which could only be understood by other Texans,
and Shinma continued to stall negotiations. I began to feel that New Japan wasn't
taking me seriously as a businessman. In some ways, perhaps it was my
fault. I was young, and I joked and messed around a lot.
I would do my job in the ring, but as soon as the match
was over, I wanted to get out of the arena and to have a
good time. That's problem standing you wouldn't do your job in the arena.
This that final week, I was having a great time in Japan, which
is the reason why I stayed in Japan for as long as I did.
I love the country and the people, the Japanese culture, and my private
time away from the business. It was like America in the nineteen fifties,
or at least as I imagine it had been. I admit that I was
a heavy drinker at night, but I quickly learned that my system could not
handle hard alcohol, so I only drank beer. It was a lesser of
two evils. But I was always ready for the next day's matches, and
it never affected my job performance. I didn't take myself too seriously either.
I could have acted more like a top guy by being more mature in my
interaction with the fans, but that wouldn't have been me all the time they
were There were large numbers of young fans who followed the gageans. Is that
a spice or the gageings? Yeah, I'd like to just sprinkle a little
bit of that gageing on my life. At times, there would be fifty
to seventy five fans of the hotel. We would leave, We would leave,
Yeah, we would leave for a show. Most of them were high
school or college girls, but there were also many male fans in that number.
When the bus pulled up in front of the hotel after the show,
the fans would be waiting. Did they go to the shows? I'm not
sure, but it was pretty neat to see so many there to greet us.
I had a great time joking and kidding around with them. I suppose
for those reasons, they thought I was a happy, go lucky or immature.
I probably was. Even though I told Shimna several times that I was
a businessman whose goal was to take care of his family, I knew that
being in a good spot was often a short lived thing, and if I
didn't get a good deal for myself while I was still an asset to the
company, everything I had worked for could disappear. I kept thinking about iwe
going out of business, and Shimna talking about the financial trouble All Japan was
facing. If All Japan went down, they would leave only one company,
New Japan. And if one company had all the marbles, how long would
it take before the company would be out of money? Even worse, how
long would it be before they hired someone to replace me? At that point,
I set my sides on getting a good, long term deal for myself,
and I was willing to sign a deal with whichever company wanted me the
most. Are you sure Ulkgan didn't compare notes would stand on the negotiation front?
I mean, he sounds exactly like a guy being afraid someone's gonna take
his torch? What do you do? What do you what are you nervous
about? Brother? I just I hear you talking all the time, brother,
about your spot and losing this is that you're you're top man here,
you're a maiden man. Brother. I mean, what what do you can
some guy come in and take your spot? What should what should I be
sort of on the lookout for? Brother? Well, Terry, I'm telling
you right now, you never know, you never know when someone's going to
come in and roll you up from behind? Brother? What do you what
do you do? What do you roll up? Brother? As in like
the wrestling move? Dude? Are you talking about that that wrestling hole?
Dude? Well, Terry, I'll tell you you know there, but many
times I had my back to my opponent in some fashion or another, and
all of a sudden I got a hand between my legs, pulling me down
and and scooping up that one two three. Well, you're talking about shooting
on somebody, dude. Murder, Yeah, Terry, I'm talking about murder.
Huh. All right, brother, let's talk turkey, dude. Let's
let's kind of you know what, Let's stop playing hide the ball, brother,
Let's stop playing you know, shizzle the nizzle dude. Let's talk turkey,
brother, Terry. I'm talking about as big turkey as I can what
do you are you saying that I should jump to Baba? Are you?
Brother? You are you? Are you saying it's Baba dude? Or it's
good for you but not good for hul Hogan? Like? Is that not
supposed to be shady? Like? What are you saying that you're better than
hul Cogan? Dude? Terry? I listen, those words ever came out
of my mouth. But I'm I ask you, are you better than hul
Cogan? Brother? What am I better than Hulk Hogan? Terry? That's
the question I asked you. Huh please, brother, Please continue, Dude.
I'm learning a lot from your book. Brother. Yeah, damn right,
you are. Uh. I drove. I drove to DFW Airport to
meet with Baba and Terry brother at the Let's See DFW Hotel. My surprise,
Terry wasn't there. Boba told me he had been delayed due to the
June fourteenth funeral of Rip Blackburn, son of acton Awa President Stanley Blackburn.
Rip had been a local promoter for spots shows in the Amarilla Territory and his
family was close to the Funks. President. At the meeting was Baba Missus
Motoko. Baba and a TV executive from nip And Television who I did not
know at the time, but who later became an important figure in both my
business and all Japan's. Baba spoke and understood English well, so there was
no interpreter in Japan. He normally used Joe Higuchi as an interpreter and buffer
between himself and whoever he might be speaking, including me. In time,
however, as Baba felt more comfortable dealing with me as a one on one
basis, we had many short personal conversations with the use of an intermediary.
On the day of this meeting, however, Baba spoke English. Baba said
we could wait for Terry to arrive, but we ended up talking business.
Missus Baba always treated me with great respect. She was the strong woman behind
the man we always hear about. She ran the everyday nuts and bolts of
the company so Baba could concentrate on the business of matches and talent. One
of her primary jobs was to run Giant service the merchandise enter the company.
Whenever I negotiated with the company, though I was dealt with bob Although I'm
sure she was privy to what Boba was doing at this meeting. However,
she was not involved with the discussions. The only request I had was that
I'd be allowed to continue using my own style of wrestling. At the time,
All Japan was known for matches which moved in a leisurely paced and featured
lots of holes, as opposed to my perpetual motion style of wrestling. I
would not compromise my style. Baba answered me simply, we want your style.
Most of all, we talked about a number of other things pertaining to
the business. Having been told that All Japan was in danger of losing their
television I wanted confirmation that NTV was dedicated to continuing to do business with them.
The NTV executive gave me verbal assurance the TV station was resolutely behind All
Japan and was committed to the future growth of the business. That promise was
the key behind me making a decision. I asked a few other minor considerations,
and we came to an agreement on all of them. It was not
one sided. I conceded some points and Baba gave into others. One of
the things I was concerned about was a clause in the my New Japan contract
which said that if either of us failed to honor the terms of the contract,
the person at fault would have to pay a ten thousand dollars fine.
I can't remember what those terms entailed, but I wanted to be sure it
was paid and that if I did everything, and that I did everything correctly.
I didn't want New Japan to have any ground to come after me legally,
and I wanted everything to be done in a business like manner. I
didn't want anything to jeopardize my future in Japan. I was putting all my
eggs in the into the age all Japan basket, and I didn't want problems
to crop up after I went over. You imagine how fucking complicated it would
be as an American to feel confident that your contract is kosher under Japanese law.
It's it's mind boggling. I just don't even know where to start.
If I was out there, I'd just be so afraid that people wouldk fade
me into signing something that you know wouldn't hold up and would get me sued.
And how do you defend yourself as an American in Japan? Like,
I'm sure they're American speaking I should say English speaking lawyers, but I don't
know, man, you're so at the mercy of the people interpreting for you.
Yeah, And of course whatever promotion they work for, they're doing their
bidding. So the answers they give you and the interpretations they give you,
and the translations they give you or run through the filter of the self interest
of that promoter. Just what a weird terrain to have to navigate totally.
And this is before you know, being able to pull up your phone and
translate for yourself. Of course, yep, yep. I made my final
decision based on the fact that I wanted to base my career in Japan.
I was willing to forget wrestled in America. That was a huge decision because
there were many places to go and make money in America. To this day,
I look at it as the best business decision I ever made. Tiger
Jeet Singh also came to an agreement with Baba. However, he made his
All Japan debut just weeks after his meeting. Sing would wrestle the New Japan
m MSG League tournament between May eighth and June fourth, nineteen eighty one,
and made his last appearance for New Japan on June fifth at the Old krak
Karan May kurra may not sure, it doesn't matter Karama Caramus Caramel Sumo Stadium.
On July third, Tiger made his first showing with All Japan. My
family was waiting for me downstairs during the meeting. We left immediately after the
meeting and drove back to Jackson to see my mother. She was in bad
shape. Tha Goku Kuki Khan by the way, a cookie Khan. Yeah,
Cookie Pan. She was a large woman, so there was a very
real possibility that she might not walk again. Okay, she was a bohemos.
The surgery to repair her crushing need to take her thinking more than five
and five? What five mothers? Well, getting back to the story of
me going to work for All Japan and the weeks that followed me meeting with
Baba. When All Japan and I were in Nagoya at the same time,
I decided to visit with Brody Well. I wanted him to know what was
going to happen. We had a history together and the wrestling press was always
talking about the possibilities of seeing us together, so I knew we would be
a natural team. Whenever I went to work for All Japan, I followed
what he had been what had been doing with All Japan, and he did
the same with me. But we never really thought of of of ever getting
back together and as a tag team. I wanted him to know that there
was the possibility of us becoming a team again. I knew Brody's attitude was
going to be very important if we were going to score and make a big
impact on All Japan Pro Wrestling or All Japan Wrestling Pro Wrestling. Yes,
he was very conscious of his career. He was very independent too, and
he didn't lack surprises. He was being pushed at All Japan at the time,
and like Abdullah had a New Japan, I'd be coming in and getting
a big push as well. I never thought about who would get over more.
I was content simply to do my thing and see how things progressed.
I did know that if we became a tag team or combined our styles,
we could be very successful. I was excited about the possibilities which lay ahead.
I took a taxi to the Lion's Plaza hotel, where Brody was staying.
We had gotten together a few times before when we were in Tokyo.
Brody and I walked to a small park and sat on a bench. Sonny
but cold. I told him I'd be showing up in All Japan soon and
that I thought he should know. I told him I had, I had
asked the All Japan Office to keep it quiet and not mention it to anyone.
When I asked him for his opinion, he said he appreciated me telling
him and that he wouldn't have been happy to have been surprised. I knew
what he meant. I didn't like Abdu was showing up out of the blue
when he walked to the building in Kawasaki. I didn't want Brody to feel
the same way. Brody didn't reveal much about how he felt about the situation,
but he was excited about the possibilities with us both on the same side.
We liked each other and we were both getting over with the Japanese fans.
I believe he thought my arrival would enhance his position as well. Looking
back on my meeting with Brody, to me, that was the most important
meeting I had in Japan, second only to my meeting with Boba and Dallas.
I was looking forward at working for All Japan, but I was going
to do my very best for New Japan. I felt like I owed them
something forgiving me an opportunity and never doing and never doing me wrong. I
knew that no matter what I did, and Oki and Shinma would feel like
UH would feel like I double crossed them. But I didn't want them to
look back after I left and say I could have laid him, I could
have laid down on them. I still I still wanted them to do good
business, even though it was their own fault for paying too much attention to
Abdullah and not getting me signed either or earlier. They obviously thought I would
wait around until they were ready to make a deal. They also could have
made me content by treating me as equal in all respect to the butcher.
They decided, for whatever their reasons, UH to not take me serious and
not treat me like a businessman. Knowing I was going to all Japan at
the end of the year placed a lot of stress on me, especially psychologically.
There was nobody I could talk to about the situation. During the first
tour back, Shimna began to apply pressure for me to sign a long term
contract. They began offering me more and more money each time they were able
to each kind that cane to me with a new offer. I put them
off by saying I had to, you know, to talk things over with
my wife brother. Of course, my wife and I were separated and almost
divorced that time, but that excuse took care for the first tour. On
the second tour, I evaded them as much as possible and never gave Shimna
any promises. I have to admit that he worked hard to convince me to
sign, and he was sincere with his He was sincere in his negotiation.
He offered me a lot of blue sky incentives. He once told me that
Inochi owned an island in the Pacific and showed me a picture of a small
island among several others, all overgrown with trees. Hanging from one of the
trees was a banner which said a Noki Island. I don't know if that
was the truth or something that made up, but I accepted it as the
truth. I was shocked, however, when he offered me an island,
he said he would be named Hampson Island. Now that was a nice gesture,
But how many times would I ever visit an island in the South Pacific?
Not too many times. I'd imagine, shim said. I also said
I could have a few percentage points in the company that was attempting offer.
I spent a few days imagine myself as part owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
I never really thought it was a serious offer, but I enjoyed going
over the position. In my mind, I'm sure no other Gaugent had ever
been offered points in the company. It was a nice gesture, but after
thinking about it, I just didn't think it would really be done. In
my mind, however, it raised all sorts of questions as to how I'd
be able to know the truth about the promises they made. Yeah, that's
some That's probably very savvy of him, because it's generally well accepted that the
Japanese definitely frown on foreign ownership of Japanese corporations in any in any degree,
and so the idea that they were floating points in the company for Stan Hansen,
I think he was right to be specious of that. Yeah. I
think it's worth mentioned that on June twenty fourth, nineteen and eighty one,
shortly after my meeting with Baba Abdue with the Butcher made his first live appearance
for New Japan. We teamed up against then Nochi and Yoshiaki Yatsu. Yeah,
I duel and I pretty much ate up Yatsu, and then then we
had the match, primarily because I wasn't going to allow myself to look like
the weaker member of our team. The last New Japan Pro Wrestling tour of
the year and my final tour for the company, took place from November nineteenth
through December tenth. By that time, I needed to confide in somebody for
no other reason than to find a release for the stress which New Japan was
putting on me. Deck Murdock was my tag partner, but other than Brody,
the only people I told were Pete Roberts, who I trusted implicitly,
Hulk Hogan, and Andre the Giant Brother. I confided in Pete during the
August tour and broke the news to Hogan in October. They both kept the
information to themselves, which confirmed my belief that they were true friends. Hogan,
who was on the final tour with me, also was in a position
to possibly move to All Japan. I even mentioned that he should think about
coming over to Baba with me, but he knew that when I left New
Japan, he would have an opportunity to advance his position as a single,
and that's exactly what happened. Truly. Before I left, they split us
up and began giving him more of a push. They obviously looked at him
and his connection to vinisick Man when they decided to push him as a single.
He stayed with the New Japan and he did very well in Japan in
the years which followed. The only other person I told about my move ahead
of time was Andre, and I didn't tell him until the day of the
last show before I went over. I hated to leave him. Andre had
played a big part in my getting over in Japan, so I felt like
I owed it to him. When I went to his hotel room before the
December tenth, nineteen eighty one showing in Osaka, I said, Boss,
I won't be seeing you anymore. What you mean? I told him I'd
made a deal with Bob and that I was going to work for him after
that night. I also told him that nobody knew. He grinned and said,
go for his boss. I must see you down the road. Sometime
Andre called everyone boss, and in turn, it became a habit for me
to call him boss. As well. It was just a funny little play
we had when we talked to each other. I never called anyone else boss,
but I felt comfortable using it with Andre any other wrestlers. I sure
did respect Andre, and I appreciate so much all he did for me in
Japan. In my opinion, our matches were what really got me over in
Japan, not just the ones with Enoki. They were good and help,
but I believe Andre and I worked together was the main reason I left the
matches that night with a clear conscience. I had let my closest associates in.
I had lost my place there on my secret. Nobody knew what my
money deal was with Baba, but the Dirt Sheets purported he doubled my salary
from four thousand to eight thousand. That was typical of them. They printed
rumor and innuendo without verifying the facts. Yeah, which was it? Then?
I don't need to tell you nothing private business. You tell me how
much you're making in your territory. Right, It's fine. I'm not going
around cold other people wrong and full of shit for reporting my salary either.
It's all right, fine. I'm just saying in general, in life,
I prefer people. I don't need to give you the information. You don't,
my heart, you don't. But you also can't then bitch and moan
when someone takes an educated guess. I can apparently, apparently that's right.
You're in the United States Constitution to tell me I can't do that. Where
do I get arrested for sharing my opinions without giving you my facts? Huh,
you're right, stan I stand back, I said, damn right,
you stand back, piece of shit. That smell fuck? What what's that
smell? Yeah? I smell barbecue sauce and exactly my dog shit. All
right, you fucking cunt. I can totally see stan Anton turning on you
like that. You know, like you think you're having a friendly conversation with
him, but he's just like he's got the same void if he's pissed at
you as he does if he's happy with you. Just tell you something right
now. I just ate a bunch of bunch of fucking metal nails, and
I'm gonna spin him at your face, big piece of shit. I didn't
say nothing was fun exactly, but I'm gonna kick your ass. Everything you
say. He like takes exception to let me fucking eat a pussy sandwich.
What that's neither here nor there. Yeah, I'm neither here nor there.
You fuck her. Everyone thinks they got they they know what's best for for
staying fucking hands, And I'm gonna tell you what's best for staying fucking Hanson
taking an out right now and shoving in somebody's ass and saying, fuck this,
eat this ship. My cock's gonna explode. Well, reverering a little
off path here stand, I'm on path, my path stand and other things
as well. It's because I sit here on on on. Payote doesn't mean
shit. Fucker Payoti all right? So how much was the salary? Let
me tell you. I'm all about the payote. You Payota in my fucking
pocket, you dumb fuck payote window. That's right. Uh, they print
rumoring and you went to a fact. Let's just say I received an increase
in pay that was beyond my wildest dreams. How would you suggest they verify
their fact stand if you had refused to confirm it? They don't, well
tell you what. I'll tell you what. They don't need to verify facts.
They just need to not print bullshit, all right, Exactly? You
know whose businesses anybody else's of how much money I'm making by just sitting around,
you know, farting out puzzle pieces, eating, eating fucking pussy and
slashing with a fucking lemonade. S hold the fu phone? Has this been
a secret fucking stealth thing on Lapsed Funk? Is it? Stan Hansen is
like talking talking a mess saying puzzle pieces are coming out of his ass,
he's eating pussy and he's sitting on lemonade. Is Stan Hansen the hero of
the Lapsed Funk? It could? It could be happening right before our very
eyes and ears, folks. Bottom line is, it's all my fucking business
and nobody else's business, And I'm gonna sit down, take a shit,
and I'm gonna eat it so and say something that makes you stand out.
I don't have to stand and I'm stand out Hansen. Shit, you can
call me stand Hanson because I'm constantly taking one. Among other things, You're
all dumb fuckers, believe in what they tell you, not finding out the
facts, not knowing the truth, feeding on the lies, feeding on the
lies. I mean, all I have to say is please direct your attention
to the skype winda. What uh that's Stan. Current. That's current.
Stan. Now I'm telling you right now, is that I live in my
best life right now, living in living in you know, living in secrecy,
living in the shadows. What what, I'm living my best life right
now, living in secrecy, living in the shadows. Like that's his reputation,
Like anyone's ever said that Stan Hanson is a recluse, Like no one's
a sh that guy, that guy right there, living in the shadows.
Oh my god, it's too good. Oh good. Let me tell you.
I'll tell you a deep, dark secret about standing. I killed Humpty
Dumpy, all right. I fucking made an omelet with that bitch. And
confirm that either printed in the sheets, you confirm that your dirt sheet bitch,
Shed Hanson would take through his grave his grapes over quote unquote dirt sheet
bitches. Yes. I didn't share that information with the boys or anyone else.
For that reason, the dirt cheeks never did get the figures correct,
even though they pretended to know by printing bogus information. I didn't want to
know what anyone else was making. Neither fuck it that way. Greed and
Amby didn't enter the equation. Not no one made it easier for me to
control my own ego. If I was happy with the deal I made,
it didn't matter what anyone else made. As the saying goes, ignorance is
bliss. I became more and more excited as the time drew near from my
move to All Japan. Shimna was stopping by frequently asking for a decision on
what I wanted him, what terms I wanted in the contract. With each
day that passed, he began to pressure me more and more. In the
final days before I left, they offered me as much money as as All
Japan had. I was absolutely shocked one afternoon when shim Has said, name
your price. Their offers had no interest in me. I was going All
Japan regardless of what they promised. I had made a deal and shook hands
with Baba, and that was that I would never break a deal or a
handshake. I lived by the very thing I told Arnold Skoland in New York,
A deal is a deal. So you skipped a paragraph which is find
out, I'll hit it because it actually touches on his read of the situation.
As far as how close the funks really were allowed to get to Baba
and his inner thinking, you know, as much as they were the qute
unquote bookers and felt a lot of pressure to keep all Japan strong and afloat.
I think Hanson makes a very interesting point, as somebody who was almost
unique in his ability to read the tea leaves in the Japanese wrestling scene.
He writes in the end, Boba and I were both very happy with the
deal between the two of us. I refused to discuss or reveal money deals
with anyone else. As I said earlier, I was happy that Terry Funk
did not make the original meeting with Baba because it left him out of the
loop. I trusted Terry, but when it came I always tried to keep
details between myself and the other party involved. The Funks were very tight with
Boba and could be trusted with anything relating to all japan business, but I
wasn't sure they were privy to all of Baba's business dealings. To my way
of thinking, they weren't Japanese, so they weren't. Neither was I.
The money Baba was paying me was my own business. I didn't share that
information with the boys or anyone else. For that reason, The Dirt Sheets
never did get the figures correct, even though they pretended. And that's where
we go from there, so please carry on after A deal is a deal.
A deal is a deal. I was not going to bend a pressure
greed for stan Hansen. A deal was a deal. I have to admit
that there was a time during the last tour when I had some misgivings.
Ye Oliver heard Shimna once again mentioned that All Japan was going out of business.
He said, nipping TV Channel four counsel their TV show, and things
were so bad that Baba was selling his Honolulu condominium just to get enough money
to make his payroll. I should have known him better, but that got
to me. In November December nineteen eighty one, both All Japan New Japan
had big, big tag tours running at the same time. Feeling overwhelmed over
all the rumors and stress from my previous tour, I found out where the
All Japan wrestlers were standing. Called Terry Funk, who was on tour with
him. I would not leave my name. When I finally got in touch
with him, I told him I needed to talk to Boba personally, and
soon he called back. Just a few minutes later, and we set up
a meeting at the High Regency Tokyo in Shinjuku, across the street from the
ku Plaza Hotel where the New Japan Gage in stage stand. Let's meet at
the Hygatt Regency in Shinjuku. Uh oh Yeah. I met Bob in a
room where we had total privacy. Joe Higuchi was there as well, but
it never entered in the conversation. It was strictly between Bob and myself.
I told Boba what I had heard about his financial troubles and that he was
selling his condo. He just smiled and confirmed that he was selling, but
that he was buying a much bigger one on the seafront in the same building.
The statements made about a NIP and TV council in the All Japan show
were nothing more than a rumor two history. We proved that to be correct,
as nipping TV supported Baba from the day he opened All Japan nineteen seventy
October twenty second, nineteen seventy two until his death January thirty one, nineteen
ninety nine. Boba smiled and said everything is all right. The whole meeting
took less than thirty minutes. I breathed a sigh of relief and never looked
back that point forward. I was going to All Japan. Back in New
Japan, Shimton was polite and never lost a school, but I could tell
he was beginning to feel the heat of not signing me. At times it
seemed to be frustrated. I actually felt somewhat sorry for a sorry of him,
but he had ignored me too often in the past, and now,
in the final hours before my last contract was about to end, he was
trying to hardball me and to sign it as he was in addition to that,
And I know I'm sound like a broken record by now, but I
just couldn't get past the comments he made to me about Butcher and others him.
Night and Anoki might have had an idea of what was going on,
but I never got word of it. Japan is a small place, rumors
are rampant, and the press was always snooping around, and yet there was
no talk about the possibility that I might go to All Japan. Looking back
on it now, I believe New Japan thought I was more preoccupied with playing
around and having fun with Jim Duggan and my other friends than I was about
the business. We had good times together. We would do immature things like
shoot water pistols at the fans. However, I believe that was one of
the things which endeared me to the fans we went. We were different and
down to earth. New Japan didn't look at it that way. They saw
it as immaturity. On December tenth, I sat in the dressing room in
Osaka, knowing it was going to be my last match with the company.
I was fairly certain that we had kept the entire matter quiet as far as
I knew. Other than Baba and the people I had told, nobody in
neither company knew about it. However, people in the wrestling business are almost
always talking and spreading rumors, and there is a saying about Japan it is
the smallest country in the world when it comes to keep it a secret.
I believe that's true, and if word had leaked out, I didn't rule
out some kind of double cross taking place in my match that night. It
didn't happen, but I was on my toes. I wasn't gonna fall prey
to a quick count. That was for sure. Outside the business, especially
after I jumped, I often looked over my shoulder, so do. We
taught Terry how to be paranoid, wondering if somebody might be coming after me
behind you woo wooh. I was worry. Japan was a small country with
certain elements with you know, which were dangerous. Yeah, like the Japanese
Mafia, which I'd heard many stories. They had their hands and in most
businesses, or at least had a relationship with the most organizers. For that
reason, I wondered whether or not they had a relationship with New Japan,
and if they did, would they come after me? Perhaps I was being
paranoid, but that suspicion lingered in the back of my mind during the first
few hours after I jumped all Japan for at few tours Oh tours, sorry,
that's host. We saw Hogan crib that paranoia about the yakuza in that
interview he did just this year with a Theo vonn where he goes, I
hope they're not listening. Remember that moment where he like looks at the sky
like maybe maybe the the Japanese mafia is wired tapping this interview in this room.
He learned that one from Hanson as well. Who's the guy who made
Hope paranoid. That's a fucking big contribution. Oh yeah, h I was
like, what's he wearing? Brother? Why is he? Well? Why
did it sunglasses? Indoors? Brother? Brother? While I'll see the ring,
dude? Why is he wearing pants? Brother? The fuck is going
on? Dude? What yeh? Get out of the desk? Huh?
I would shm shm? What's going on? Shut up, Darry, It's
gonna be fine. They're just they're just talking in Japanese. Just let them
finish the deal. Brother, What do you mean they're talking Japanese? Dude,
I can't understand when they talk Japanese. Brother, the fuck him?
What they're just they're doing a hand to hand on a weed deal. Brother,
We we it's a huge deal in this country. You can go away
for like thirty years. We didn't. We didn't do anything, brother,
I know. That's why we need to keep a fucking mouch out and wait
for this time to play out. Terry? Why, brother? Shut up?
Who's playing? Dude? Ha? It's so much freak. It doesn't
take much for Terry to blow their cover, does it? That of us?
His face? You know? Oh no, no, brother, I'm
eat you bond dude, don't. Don't. I'm holding Hogan's song brother Ogen
Son, Dude Ogen Son o each you bond. Please don't hurt me,
dude brother, Please don't hurt his Hogan Son Hogan son on namam O,
Why did you say that meeting? Please don't? I hate school rock and
roll. Let's go brothers so so breathy, I swear, dude comes from
it all comes from paranoia about the Japanese mob. I won't, I won't
be each, I won't. I'll be so du, I'll be I'll be
Balaya's son. That's a riot. I'll be blay Son Like that's gonna dowal
tamp things down. Yeah, that'll that'll reduce tensions big time. My good,
um, where was they? One of the strange things about the whole
scenario is that I never felt like New Japan had scaled back on the push.
Normally, when a wrestler's contract is ready to expire or he's going to
leave, the company either quits pushing them or tries to beat him. That
never happened to me. In fact, my last appearance for New Japan was
in the main event in Osaka December tenth, nineteen eighty one. With me
yet no. Dick Murdock and I wrestled and lost to Anoki and Fujinami.
Murdoch lost the fall and Fujinami reversed Murdoch's signature brainbuster move and pinned him clean
in the middle of the ring. When I think about it, though,
it would have been hard for the Office to beat me because of the matches
I had with Andre, not to mention the fact that I'd beaten Anoki one.
So I also believe they kept pushing me because they were confident office would
beat him. Did I say what I say, no, that the office
would beat him of the Office, Yeah, hilarious. That's hilarious. You
know, it's just the general office that you're up against. I also believe
they kept pushing me because they were confident they would sign me. I found
it out. I tried to avoid Shim on my final night. I didn't
go to all the towns, but I knew he was there that night,
as I expected, Shim became him into the dressing room and asked one more
time about trying to get a long term contract signed. He seemed to be
very concerned about the fact that he had that I hadn't signed, and I
asked if there was anything he could do for me. When I said no,
Shim that must have known something was up. If I didn't have other
plans, I would have signed by now. I didn't get any feeling,
however, that he suspected that I might be going to All Japan. After
my match, we all took the the shik Shinkanson it's the Japanese bullet train
back to the Ko Plaza Hotel. I wished everyone good night, and I
went to my room. Murdoch still didn't know what I was going to do.
Next morning, I took a taxi to the to the Guinsa Tokyo hotel,
where the All Japan office had to be registered under my assume an assumed
name. I spent the night there alone. Day that same day, the
New Japan Gauge it was took a bus to Narita International Airport for a flight
back to the States. I would have enjoyed being on a flying a wall
on that bus. My conspicuous absence must have lent itself to a great deal
of interesting conversation. I later returned my unused ticket to New Japan. Bible
had agreed to pay for my flight back to the States. Up to that
point, it was New Japan's responsibility to see that I quote, come into
and leave the country, So I wanted that taken care of so there wouldn't
be any problem later than when I applied for a new work in visa.
When I first began going to Japan, before any of the gage and has
gotten a serious trouble, the resting Office accepted full responsibility for our welfare while
we were in their country. They provided it transportation to and from the court
the countries of origin, and while we were in Japan to and from the
arenas. There was nothing to do in our contracts regarding their duty to provide
medical case also something oh, there was also something rather in our contracts regarding
their duty to provide medical care when we got injured. Later, after a
number of the boys got into legal trouble with the police, the office added
a sipulation which we agreed to a bib in the laws of Japan. If
we broke the law, they would disavow any responsibility for our welfare. The
office also began making background checks in both Japan and the States before issuing a
visa. A number of the wrestlers who had gotten into trouble in the States
at a hard time getting to work in visa for Japan. At two o'clock
the next day, December twelfth, that was picked up by Yoshiro Yoshi Mimota
and driven to Yokosuka, which is a two hour south of Tokyo in the
Kanagawa Prefecture. This show in Yosako, Yokosuka that night, which was which
was the next to the last show of the year for All Japan, featured
the semifinals of the Real World Tag League Tournament. The Gajan wrestlers on that
tour included Terry fun Dori Funk, Bruiser, Brody, Jimmy snook Tiger,
Jeet Singh, Harley Race, Larry Larry Hennig, The Sheik, Mark Lewin,
Baron von Rashki, and Killer Call Krupp. It was a great line
up a top talent. I rid at the show early and went to the
dressing room. Not too many people saw me when I walked in. There
were a number of smaller dressing rooms in the building, so Brody and Snooka
were dressing alone. Brody was in a bad mood. When I asked him
why, he said the office kept him completely in the dark about me coming
to all Japan. Of course, he knew about it because we had discussed
it in Nagoya, but he felt like the office should have included him in
such an important piece of business, as they're up and coming young talent.
His pride was hurt. Of course, Baba and Terry Funk had promised me
to keep it a secret, and perhaps they weren't sure just how Brody would
respond to me coming over. Brody might have not trusted the Funks as much
as I did for whatever reason. He also had his tag team partner and
good friend Jimmy Snooker to think about My entry into the mix. Gave Brody
some things they discussed with the office about his own position with the company.
I felt Brody's participation was important even then, I didn't think of myself as
being separate from Brody in stature with the with the company. I wanted us
both to have a successful run, so I determined to smooth things out.
I sent word to the office that I wanted a meeting with Boba, Brody,
Snooker and the Funks. This guy always like freaks out and want's a
meeting. Oh yeah, I listen, I'm not. I don't know what
you're here all about, but I need a meet in. That's right,
all right, I need to get the I need to get the core group
to you. We gotta have a fucking come to Jesus right now, he's
hul cokein. I'm sitting here running all these scenarios in I had about how
everyone's going to undercut me, and I get myself worked up so much that
I need to have a meeting in. The bottom line is I understand that
there are people out here who want to screw Stan Hanson. Yes, all
right, I know that this is the truth. You know this is the
truth. You know you're trying to fuck me over, right, So we
got to get down, have a fucking meeting and figure out how we're not
gonna fuck me over Look in the eye, I want to see eye to
eye that you have decided that Stan Hansen is not gonna be fucked piece of
shit right, just to prejudge you now, I know you trying to fuck
me. I've seen your eyes. I've seen your wandering eyes. I know
I've been sitting down here eating my lunch and I see the eyes coming from
across the damn room. Does have a lot in common with Abby, And
they're saying, where could I get into this motherfucker? Where can I take
control of stan Hanson? Where can I find the secret control base inside san
hanson body? Right? Well, and I can make sure he does my
bidden Now, I'm not that fucking stupid. I'm pretty fucking insulted. Do
you think I'm that stupid? Haven't said a word to say that I'm gonna
allow you to get inside my body and start controlling my brain? Yeah?
This is presumptuous of me, isn't it. Stan? Now, I'm not
just like any corn dog? Rest what all? Right? Now? You
can sit there and you can control anybody's brain that you want, but you
will not control Stan Hansen. Stan Hansen has control of his brain. I
know my thoughts. This is a wonderful bit of character development here, a
veritable flurry of development here, as we learn all about the guy who made
Old Cochin paranoid. I know I know where I ben, I know where
I go, and I'm going to tell you you do not have the right
to the privilege of knowing my things. I know where I've been, I
know where I go. You're not allowed to collect my secrets, okay,
the gdp R, Like, what are you talking about the right to be
forgotten? Like you live in a consent based environment. Stan Hansen has the
right to come and go as he pleases. Stan Hansen has the right as
a human being of this earth, you know. And the thing is when
it comes to digital online privacy, Stan explained all this to Abdullah the Butcher,
and Abdullah got it. And Abdullah conceptually was with Stan. He was
against it. But when he found out that that meant you keep away,
keep away from me, your Abdullah gumblada. But when he realized that meant
that he had to swear off cookies, Abdullah was no longer interested in the
car. I can't I can't need the cookies, all right, first party,
third party, I don't care. You know, you can have as
many parties as you want. There's stand by the bottom. But but you
know what, you can't take it if you're gonna take away if you're gonna
take away the you know, the little challengeship cookies that I I need.
It's without the cookies, what will they whip in my face like frisbees?
Will I sit there and I don't have the cookies and I don't have anything.
I just can't. You know, I'll want to go home, and
if you take away the cookies, I'm gonna be forced to go home.
I don't even know what home is. I just know that I need a
home for my food. I don't want any alternate identifier. I don't want
no U I D two point oh, I want cookies U I D IS.
I'm not interested in STDs. I'm not interested in Yeah, we know
you're not interested in those, particularly whether you have them or not. I
don't know if I have them. I won't check. You know, you
know, a woman comes to fuck Abby, you know they put their laugh
on their own hands on a woman comes to fuck Abby. I mean there's
a pretty good chance that you know, they were like Japanese women all over
them, like you know, like riding his hamhowks. You know, you
know I've had I've had a multip the women, you know, holding ship
at the border or what oh that's holding ship, holding ship, like like
my kit's under my armpit, you know, putting you know, grabbing some
of the you know, putting some some some deyodur under my under my bench
tails, sucking the cock out of my ask what. Yeah, I've had
blowjobs. What's the problem? What? I continue to ask a very simple
question, what is the problem? You know, one time I I was
getting a blow job and I had diary at the same time, and I
have no problem with that. Yeah, I'd be the problem. It's not
the question of whether you have a problem with it. There's other people here
to consider as well, you know, if they have a problem with it.
I'm just not gonna listen, but I am gonna eat. Oh yeah,
that's apparent. I do need a sandwich, you know, just something
something to keep the ship going on here. Need of sandwich h be as
simple as peanut butter and fucking jelly. Don't care how many more times do
I have to play audio of what his voice actually sounds like. That's the
best part. It sounds nothing like you. At one point you said,
you said, at one point, they have women who put deodorant under my
bench. Can you imagine what it smells like under the flaps that he's got.
I mean, I mean, just to lift it up like sometimes a
smell. You know, I'll just be walking around or I'll be sitting around
the house. You know, I'm not going to walk around there, you
know, sometimes suddenly smell in the sense of of of a sewer. I
wonder where, you know, as a fuck, you know, everything's blocked
up. But then I realized, oh it's it's me. I smell like
the sewer, happy and standard, like the Larry Nelson of the A W.
A Journeys, just like he's like, who knew that we would be
going to going to town? Oh ship, Uh, let's get it.
They also had a tag team partner friend Jimmy Snooker. To think about.
My entry into the mix, gave Brody some things he discussed with the office
about his own position with the company. I felt Brody's participation was important,
even that I didn't think of myself as being separate from Brody and stature with
the company. I wanted to us both to have a successful run, so
I determined to smooth things out. I went. I sent word to the
office that I wanted a meeting with Baba Brody, Snooka and the Funks.
We agreed to meet at the Takanawa Tobu Hotel, which was located two blocks
from the shin Shinagawa train station and where the All Japan gagents were staying after
the matches. Yoshi drove Brody, Snooka and meet of the hotel president at
The meeting was a meeting where mister Baba, missus Baba, both of the
Funks, Brody snook, Josan Higuchi, and myself. Yeah, we sat
down and discussed the plans for the company. As an hour or so later,
everybody was appeased. Everybody was appeased in including Brody. We were told
that if anything worked out, and if everything worked out, we would all
be pushed on an equal level. I would not be coming in to be
pushed ahead of Brody or anything like that, and that was exactly the way
I wanted it. I can understand Brody's feelings. He felt left out,
much like I had when Abdullah came over to New Japan. I think it
helped that we were friends and that he trusted me, because he could have
looked at my arrival as a threat to his stature with the company. I
did everything I could to relieve him of that noce, which was my reason
for calling the meeting. I wanted everyone to be happy. I wondered what
the Terry was, what the Terry and Dory thought of the hostility of a
hastily called meeting, and it's a conclusion. It was obvious from what was
said that Bible wanted things to go smoothly for Brody and me. There was
some underlying strain between Brody and the Funks, which I wasn't until I arrived
that knew Japan, All Japan, All Japan underlying strain. I like this.
They had been doing business together for a number of years. You know,
quite often he was their opponent in the ring, and since they were
the bookers for All Japan they had been there had been some small conflicts and
misunderstandings had come up between them. That was when Brody and I differed in
personality. We were close friends, and we were and were one hundred percent
dedicated to each other as a team. However, Brody was always suspicious of
everything that came his way. He looked in every situation from one hundred different
angles, termined if things were as they seemed. He also spent most of
his free time thinking about his personal wrestling business, what was good both for
himself as an individual and for us as a team. I, on the
other hand, try to take things at face value and believe with faith that
things were as they seemed. I felt that was the major difference in our
personalities. Brody was non believing well, I took a weight and see attitude.
However, our different approach to the business served us well as a team.
For many years. Brody looked much further down the road than I did
in terms of our business. I was content to adjust as we went along.
Often I would be a common I would be a common effect on Brody
when he got upset or when things did not go as he wanted them to
go. On the other hand, he was able to heed things off by
recognizing the different directions our business might be MY take in the future. During
our time together, however, in public, we always were united front.
Would never let anyone get between us, and would never let anyone else see
that we were even discussing from opinions. I feel that was a real strong
point in our relationship and one of our unique strengths. We were all excited
as we were left the meeting. We were ready to move forward and turn
all Japan's business around. This meeting was a foundation for a long and prosperous
time for all Japan and all parties involved. The following night of December thirteenth
was the final show of the tour for all Japan. It was held in
Rio Goku Coku Gegegan, the old Sumo Arena also known as Sumo Hall.
I showed up early again in order to stay out of sight as much as
possible. The show was sold out for the finals of the nineteen eighty one
Real World Tag League tournament, in which Brody and Snooka faced the Funks in
the final. I never showed my face until I walked to the ring with
Brody and Snooka. I was wearing my street clothes and a cowboy hat.
I can still remember the electricity of the crowd as we walked down the aisle
of the ring. The closer we got to the ring, the more people
began to notice me the fact I was there. It was quite a shock
and put the fans in a mood of excitement. Brody had a great partner
in Jimmy Snooka. Snuka was a top toalt in his own right, but
the Japanese fans knew about my past connections with Brody. Stories about our time
together in the States have been written about a number of times. In fact,
with fans had voted us to the dream team they would most like to
see together. When we got to the ring, the people responded wildly.
I was there merely to be a second to Brody and Snuka, so I
kept a low profile the early part of the match. During the closing moments
of the match, Terry Funk bumped into me on the floor and we began
to fight, as could be expected. Before too long, all five of
us were into it. When we began to get the best of the Funks,
Baba and Jumbo came to the ring and chaos broke loose in the building.
People were throwing futons as we fought toe to toe. When Baba hit
me in the forehead with a big chop, the blood began to flow.
The excitement of the people we knew Hi. I mixed it up with Bob
as much as I could. He was the top guy, and I wanted
to be sure we were going to be connected at the hip from that night
on. Finally, after a while into the match, we stormed through the
crowd and went back to the dressing room. After we had been sitting in
the dressing room for a few minutes, an idea crossed my mind. I
stood up and charged down the hallway towards Boba's dressing room. Bro he didn't
know what I was going to do, but he followed hot on my heels.
I didn't know what was going on in Boba's room, and I didn't
even have to have a plan. I sat planning my mind, but I
was going to run in on him and attack him. It was a totally
unplanned scenario. I managed to stay in character, but I was unprepared for
what I saw when I slammed it. When I stormed into that room,
I couldn't have timeline and propped two actions any better. The dressing room was
full of people, pressman, fans, TV reporters, photographers, and all
the young Japanese boys. I can still picture the shock on their faces when
I kicked open the door and ran inside with blood pouring down my face and
my shirt covered with blood. I must have been a sight, as I
am very nearsighted. I really had to work to spot Baba in the crowd
of people, but when I did, I attacked him. He fought back,
but I was hampered by the people who surrounded him. When Brody joined
me, he stood by my sister's side by side and carried the battle to
anyone and everyone. Baba was my main focus. However, after a minute
or so of turmoil, Brody and I backed out of the doorway and returned
to our own room. Baba never told me in so many in so many
words, but I know he was extremely excited that I took the initiative to
do what I did. The spontaneous action was already what he had hoped I
would bring to the business. The scene was caught on camera and still photos
went over big in Japan. The best thing about it was that the whole
thing was unplanned. It was as if it could be mm hmm. The
That event set the whole tone of what the Hansen Brody combination was going to
be about. In all Japan, we were wild, unpredictable and spontaneous.
My spontaneous reaction to get into to get into action was something which just couldn't
be written into a script. I felt that if I didn't know what I
was going to do next, then the office didn't. Then the office didn't
know either, and as a result, the fans wouldn't have a hope of
guessing what was going on. Going to happen next. So there you have
it, M. Stan Hansen with the full story, soup to nuts about
jumping from New Japan Pro Wrestling, the subterfuse, the second guessing, the
hastily arranged office meetings to get reassured that what he was doing was the right
thing and what he was promised, all the way through showing up that night
at Summa Hall totally unannounced, leading Brody and Snooka of the ring for battle
with the Funks. Boss. Would you like to see it? Oh?
Yes, like to taste the match itself? Yes, So we're gonna cue
this motherfucker up, She screened, sharing underway. This, as stan Hansen
mentioned in his book, is from the Real World Tag League tournament in nineteen
eighty one. Is the year is wrapping up in pro wrestling, and it's
gonna be the Funks against Brody and Snuoka. Now quickly, as we get
this prepared here, are you prepared to deal with Jimmy Snooka in nineteen eighty
one in Japan? No? Not at all. I mean, did you
even conceive of him as being in Japan before? Ww? No, No,
not even a bit to me. He's he's he's doesn't exist. This
is very much treat in that regard to get a glimpse of him, and
you realize, you know, how much of his style and his mannerism and
his look he took from Brody, how much of Brody he actually channeled,
just in a babyface way in these early days. But we're about to get
crazy again, folks. We're about to go to that one of a kind
electric atmosphere of the real World Tag League and the Funks in the finals,
this time against Brody and Snuka. And the people have no idea that Stan
Hansen, the top guy jin for New Japan Pro Wrestling in so many respects,
I was about to part the curtain as an all Japan wrestler for the
very first time. Matches out there on YouTube if you want to find it,
and here we go. There it is, did did ha ha ha
huh exactly preach go go Funks. The banner reads, hanging off the balcony
at Sumo Hall, It's look at Terry. Here it comes, Yeah Texas
Broncos, it says on his letterman jacket as it does satin letterman jacket.
As he steps out to the adoring throngs, huge sign of the crowd Texas
Bronco. It reads the Funks Dor Terry, thanks, says f A NK.
It's the finals and look at Terry. What do you see here?
Describe Terry? I mean he's just he's very kind of shaggy all American.
Yes, shaggy is a great word to use. Yeah, there's plain old
Dory Balding trying to keep that one tuft of hair at the front. Balding.
Streamers spilled towards the ring. Here in Japan again, people have no
idea Stan Hansen is jumped should they about to listen closely as they realize them
and Hanson is leading Brody and stuck It to the ring for the Real World
Tag League Finals? Is Terry funk pumps a fist up in the in the
ring, switched out to Brodie's music, jogging in placer to the brothers Terry
and Dorry preparing for the entrance of their adversaries, massive bouquets of flowers being
handed to the Funks. Here he comes, Brodie, Snuck on, there's
Hansen. Wow, we're backstage at Sumo Hall. The cameraman is so they're
not before the people quite yet, but they're in the tunnel and in street
clothes a shirt and jeans and the hat. And there's Hansen. So you
can hear the announcer that hadn't said huh all right, and the buzz is
ripping through Smo Hall his hands and stands ringside, hands on hips. You
can tell the announcer is boiling over with excitement. Yeah, all him doing,
standing there in street clothes and pointing and gesturing and moving about, and
slowly but surely everyone in the building is realizing Yep, it's Stan Hansen,
his fucking ring side. It's like Lex Luger showing up on the first Nitro
and yeah, I can see that as Brody with the chain. Look at
Snooker, Yeah he looks like Brody. Oh yeah. The hust in full
effect is referee parts Frank Goodish from the chain, Streamers sitting in the ring,
snook A pacing in the ring as well. It's about to get real
here in all Japan Spring Hanson's made the jump. A master stroke from your
bookers, right there, bossed Orientary Funk. Yep, we've chronicled every last
beat to get here. I believe they're chaining Stan Hansen. Tom Holmsen Tom
Homsen, so again a treat a Terry and Dorry Funk tag match the Real
World Tag League Finals in New Japan. That's that's usually a recipe for excitement.
Sure, it's not chikn Abbey this time, very different business, A
little bit Abby's in New Japan. Yeah, it all sounds runderway, It'll
be Terry Funk and Jimmy super Fly snuckerow oh, look at him, Look
at Snucker. What do you make of what Snooker's appearances? He's not I
mean it looks like Manny Hernandez a little bit many Fernandez, yeah, Fernandez
whatever on the both side. Headlock, funk, pushed off, shoulder block
down, go snook a funk on the move, man, I let this
guy move around. Chaos in that ring, kip up by Snuoker. Wow,
Snuck is fleet to foot here and the dukes are up. It's the
lapsed Funk. It's funking in Japan. Seventies have firmly become the eighties.
Uh I will say yes to that. That headlock push off under the leap
frog. Snooker goes funk in the back leap frog, wooing and eyeing the
people here at Summoll Hall is a deep crotch lifting slam. Jimmy Snooker takes
Funk to the canvas. Yeah, he's wrestling like a wild man. Snooker
looking like a wild man, looking as a wild man. He's a Mark
Merrow. Sure she's stan Hansen looking on barking orders. He knows how to
bark seismic the consequences of Mark Mark Mark Mack. Stan Hansen's presence here in
all Japan, collar and elbow. And now it's Terry Funk with the scoop,
the delay and the slam. Snooker looks undersized, he looks smaller than
her. Uh shooting shooting Uh needles up there ass DAGs at Dory and here
we go. Double whip by the Funks, matching blue trunks, Dory knee
padless of course, Funk full knee pads. That is to say, Terry
Funk full knee pads out of the European uppercut Dory Funk double underhook. He's
gonna hit the butterfly suplex on Snoga. No, it's blocked, no pandim
Yeah, wow, Funk rock Snooker with the double arm under hook lateral press
ount of one, the snook A scrambles to the corner, tags in Frank
Goodish and only Bruiser Brody legal and he's how much to a rip off?
Was the Berserker looking back on it? Oh, I know it's it's a
disgrace where John Nord into Bruiser Brody team together quite a bit, knew each
other, respected each other. Call en eilbow tie upside headlock by Dorry,
push off by Bruiser Brody, a leap frog by in a drop kick in
a half those furry boots hitting the former NBA champ right in the face,
however, gets one Dory quick back to his feet off the kickout. These
are exchanges. This is tight. This is intense. Yeah, so wrestlers
who are able to convey a sense that they know what they're doing out there,
and they know what the other guy's gonna do next, and god damn
it, they're not gonna let him do it. Eh, there, pumps
Terry, let's see about that. He is so shaggy. I my,
oh, hey, Bruiser, my name is Terry Funk. I'm a shaggy
motherfucker. As I like to eat potatoes and sometimes I like to sit on
a chair, take a seat. Oh wait, brother terrible to hold onto
the ropes. So Brody wiffs on a dropkick, but a cover a quick
cover by Terry. You can tell the idea of the Funks are trying to
get across is that you gotta pin Brody and snook as quickly in his swiftly
as you possibly can. You don't want to engage in a protracted warfare with
these fucking barbarians. Yes, that much open hand slap against the ropes puts
Terry Funk almost down on his ass. Big boot from Brody sends Terry all
up into the ropes. Terry is a master? Is he covered ground or
what uses every inch of the ring? Oh? Absolutely laid body slamming a
knee drop by Brody. Ladder press gets two on Terry, who immediately turns
over and inches into a friendly corner, but comes up with the Duke's up.
Does Terry look look in a swing, your son of a bitch?
How sort of a bitch you, you son of a cocksucker? Dory dow
Legal just been picking on me. Look at Dorance work with the uppercuts.
What are you seeing here from Dornce? Oh god, whipping almost a seated,
dropkicked by Dorry. Since Brody stumbling into the ropes. He's such a
classy wrestler, Dorance very basic. Yeah in appearance tag now Jimmy Snooker back
legal still blows my mind that Snooker was being received by the Japanese public so
many years before came out of Madison Square Garden Superstar. Not years, but
you know, well before. They had word Portland by this point. And
uh, Charlotte fu snuck I went for a leap frog. He's caught into
the spinning toe hold of Dorry. Bruce of Brody gets in and drops Dory.
Terry goes fucking ape shit, look at that. You're gonna come at
my brother blindside. Terry's gonna relinquish that tag. Let's put it that way
and get in your face. What time I mean, get in my face,
Bruiser Birdie, I'm hey, hi, ho tell a word they're saying,
but you can tell there alive with speculation. It's to the significance of
stan Hansen's presence at ringside side headlock now by snook as Dory pushes off to
break, but no, Snooker keeps a vice like grip on that side headlock.
Yes, that's a powerful Fijian. Uh huh, Mama Bear, it's
like a wild man. He does a Look at that. He's a fucking
crazy man. Flowing dried hair. You can tell he's a murderer. Oh,
Bruce is before that? Is it? Yes, as far as we
know, as far as we know exactly, we don't know anything. Look
at the fucking look at that. Look at the the the blade notches and
fucking bruiser Brody's forehead. Oh yeah, he had a bad man. He
knew what it took to matter in the business. He was a juice man.
That's correct, freshly squeezed bruiser Brody. That's exactly right, Jerry tag.
Now to Snooker, yeap and on funks slowing down the pace very uh,
a little more technical than I remember. Yeah, yeah, I would
say that Brody and Snooker, being in all Japan, not really a brawling
I mean, they have flurries of brawling, but yeah, it's not like
Chic and Abdullah. They're content to slow things down and try to beat the
funks with holds. Okay, right right, lord, you know they could
beat us with oh sushi funk. That's when Vince Junior didn't get to add
to the family before Sushi Funky Sushi. There had to be something like that,
you know, we should do funky Sushi. I don't think that's a
good brother, the long lost brother of of of you know, m h
I think I think so it's Shinning Dory, Wow, Dons Oof, Spruiser
Brodie throwt in the heavy hands. So yeah, ad Jimmy Snooker to the
absolute fucking laundry list of top wrestling stars that came into their own with Terry
Funk in the ring or in the company, it's pretty wild. I mean
he's always there, and he's again not just in an opponent capacity, but
in a booker capacity, and you know, giving these guys exposure capacity.
Double suplex by the Funks nice as Bruiser Brody goes up for the big bump,
only a one count, though, as Terry tries to make the cover,
Brody comes up still ready to engage in gosh hashe is exactly right Terry
jaw jacking with Brody cocking a fist, collar and elbow. Terry backs Brodie
to the corner. He's got like some similarities to uh Harley Race. Uh
Terry Funk does Yeah, I can see that series of elbows in the corner
to the top of the head of Brody. Corner to corner on the whip
of the buckling. It's a big man is kicking at a Terry Funk as
he closes in. Now sense Terry inside out Rick Flair style to the apron
and splat on the floor, goes Terry Funk. He's here to bump.
Hi, I'm Terry Funk. I'm here to bump. Can you bump my
Funkum? Nice to meet you, Terry. What Hi? Terry? Who's
a Terry? I'm a bumper, A funky bumper, bumper bumper, a
funker bumper, A funker bumper in the tumper. You've heard of a Frankie,
The thumper is more like it. You've heard of a fender bender.
Yes, he's a funker bunker. Oh center ring delayed high vertical. That's
how you toss somebody in fucking wrestling, Man Brody. Don't forget that about
Brody's style. You know, the Brawling Award is named after him, and
nobody threw crazy hands and swung weapons like him. But man, he most
of his stuff was soup plays, headlocked, takeovers, tackles, leap frogs,
drop kicks, Lariot's he was, yes, here's a wrestler in those
ropes. Jimmy Snooker now in my mom's in those ropes. Just so much
more of a sporting field of this than the oh yes, the abby cheek
stuff. For sure, there's athleticism and it's funny. You don't think about
that with a Bruiser Brodie match. Definitely not had luck push off, Oh
Terry basically grabbing a handful of Jimmy Snook's hair as he hits the floor.
Oh Snooker with the first springboard. O. Wow, Snooker doing springboards in
the middle of the ropes in nineteen eighty one, thank you very much.
Crashing down with a splash across Terry funk that got too, should have finished,
I think so, Yeah, that should have been a huge deal.
In eighty one, Hi backsupplex by Terry. And that's the thing with these
matches, and they just go, you know, move or move or move,
bump for bump for bump. Yeah, there's not a whole lot of
like, you know, we gotta slow things way down to storytell or whatever
story is. Beat this guy with moves. We have to tell stories about
the detail. Fucking hell, you know I'm thinking about it is let sink
in when we're when we're, when you are having this match, you have
to understand that people are emoting and they need to be able to react and
then still follow the story. I mean, that's you know we are we
are telling a plot. Why what is he doing at nineteen eighty one,
Terry Funk with a plant show from the top rope to the floor. Holy
shit, leveling Jimmy snooka on the concrete and now here we go, Brody's
taking Terry on a tour of the people. We're in the in the stands
now, folks. Wow, it's the attitude era. Shit right there no
clue that Terry was coming off the top to the floor in eighty one.
No, while back in the ring, Dory Funk brings Jimmy from the ring
ape into the center of the ring the hard way with the delayed vertical.
So play now Brody stomping his way back to the ring, leaving Terry undoubtedly
in a heap amongst the people. Here at Sumo Hall, Irish whip door
steps through into the abdominal stretch on snooker. The fucking door. He's like
shaking around againsive. Ah, Brody slips in and blindsides Dory Funk with a
double ax handle to get his partner free from the abdominal stretch. Not the
Abdullah stretch, big whip snooker, but such a great lead man, tremendous
leap on that sunset flip gets too. Dorry up after him, though,
hooks up the pile driver. Perhaps Ah, he drills Funk, spikes him
tough foot on the bottom rope for snook A referee calling for the break.
I think that's Joe Hagucci there, The translator mentioned in several passages from the
books he read tagging note of Terry Funk, who's back not only from the
audience but fresh as a daisy. Throw snook out of the corner. He
wants Brody, He wants Brody, and he gets him in the intensities up
a bit up, were like, fuck this, Brody just tossed an elbow
pad. Fuck this yep, right to the collar and elbow, Oh right
hand, Look, got Terry sells those rights man live in the snap.
Oh, Terry try to get through with jabs it's a fucking boxing match.
Look at that. Look at funk Jesus Christ thro he's throwing go Terry left
hand with a taped fist. Oh and Brody selling like he's on spaghetti legs.
Only you've ever seen Brody sell before? Oh yeah, no, he
he picked the spots. Look at that Terry bleeding from the nose. Can
imagine a guy like Brody coming at you and I a teen eighty one god
running. There's nothing. There is no set of k fabe that im the
idea that wrestling's fake that would make me be able to just stay and not
run away and call and fucking say fuck this. Like, for some reason,
you find yourself as Terry is held from the apron by Snook, allowing
Brode to hit a running boot. For some reason, you find yourself staying
in like a strange city and a motel that you don't know, and you're
out of some kind of key supply, and you wander out of your room
onto the street at like two point thirty in the morning, and you look
down the end of a of a dark Neon Lt alleyway and at the end
is Brody just walking to you with his hair blowing in the breeze. Peace,
I'm out, I mean, fuck it. Oh Snooker gets into Terry
had a desperation, does one of those Rick Flair backkicks to the crotch.
The Funk's doing whatever it takes, or at least Terry tag now for Dory
Funk Junior, who's scaling the ropes, comes down, crashing with the knee
drop across the left leg of Jimmy Superfly Snooker Dorri Just you know, no
matter how wild and crazy the matches get, he gets in there and he
gets back to fundamentals. Yep, I'll give him that. Quick tags now
between the funks, Terry reenters. He makes so much noise when he moves
around. Just no, Terry Funk's in there, you know, yes,
yes, and more quick tags. Dory back in now with the knee drop
the top rope jesus, Yeah, more off the rope swork than I remember
from ever seen that much before from these guys in what we've watched so far.
Sent a ring spinning to hold now on Snooker. Brody tries to get
in to stop it. Terry tackles him and goes for a spinning to hold
on him. Terry gets kicked out of the ring by Brody. However,
stan Hansen, of course, lurking Dorry continues to put the torque on Snooker.
He's definitely a lurker. Brody slams Terry in the concrete well. Dorry
is cranking that spinning told on a suffering Jimmy Snooker refereed eye level would snook
A looking for signs of submission. Well, my goodness, hey, Brody,
Irish ships Terry Funk into the hard Lariot, the one, the one
and only stan Hansen Lariot as the newcomer, the ship jumper. Stan Hansen
puts his stamp on the contest and Terry is out look at it. Look
how he's selling the knockout blow. It's the way to make an impact on
your first night in the company. The menacing squad stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody
and Jimmy Snooker. Oh look yeah, he's busted open to his nose.
Terry definitely, I think he busted in the nose when the Brody was fighting
with him in the crowd. Dorry hovering over his brother looking for signs of
life. Really, that was Terry's role like he was the guy that suffered
the vicious injury and then Dorry freaks out for him. You know, yeah,
now he's coming in much more aggressive, shooting snook into the ropes,
big forearm, surever, drop snooker, elbow dropping a half from Dory Funk
Junior. In another is that actor Bill nine? I know he looks like
any generic actor in some ways. You can see him on All in the
Family or something. Now Dorry dragging bruiser Brodie to the floor and right of
the post, and you better believe what ad Brody do there? Hit the
fucking he got thrown to the to the the ring post. I just again,
I'm never seeing Brody take this much abuse. And where his fingers pinched?
Did he? Uh? Is he poking his forehead in between blows?
Uh? Well, I'm gonna say that's a yes. Yes, Brody came
to Japan to bleed, to slice his forehead open. Because that's not inhumane,
that's not uncommon, that's not anything but in keeping with what it takes
to make people give a shit about whether you live or die. Irish whip
drop down Dory attempt at the backdrop Brody hits a kick but he's stumbling,
he's bloodied. Officials from New Japan Al Japan rather still tending to tarry Funk
on the floor, still ailing from the lariat of Stan Hansen. Well Snuoka
comes in and puts the pressure on Dory mid ring body slam. He's going
up top, Boss Jimmy snookup top is a dangerous proposition, takes flight,
oh diving, but dynamite kid ask headbutt lands for snooker. He covers Dorry
two wows out Jesus and the crowd comes alive Dorrance, Adorrance's ability to still
show signs of fight despite having to take everybody on by himself in the bloodied
bruiser Brody. Now it's menacing as ever, perhaps even more menacing with a
crimson flowing looks up Dory for the soup, play up and down Jesus and
do they know how to make the supplexus look impactful? Back then? Oh?
Absolutely, and again Dory kicks out and they love it. Here at
Sueba Hall, sizable reaction to the heart of Dorry Funk Junior on display here,
but definitely a sense of foreboding from the crowd. There's only so much
of this two on one assault that Dorry can take it. Brody hits a
big lift and backbreaker. Lateral pressed by Brody for two again, Dory kicks
out. He got so much mileage out of that, kicking out like three
times in succession. He's doing that in the other tag matches too. Snook
us back in with the aerial of assault. Terry still convulsing on the floor,
clutching his head, scooping a slams snoock on the hop, leaps for
the splash, but Dory gets the knees up. The ring is so low,
yeah, it is really like the the apron is like lower than their
waistline. I can't do that decide headlock in the middle of the ring.
But a shin breaker by Dory Funk beautiful prelude to the spinning toe hold,
and he's going for it multiple revolutions here. Snuk is selling it like crazy
birdy jag. He did he tagged the ailing Jimmy Snook and he's coming off
the top rope. Dory Funk has no IDEA tomahawk chop across the head and
Dory collapses and they're now pouring water on Terry Funk's neck and head Broady with
the running mee drop out of the corner of the King Kong me drop.
That's it. One, two three, it's over, Oh, Bruiser bro
and Jimmy Snooker with no small assist from the lariat Stan Hansen, that's wild
when the nineteen eighty one Real World Tag League the lariot of Hanson fully disqualifying
if you will. Yeah, Terry Funk's ability to influence the outcome here so
an impactful All Japan debut, to say the very least for Stan Hansen look
looks so fucking young. I know, child, he had yet to discover
so much cocaine. Yep. Did you see the trophy hoisted for the winners
of the tournament. Much different atmosphere when the Heels win the tournament. Yeah,
sure, that's that's in brilliant booking, because now you absolutely want to
see Terry and Dorry get at these guys. Yes, you do. At
Dorry still trying to fight them even as they hoist their trophies. But he
has like nothing he can't do. Oh down to Stan Hansen, putting the
cowboy boots to Dorry. Welcome to All Japan, Stan Hansen. Yeah,
Jesus beating the ship out of him. And Stan knows how to look like
a fucking brawler, doesn't he Some of the All Japan wrestlers. Giant Bob
is in there and he's look at this, Giant Bob is throwing with Stan
Hansen. They're doing nuts. Christ Downtown Tokyo, Ding Ding. That's Sharuda,
I think too. Now the guys in the red all Japan Jackets,
that's Jumbo Sharuda. Actually, uh Stan Hanson, the love child of John
Goodman and uh and uh uh oh fucking Christ Barley, Chris Charley, I
think he's Stan Hanson found a way to run the razor. Did you fucking
you fucking got juiced? He is brawling for the ages with Giant Bob,
and look at this. Hanson hits the floor and he's parting the red sea
of fans here at sum Oh. Look at him. Run Holy ship,
that's wild. Look at him, go fucking Hanson. Brody's swinging as well.
So the menace that is stand the lary at Hanson here in Ljrepan Pro
Wrestling has been met with an equal commensurate response from stalwarts of ajp W,
including the Funks is a fired up show. Hey, Giant Baba makes his
way through the people again? Why a debut, I would say, I'll
say, master strokes of booking, for sure. I'm here for it.
In eighty two, you know, I want to see what Terry's gonna do
when yeah, over he recovers what a way to sell the clothes line?
Like you kidding me? Next time? First time, I should say stan
Hansen goes to use the lariat because of the way Terry's selling it here,
you don't think that's gonna create a magical reaction from the people. Mm hmm,
very simple, boss, Yep, yep. And so we've gone from
you know, becoming acquainted to the Japanese falling in love with Terry Funk to
using that love and affection for heat and for uh, which is that's what
it's all about. Yep. Come full full circle in that regard here.
So the cameras continue to focus on. Now it's Dory making his way out
through the people as they've been hovering over Terry Funk trying to see if he
get to his feet. Remember, after stan Hanson described in his book,
later on this night, he walks into a room where Giant Bob is near
press conference, So here we go. We're backstage. Wow, a bloodied
white shirt of Stan Hansen. Cameras being jostled as Brody and Snook of these
gargantuan motherfuckers with Momota following them up the aisleway, the hallway, I should
say, we're in the bowels of the building. Bowels, Yeah, the
cavernous confines of Sumo Hall. Interesting glimpse at what the building looks like.
And look at this. They're just falling all over the place. Holy shit,
they're just tipping over curtains. So they're brawling with anyone they can find.
Japan personnel streaming into this locker room where apparently Brody snooking Hansom decided to
create more chaos. Brody's thrown at anything that moves. We wouldn't see in
America for a decade at least, no two decades. So this is Yeah,
this is the moment Anton's describing in this book where he just barges in,
and he's making it seem like in his book at least that he wasn't.
Yeah that did to barge into that room. Yeah. Wow. Back
in the ring, they're preparing ceremonials, trophies for the rest of the field,
and we're back Stan Hansen. Bleeding shirt, tear, tore open.
He's just here to fucking go nuts yep, in different locker rooms for oh
my god, for victims. Yes, trying to close the door on him
with the cameraman. So Stan Hansen has arrived in al Japan Pro Wrestling Boss
and it's West Texas warfare. I'll say that was wild really yeah, crazy
shit taste of the intensity that these Texas boys could bring to any Japanese wrestling
promotion. I will though, Stan Hansen in like a button down shirt and
jeans just not really what I'm looking for, is it? Yeah, it's
it hard to deal with. What is that he's a little too clean,
Like, I don't know, he should always be wearing like assless chaps and
a vest I'm for yourself on the ass list. Yeah, it's a he's
a businessman. Yeah, this is a smart motherfucker. This guy totally like
if you read his book, it is just chocolate block with him learning all
the little lessons along the way. Very very observant, very very aware of
how he can use his cowboy essence to impress promoters from parts of the world
and country that don't have cowboys, Do you know what I mean? Yep?
I do very aware of how to come off in that way. And
so for the Bruis of Brody Jimmy Snooker tag team that was legendary at the
time that we just got a taste of, it would soon be Splitsville as
the calendar turned to nineteen eighty two. Following a match against a rematch against
Terry and Dory, Brody turns on Snooker and bloodis him up back the stage
yep. At the conclusion of the contest in April of nineteen eighty two,
and so that tag team is in the rear view mirror. But Stan Hansen
has declared war. Stan Hansen left Terry Funk just about lifeless on the floor
in the match we just watched when he debuted as a cornerman for Brody and
Snooka. So now it's time for the Funker to step into the ring with
Stan Hansen one on one in All Japan to settle things. And it's worth
pausing and emphasizing this this moment in nineteen eighty one, and I had a
hell of a time pinpointing when I've never heard Terry Funk pinpoint exactly when.
I don't see any magazine or newspaper coverage that indicates exactly when. Of course
covered such as it did exist, would probably be in the Japanese magazines,
not in the American magazines. Terry Funk announced that he would be retiring in
nineteen eighty one. Wow to the all japan fans. Now, it was
understood to be sort of like a retirement tour, something that we saw,
let's say, more than one wrestler try to invoke the legacy of when Terry
passed this year, including Brian Danielson who went an aw and talked about how
this is going to be my last year and I'm going to do everything I
set out to do in those years in that year and all that and wrestle
everybody always wanted to wrestle in and you know, check off bucket list items,
that kind of thing. There's been there's been a few wrestlers that have
evoked that since Terry passed, and he kind of he was the first I
can think of to do it where he telegraphed like I'm retiring, I'm not
retiring tomorrow. I'm not retiring imminently, but know that the next time you
see Terry Funk maybe the last time mm. And that of course was so
was he retiring from He was retiring from wrestling, right, We kind of
talked about that, but be on the mat, I think he that was
his intent. He told himself that he had enough money saved up to retire
from the business entirely, right. And by this point he'd already made the
movie and and Saronice Sally right, a Paradise Sally and yeah, yeah,
okay, this was when it rankled Baba anyway, and you know, they're
kind of losing ground to do Japan in the war, and he's running out
of ideas. I mean, make no mistake, announcing his retirement was a
page out of the book of how do we, you know, reverse the
momentum in the war, how do we come up with an idea that'll keep
fans glued to all Japan for a sustained period of time. I mean,
I feel like anytime you announce the retirement, it's really an attempt to make
money, whether or not that it is meant as a legit retirement or not.
Right, It's like you look at the wrestler and you're like, well,
he's kind of been around long enough that he could credibly retire, So
let's let's play that card. Right, Remember when they did it with Ric
Flair before WrestleMania twenty four for instance. I mean, yeah, it's uh
so poorly done. He's doing the thing where you know, the problem is
if they'd done that, he would have gotten If they'd actually done the retirement
thing that that that they that they set out to do and had him wrestle
every time with his career on the line, he would have gotten extremely over
Yeah, the psychology was the first time he loses his career is over right.
And you're saying they didn't stick to that. I remember them sticking to
that. They didn't not really not not in the way they could have to
make it really really epic, right, I mean they could have had they
could have really gone all the way with it. I mean, he wasn't
they didn't have Monroe every week with this possibility that ye, Like, that's
what they should have done, right, That's like exactly that's what they would
have done if they actually wanted Ric Flair to be the main event of Maine.
Unclosed the show. But they didn't, so they didn't, right,
because it's like, you know, then then you have another thing too,
you could have it would have been it would have been brilliant too. You
could have had him win the Royal Rumble. Oh wow, wow, you
know you could win the Royal Rumble. And then it's like, you know,
then not only is his is his title shot like on the line every
time he wrestle somebody else, but also his career like all these things,
like he could have totally up the stakes like crazy, and you know,
you don't have to have him win at WrestleMania, but I think that would
have been a way better way to go about it, right, Very interesting.
I mean I think it would have been great too if he if he
did win at WrestleMania and then said, you know what, I don't need
it. I'm good, I'm going to retire my own terms anyway. Right,
Yeah, yeah, that's interesting. It was. It was a reminder
to me at the time that like as much as Flair had sort of won
the McMahon's over and you know, with Triple H being in a position of
authority and basically wanting to be Ric Flair and Shawn Michael's having a lot of
the same proclivities in childhood, idolization of Ric Flair as well betting the positions
they were in that it was sort of like Flair being positioned in the retirement
stipulation. It was more like a solid for those guys than it was Vince's
vision for what will make WrestleMania this year. It felt kind of tucked away,
even as big as it was, and even though it's the only thing
anybody remembers from that show all these years later. Oh, it's like,
I do remember, like you're saying, and we in the months leading up
they purposely not putting their foot on the gas. He didn't now putting it,
But he wasn't even on Raw like every week you're doing, guys,
I mean what it was. So they did it, you know, they
did it right, I think for the for a little while, and then
all of a sudden, God, you know, I got to take a
look. Now, I feel like he wasn't even on the fucking the pay
per view before WrestleMania. Yeah, I feel like he wasn't, And I'm
gonna take a look. I could be wrong. Maybe that was when he
faced Shelton Benjamin. I don't remember, so again definitely turning to the solar
system for help. As to when exactly it was that Terry Funk announced,
he says in his book it was in nineteen eighty one. I always had
heard it was like a year long campaign. And he doesn't actually have the
retirement goodbye match until August of nineteen eighty three, so that unless it was
really late eighty one, I mean, that's a two year pagn as far
as I can calculate. But it must have been a promo on ultrapant television.
It must have been. Flair was not even on No Way Out two
thousand and seven. There is no way in for Rick Flair, right,
and that particular it would have been the next year. Sorry, you know
what? Sorry? Two and eight I think than eight was the WrestleMania Yeah,
oh no he did. He defeated mister Kennedy. Oh okay, so
so much for that. So he was on there, My bad. But
for the Funker, it must have been like the Gong magazine or something that
you know, what we're watching here. The point is what we're watching here
now on this final leg of Funk and in Japan here on the on the
lapsed Funk journey is a crowd not only you know, in love with Terry
Funk as they have been, as we've chronicled, but a crowd that is
in a constant state of saying goodbye to Terry Funk. So the emotion is
that much more heightened with every match we're going to watch here on the tail
end and the go home part of this journey here and certainly this September eleventh,
nineteen eighty two match one on one against stan Hansen is no exception.
But let's see what what kind of chaos stan Hansen brought not just working the
corner at ringside in All Japan, but stepping in as an active participant.
So we're gonna share this over to the boss. Let me know if you
see it. I got it, And here we go. Let's hustle Terry
brother. What why dude? There's a literal banner hanging high that says,
let's let's hustle Terry. I think what the words you're looking for? There
is? And a kant then little then you just call my dead beat dada
dad damp bomb. They're doing the clapping to the rhythm of the music,
and here he comes through the masses. Look at these people. It's like
they it's like they think wrestling's real. I can't watch enough Terry Funk all
Japan entrances. I really can't really wild like it's they just want to touch
him. Yeah, I mean, like he's he might as well be a
sex symbol for God's sake. And he's one of the most motherfuckers. That's
the thing. He's a cartoon to them. He's a Texas cowboy. He's
a so bizarre, like I was't think of his appeal as like tann amount
to like when when Great mood have turned babyface in WCW. And yeah,
you know, it's like, like no one he looks like a complete like
cartoon of what we think of as like a japan war Master. Yeah.
So they they just they you just fall in love with the magic of a
superhero come to life more than a guy who actually looks like someone you wanna
associate with. I mean, the hair is just you know, I mean
it's just unacceptable, you know, the bouncing jew fro, he's got basically
fucking squashed face. And here comes Stan Hansen. There we go. That's
that's where Oh yeah, Steve Austin vast cowboy hat, bull whip and cow
bell in his hand, and they are eyeballing each other. This is Americana
for these Japanese fans. That's correct, That is absolute correct. That's a
that classic all Japan mat that was split down the middle, blue and red
yep at an angle. Terry standing there, fists cocked ready to engage,
bouncing on the balls of his feet. In the opposite corner, stand the
laraie at Hanson as a dignitaries and officials better get the hell out of there.
Flower girl got knocked down. Wow, flower Girl got knocked down as
these two heave at each other like Gazelle's. That was wild. What if
that wasn't I wonder that was planned? Yeah, there it is. The
on goes off its collar and elbow and it's warfare in all Japan. Look
at the streamers coming in, still coming. No, ironically, we're streaming
as well, exactly the streamers would be coming in for actually a couple decades.
But oh, right hand and Funk takes. That is classic Terry Funk
bumping through the ropes to the floor in such an uncontroller, seemingly uncontrolled fashion.
What are you seeing, boss? I mean this is just again,
this is kind of like I'm not used to seeing, you know again,
sunk Is basically did a sunset flip on nobody over Hanson's head and landed on
the floor. Yeah, but it's weird seeing Terry Funk as this guy as
a wrestling wrestler version of Terry Funk, do you know what I mean?
Trunks? But who and who's not completely based on weaponry and violence and shit
like it's he's he certainly is violent, but he's he's, he's he comes
across as more athletic than just oh yeah, you know, he's like he's
like a college jock thrust into a bar fight, right, And the only
reason that the all weapons, all gimmick, all hardcore nineties Terry Funk worked
to the longtime fans because they knew he also had this in him, right,
and it was it was a switch he flipped because he was on in
years and his opponents were coming at him with all method of gimmickry, and
he was going to answer and rise to the occasion and fit in. He
wasn't someone coasting on that. He was someone who purposely shifted to that to
elongate his career has absorbed a big lift and slammed by Hanson. Nursing his
lower back is Funk tries to find a way back in without the lariat pouncing
on him. Good luck with that, yeah right, heavy right hands the
big man, big win back, elbow, elbow, Look at that fucking
bump yeh whatever heels want the Funk airtime there, air time on a Brodie
style knee drop right to the back of Funk's head. He's convulsing on the
canvas. The crowd is at a fever pitch anyway, he's shaking. Yeah.
Yeah. This is how you establish a rooting interest with the pro wrestling
crowd. It's universal. I don't care if it's Japan, America, Mexico,
Puerto Rico. It's very simple. Here are these people. They didn't
show up to see what spots they were gonna do. They show up to
see Terry Funk fight and win. Yes, And every second that's not happening,
they're in a state of panic. Yes, And that's the wrestling we
pined for, and that's the wrestling we shouldn't be blamed for wanting, even
if it could never come back. Other big body slam and Funk retreats into
the people, and Stan Hansen right right after him. That's the uh oh
big slam on the outside. I'm seeing a lot of no mercy offense.
Hard to hold b yep, yes, yes, on Hansen, the way
he did that clubbing forearm. Of course JBL took a lot of this stuff,
so a lot of it for the next generation of fans is associated with
JBL more than Hanson. But you're seeing it all here. It's yeah,
Hanson has a very I never really appreciated how god he looks so old.
I know, it looks like fifteen years older than fucking Stan Hansen. I
think about how he looked when he had blonde hair in those first clips we
saw, No, are those newspaper clippings of him coming off the West Texas
football field. I never Hanson modernton about him like I much more than I
expected, much more what than you expected? I missed that a modern feel.
Yeah, for sure, he could totally fit in right now. Yeah,
and he totally could have fit in, especially in the attitude era.
Yes, you know he just both these guys in this like this, they
really could have. They they don't have that time we had a time they
were so far ahead of their time, absolutely, And I think the point
is, in a lot of ways, it wasn't that they were ahead of
their time, it's that Japan was ahead of it, ahead of America.
Yeah, in terms of like how the ring action could evolve to heighten the
dramatic tension and how you could do brawling style matches and still keep like a
sense of like integrity and sporting to the matches. Right, I mean they're
rolling around on the ground, grabbing at each other's faces like it's a you
know, like it's Dory taking it down the living room carpet. Right,
Dory working over a son at the boys club there, throwing right hands off
his back as Terry Funk, who came back under the ring with a ton
of verve and actually for a moment took over on Hanson hands and grabs a
side headlock and it gets lifted and dumped with the high back suplex by the
Funker. But Terry banged the back of his head on impact man. The
mileage they used to get out of suplexes. Now you gotta do a superplex
into a million different moves. Funk thorn it the head, but you know,
you know, it just comes across. I mean, I don't think
it would take too long to make a supplex mean something. Not really,
you know, it's just have everyone do it on the show. When a
supplex happens, they just gonna sell it. And then all of a sudden,
you know, within like two three weeks, I guarantee you a suplex
is gonna mean something again. Absolutely, And there's Funk throwing those taped fists.
I mean, every move should mean something. Look at that. I
mean, punches mean something going upside his head aren't just fucking look at that.
Look at him. Look at it in the fighting Irish handstance. But
on spaghetti legs is Funk with the boxing cell. You know, punch is
in all these throws like they're not done. They all have a meaning,
they all have impact, They all you know, they all take away from
his from his his ability. If he's at one hundred percent, you know,
every punch takes a percentage away, right, exactly right. That's why
No Mercy is such a great game. Yes, because the way your energy
SAPs very much coincides with how wrestler's energy sap and well work matches. Yep,
snapmer take over to the sleeperhole, goes Stan Hansen as they just rupt
in chance of Terry and to the point where if you rally enough, like
you could be down to that to that you know, point where you really
can't kick out. But if you rally a little bit and get enough offense
in at some point you can actually still kick out, right, you know,
at the very very last second, get a count two. Funk just
struggling to stand at this point, his legs giving out on him, but
he grabs a single leg pickup and goes to the spinning toe hold. Nope,
Hanson quick to kick him off. Whoever, but at any moment,
Funk can shoot on you like that. Yes, brother, what huh?
Who's shooting? Dude? Looking up? The vertical soup play now is Hans
and beautifully executed. And Hanson sells too because he got impact from that.
Sure here he threw everything into it. It only makes sense the ladder repress
only getting two, just a whir of attrition, and it's like they're doing
a lot of stuff, but it's mostly selling. Yep, you don't realize
that that's that that's half of it, right, that's's cusually more than half
of the half. Yeah, maybe selling is because selling creates the drama because
you don't know if your guy's going to get up or not. Is your
guy going to get up? Is you're if they both are sitting there?
Look at him? Go look at that chop sense Funk all discombobulated, tied
up in the ropes like he's in the ropes. He's in a hammock,
some kind of like dystopian hammock. Yep, that's classic. Funk. Sit
on the middle rope with your arms draped over the top. Oh God,
take rights until you collapse to the floor. And he went down head first
that time, did Terry Funk? But look at that? I knew that.
Yep, that's that was gonna happen. He comes up blind, throwing
chairs from the front road to the ring. Hanson catches the chair and smashes
Funk in the face with a flying projectile. Shit, you want to get
real, You want to get knocked down, drag out, You want to
turn this into a saloon, Terry, we can do that. Oh the
crowd comes alive as Terry rams Stan Hansen's head into the ringside and the ounce
table. Was it Vader who complained about Stan Hanson or was it Hanson who
complained complained about Yeah, well, you know, Hanson knocked his eye out
of his head, right, it was the socket and blamed his poor eyesight,
which, as Terry Funk pointed out sardonically in his book, like you
know, that was a good, nice, convenient excuse Hanson always had.
I couldn't see anything, couldn't hear you either? Who Hanson was hitting like
the ropes like he's going for the larryat funk side stepped him and Hanson ran
the refereel over chest. I think that's from the chair. Yeah, there
is a trickle of blood on the chest of the Funker. They are just
that's a ref bump right there, right, Yeah, you get run over
like that by Hanson. Yeah. And that's the thing about Stan, he
didn't give a shit who he heard. He went in there to make sure
it look real. I've heard Terry talk about that too. It's like,
what it came down to is, I wasn't gonna be humiliated. I wasn't
gonna go in the ring and let an opponent make my match look fake.
And if the guy was really good at, you know, making it look
real, then Terry could have the most soft touch artistic match and the world.
Jesus Christ, he just fucking waffled that referee he didn't answer, says
fuck it. I mean Terry tossed a ref to the side. Hanson grabbed
one, threw him off the ropes and gave him the larryot. That referee
is never going to be seen again. Yea and Terry and Terry Fun can
stand answered. He should feel lucky that he even has his head on his
shoulders. Absolutely, these two are just going to war. It's very simple.
This is great. Why I remember the funker? Who's that? I
think that's Ron Larry's Obisco run back. He's on the butt. There no
way top fucking decapitated him. Who is that? That looks like bass?
Why has he got a z on his assass? But he snuck up behind
Terry Funk and held him in place so that Stan Hansen could land the dreaded
larryat the tin. Terry Funk rolling all the way out of the ring to
the floor, and he is just convulsing on the hardwood on the parquet floor,
covered in streamers. He doesn't want to count out. He wants a
pinfall. He wants to beat him. He wants to destroy on our fourth
reft by Now I think this might have been the original one. That's the
original referee. Yeah, he's back up, so that's kind of nice.
Referees recover in Japan. They don't go to an early grave because someone hit
them arrandly long Also he get hit arrantly but convincingly. For sure, bell
sounds, bell's ringing as stan Hansen drags Funk back into the the referee still
he didn't drag him in fast enough and he counted out Terry Funk and Stan
Hanson. Let's just let's just say he's not accepting that. Nope, the
bellas sounded. There's a JPW personnel right up to the ring, apron young
boys considering getting in there to break this up? Is Stan Hanson lazing punishment
that he's taking on? Wow? Everyone, Yeah, it's like it soared
to look like boys ranch in here. They're gonna throw him in the Canadian
river. I got this six seven eight, All Japan young boys ranchers up
here comes up John Baba knocking down bass and going after Hanson. That's what
an awkward looking motherfucker he is. He is so just like with those proportions
coming at you. Are you kidding me? I mean, look, he's
just so fucking weird looking. Jembo Sharuda back in as well, high knee
drops bass. So again the Sharuda Baba alliance that Dori and Terry Funk helped
make. Yep, yep, as we witnessed in the prior episode of The
Lapsed Funk now still paying dividends in nineteen eighty two, coming to the rescue
of the latest foreign heel menace and Stan Hansen, who's just knocked out of
the ring. But look at this climb right back in. I love how
the fight's never over yep. And he punched thru to right in the balls.
Come on, Stan Hanson's I'm not fucking elk taking that line down.
He's even brought the great Giant Baba to a knee with a series of forearm
shivers. Look at the turkut Arry Funks selling like he can't even breathe,
clutching his throat, heaving, convulsing, fucking Baba. He thought it was
a fucking three three chair, like what you want to d a ray of
chairs. They were like it was three connected chairs, and Hanson just threw
them through the air end of the ring. Talk about a sense of fucking
chaos. This guy that was like the innring equivalent of the the Dusty Roads
Dick Murdock scene in the Wrestler. Yeah, right, right right, that's
that Texas violence we've been talking about since day one of the Lapsed Funk that
Paul Bosch put such a poetic words too. It's not about uh, it's
not about opposition to a Christian being fed to the lion. It's which Christian
to which lion to the wrestling fan. I just can't take my eyes off
that fucking weird baba. But the skinny arms is not alarming. Skinny army,
skinny arm with this like weirdly wide back and that very disproportionate head.
I mean, God, look at him, just doufest looking, motherfucker.
It's a personnel surrounding Terry Funk on all sides as he struggles, presenting for
somebody to come and penetrate him from there. You know, his ass is
right up in the air. My old ass was sticking up in the air,
and I had my ass up the air. I was waiting for somebody
to get deep inside. I'm gonna play darts again, whatever it was,
but dart, We're just gonna play, yeah, as he uses the ropes
to try to regain a vertical base. It's so smart to have all the
wrestlers and they're like, you know, a J p W Jerseys come in
and flood the ring and everyone has to help them up. It just adds
so much like urgency to the scene. And Terry looking left to right,
clutching his throat and listen to him, boss, I want it Funk swinging
anything that moves. It's almost like he's hallucinating, thinking he's still in the
heat of battle with Hanson. I think so. And look, holy shit,
Stan Hansen has come back and attack Terry Funk again. This guys swings
stan Hansen the fucking mania. I gotta love it, sort of punches at
fans. It looks like that must have been so fond back then to go
to matches and like these guys just like get right up to you and just
push you around, and they have full license. No one's worried about getting
sued. Yep. Like they come for the thrill of rushing Terry Funk and
patting him on the back and hugging him on the way to the ring and
the thrill of running like fucking the bulls are let loose in Pamplona when the
heel goes back to the locker room, totally gent Bob, but just standing
there stoic and silent like a statue. What happened exactly? Something like that,
However, you say that in Japanese. So they continue to try to
load Terry Funk out of the ring and get him to uh, presumably some
medical attention. This man is the worse for Weird, to put it,
lightly, Dory Funk nowhere inside. I wonder if the announcers made an explanation
for that. It's probably getting a fucking blowed job in the backers. What
we see as Bob has now come to Funks aid several times and sort of
hovered over his body that the fans are being told in no uncertain terms like
Terry Funk is an ally of Giant Baba. Like if you believe in Baba,
you believe in Terry. Yeah. Not like he's a baby face off
to the side. He is very much. He's like, you know,
a buddy of Hulk Hogan in the eighties or something right right, Still,
even though they've hit the floor. With Funk's body, there's just such a
mass of humanity encircling him that you can't even see him. A JPW personnel
screaming to clear the way for everyone doing a great job selling that Funk's badly
hurt, can't even make it to the back on his feet. He's still
swinging. This guy is still working, right, He's still fucking selling the
whole thing, like he just oh look, he's got like, oh god,
he's got like mucus dripping out his nose. It's not too Yeah,
and how does he doing it? Some guys get colors, some guys get
snot got it. He's doing it by inhabiting the character. Yep, he's
not selling. He's just being Terry Funk, right. He's programmed his body
to react precisely as he would if it were real. When it's fake.
I think I should have gotten the job at Walmart. Hey, I want
to retard by now bag and groceries. All I need is a swallow a
soup and I could make six figures on a deal. It's six figures and
now. But instead let's hustle Terry. Yeah, I'm right about that,
actually, folks, he's hustling you actually is the is the irony of that
statement? That's true. I wonder what, like in the the Japanese mind
that means let's hustle, Like because there was a promotion called hustle. There's
something about the word hustle that I think means something to them that isn't quite
clear in English. Yes, I would agree. Yeah, that's the big
jumbo banner hanging off the balcony of this arena here in Japan. Let hustle
Terry. So clearly the entire entire company, the entire country. Yeah,
galvanized by the idea that Terry Funk is fighting perhaps a series of his last
battles in that knockdown, drag out fight with Stan Hansen certainly one of the
more prominent examples of that. It was a colorful life going back and forth
for Terry Funk. We don't want to underplay the fact that, as far
as he was concerned as he rounds Third in nineteen eighty two on his way
to retire Ringing eighty three, that he didn't necessarily expect to come back to
Japan very often. Right, There'll be for a lot of reasons, including
ones we'll talk about as we kind of go back on the timeline to talk
a little bit more about his state side exploits down the road here in the
lapsed Funk. But in the seventies he worked like a madman when he was
n WA champion, touring the country, touring the world, in fact,
defending the strap. You can start to see when you look at the lump
sum of work he'd put in. By the time nineteen eighty one rolls around,
and all the business pressures at the war with put on him as a
booker as well as an entring talent, that retirement started to look pretty fucking
justified as well as appealing. And among the road stories is and the travel
stories is this one from his book more than just hardcore. He concerns Buck
Robley, who was an ming opponent of his from his part of the country,
an Oklahoma guy. I think Buck Robley booked for Bill Watson in the
Mid South promotion as well, and he recalls this interaction with Buck, which
is one that Dorry's talked about as well. Sometimes some of our opponents stiffed
us a little in the ring, which, as I've said, I've never
understood Brody's partner Buck Robley, in the seat in front of me, turned
around to face me on a plane after a nineteen eighty two match in Tokyo
and said, boy, did we ever fuck you on that last match?
Yeah? Buck was a good guy, but he had been drinking too much
and just decided to start smiling at me and talking shit. Yet, we
really stiffed you on that match. He kept knowing, Buck, shut your
ass up and turn around right now, or else I'm going to beat the
living shit out you. A picture of the terry funk we just saw that
face. Yep, Yep, he kept going. So I went ahead,
and he even writes went ahead in his book and beat the shit out of
him right there on that seven forty seven. Yep, went ahead and did
it. This is the business ready. Yeah. Afterwards he was back in
the seat in front of me, and every three or four minutes, I'd
haul off and just kicked the shit out of his seat. Yes, and
every time I did a custom goddamn robly, you son of a bitch.
The stewardess never even said anything about it. The plane was completely silent except
for every few minutes when I'd kick Buck's seat and cuss him out again.
That's fucking funny picture of the silence. Thirteen hour flight from Nareda Airport.
Yeah, all of a sudden, you son of a bitch, Robly.
When we were landing, he asked me to carry some of his payouts for
him because he was carrying a lot of hard cash and he was worried someone
was gonna rip him off and take it. So on one trip, Funk
writes, I beat him up and then helped him get a money through and
we're still friends to this day. I just thought that was the business in
a nutshell. Yeah, that is exactly the business in a nutshell. So
those American cowboys making those Texas trips, baby, so Funk would continue working
with Jumbo Sharuda and tag team matches and such, taking on the likes if
we just saw Ron Bash Crusher Blackwell, he's also going to Puerto Rico in
between Japan dates that the the end of the year, like the last few
months of the year with the Tag League tournament and everything, sort of like
the fourth quarter this September on really tended to be a time where where Terry
Funk was most busy in Japan and tucked in other dates as opposed to you
know, you know, some territories in America primarily taking up his schedule and
so because there was so much opportunity and so much responsibility for him in Japan
for most of his prime. You know, he was a guy that never
really was a homesteaded guy associated with one particular wrestling territory in the United States.
He really wasn't right. His territory was Japan. That's where he was
most needed, That's where he could make the most money, That's where he
had the widest ranging responsibilities, and that's where he put all of his his
most fervent creative efforts and in ring efforts because those were the houses he absolutely
had to draw. That fell really squarely on his shoulders in a way that
was, you know, really unique to any wrestler working in the business at
the time that he was doing this. There was you know, no other
I don't think any other international office in wrestling that relied so much on the
the intellect and the in ring of an American of somebody who had to fly
fucking eighteen hours to get there. It didn't live there, you know,
as if Jim Barnett ran in Australia through the sixties, but never moved to
Australia, ran the whole thing out of Atlanta. I know this is Terry
Funk's life and this is the situation he finds himself in all the while,
of course, his father passed away in seventy three and left the Umberilla territory
to them, So Terry and Dorry are also feeling the simultaneous pressure to keep
the family legacy business running at a time when it was getting harder and harder
to really draw in a territorial basis in pro wrestling, while the NWA was
reconstituting and the balance of power was shifting to Charlotte, wasn't as easy to
get dates on the champion, and Marilla in Texas and Dallas weren't necessarily the
powerhouses in terms of NWA influence that they were in the mid seventies with Fritz
taking over as president after Sam much An except down. So it's getting rat
How did sorry and rep But you get me thinking, I don't know if
we you might have mentioned it. I'm just forgetting how well did did Terry
Funk draw his champion? Well, we'll definitely get there. Oh, Okay,
all right, because the next leg of our journey, in fact,
well, we'll focus exclusively on Terry Funk becoming a NWA World's Heavyweight champion in
nineteen seventy five I think it was right seventy five, okay, and then
the run he had with the belt, so that's that's a huge formative part
of his story. But to tie the Japan the first leg, let's say,
of his Japan run up with a neat bow, we're jumping ahead a
bit in terms of chronology to the early eighties, after he had already lost
the champce Chip back to a Hartley race, so we had there Hanson versus
Funk. He continues plowing his trade and plowing other things, certainly, and
we go to later that year. This is in the tag league years,
tag league months, we should say, December of nineteen eighty two, and
we're really going to mix it up here, boss. Are you ready for
Dorry and Terry versus Hanson and Brody? I I don't think anyone can possibly
be ready for that, but I'm ready for it. I think we've reached
the point where like we can like feel that little tinge of excitement that the
fan would have felt when we hear these pairings. Yeah, because we've seen
you know what it looks like when these guys go at each other, and
it's fucking insane. So if you bear with me for a moment, we'll
pull this one up. But just i'd love your thoughts as I do this
to somewhere we stand right now, because we're you know, that Terry Funk
scene and beyond the mat is coming, and I just wondered, you know,
kind of where you're at in terms of feeling like you can assign more
significance to that moment now that we've seen what we've seen from and I can
assign ten times as much significance as before. I think what he's I think
what he accomplished as a professional wrestler at this point is astronomical and groundbreaking in
so many ways, from being such a legit babyface in Japan, but also
just the entering work is unreal, something I really was not expecting. I
mean again, I knew of his legacy as a legend, but I don't
think I ever really realized how good he actually was and what's making him good.
From what you're seeing here, I'm looking at a guy who who puts
so much passion, so much hard work into his work, and it's it's
just and it pays off in so many ways because he he makes you feel
like in ways I never really thought I would feel about Terry Funk like he
he comes across so believable, even with his more cartoony antics that were much
more like over the top and exploited in his later years. But here his
stuff like it just works for him him, like you know, like you
said, the spaghetti legs in him, with his fighting Irish stance and stuff
like that, but it didn't come a cross is as goofy r phony as
it would kind of in the late nineties and beyond that. Here it's like
he's he's trying to fight, He's trying to fucking do what he can to
fight, and it's just it's it's remarkable. It's really remarkable because he makes
you suspend disbelief more than I ever thought he could. That's great, very
well put. Yeah, it's something when you realize just what you're what you're
saying, that like the hallmarks of the Funk that people in the late nineties
became familiar with, the stance, the you know, the way of moving
around. That that was just him, you know. That wasn't him trying
to look old and crazy and discombobulated and confused. That was him trying to
keep up the same fighting spirit and style he'd had his whole career. That
was him clinging to a manner and a way of fighting in a way of
you know, trying to basically intimidate an opponent or face down an opponent.
Yeah, that used to work for him. It's just now he's broken down.
Now he's just you know, his body's more rickety, but he's still
carrying himself in the same way. It's it's not I don't know. I
always interpreted like some of the things he did in ECW when I first became
really acquainted with him, it's kind of like, oh, he's doing this
because he thinks like this is how an old person should an old man should
sell, right, because he's in there and he's like, but no,
you will go back and watch him when he's you know, fresher faced and
fleeter of foot, and he's selling in the same way. It's just he's
doing it more what what's the word, He's doing it more athletically. I
don't know, well it's done well, yeah, I mean, well it's
there's there's a more of a youth emphasis, or it comes across more youthful,
it comes across more legitimate in a weird way, like it doesn't.
It works both ways. It's it's just it's fascinating that that it would work,
because, yeah, I consider it to be like an old timer type
thing that he was doing before, or that he'd do in uh in the
nineties, and you know, I associate more with you know, late nineties
w W than ECW. And it's just fascinating to see that same body language
from a guy who basically is coming across here in all Japan in the seventies
and eighties is almost like a heart throb. Yeah, And all of a
sudden, it's like that style isn't emblematic of a wild and crazy Texas brawler.
It's emblematic of like almost like a like a Von Eric fighting spirit.
Yep. And it's hard. It's easy to overlook that that component of Terry
Funk's appeal because it really only got a chance to shine through in Japan.
Really, nowhere in America did he work where he was able to connect with
the audience in such a pure babyface way. I mean. Ever, you
could argue maybe in ECW when he became world champion and became the celebrated legend,
but even then, the connection he had with the audience then was more
of a deep and abiding respect. But it wasn't one of like fawning,
you know, sort of endearment. Sure. Sure, And unless you happen
to have a connect in Japan sending you tapes in the nineteen eighty two,
which is not many of us, I don't care how well connected you were,
just the technology itself was rare and expensive. Yep. You didn't know
that Terry Funk could connect this way and that the same style that made him
such a hot heel in every American territory he worked would also make him one
of the most beloved babyfaces pound for pound in the world. Yep. So
with that we turned to the real World Tag League tournament. This is from
December thirteenth, nineteen and eighty two. Terry and Dorry Funk about to step
into the ring with the team of Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody. If you
can believe it, so I cannot. I will not repair your stomach.
This is just what a nice tour it is through because you know, you
read so much about the Funks tag team matches in all Japan. Yeah,
and just to see the series with Abby and Cheek, to see the series
with Snook and Brody, to taste Hansen and Brody. It's just you just
get it. You watch, you watch a few hours of this stuff,
and it's just you understand why it's so remembered and why you can't talk about
Terry Funk without talking about these matches and these opponents. So here we go,
all right, Hanson and Brody versus Dory and Terry hush tones. I
think it's Boudican. All these years, I still can't tell visually if it's
Kreklin or Buddhakan or what Summo hall. I wouldn't know either. What do
I hear? Collapsed? Here he comes? Oh man. They started with
a camera in the back and the tunnel. There's a big sign welcome to
Japan, the Funks. You're you're still number one Ichi bomb. And these
aren't just cardboard placards. These are like long unfurling banners with sticks on both
ends, unfurled over like you know, four or five heads. Dory looking
like a grandfather, oh more than ever. And here they come in those
letterman jackets, you know, looks like the jackets they hand you when they
induct you into your high school's Hall of Fame. Yep, there's the Texas
Broncos. Terry Funk takes the ring adorned with streamers, Dorry of course understated,
Pete Rose are referee. O Jesus, it's luth that one of a
kind checkered shirt. I don't know where the fuck you found that number,
but you'd always wear that when he wrestled, such a fuckingball official shirt of
Checkerdome referees in Saint Louis, just looking like cranky old grandfather lu Fez is
one of the greatest rest of all time. Yeah he was, He was
on in years, but he would wrestle a full decade after this, in
fact, in a couple of matches. And here comes the fucking cavalry.
Here we go, Here comes the fucking outlaws, the vigilantes, handsOn and
Brody. Just look at look at Brody. Imagine like these guys are coming
for you and they're not. They're not gonna They refuse to look phony in
there. All I would do you know what I think I'll like The only
thing I could do was just fucking roll up in a ball and just let
them kick me. So intimidating, and they come out shoving fans. They
don't give a fuck. Look at Terry swinging at air. Look at that
get those arms warmed up for the fisher cuffs to come. Show. Mark
Calloy had a fucking shadow box please love of Christ at his first match against
Brodie, didn't he? Sure he did in the world class? Yeah?
Who where it is? Hook? Come horns from the Larry at Stan Hanson
tossing his cowboy head out to the faithful with a look on his face like
I'm so paid right now, so much fun. Just you come here,
you just beat the ship out of people. You swing it and do whatever
you want. You never lose, you know, collect like the uh the
Japanese Wayne Newton here does the as they bring announce? Do you hung guy
yet? Luth Is just like navigating. Does they talk about Terry Funk in
his book or either Funk? Oh really no, he talks about We did
read a passage about his dealings with dor SR and kind of you know,
he throws some shade on him of course, you know for how he you
know, how he'd kind of undercut you on pay and stuff. I mean
that's that's wrestling there, lou. Oh yeah, yeah. Don't let the
uh the degree to which Terry and Dorry vaunted their father and interviews and stuff
fool you. I mean, Dory Funk Senior was just as much a Carney
as cal Farley, as much a Carney as anybody else of his generation.
He's a fucking vagabond, you know, he's such a Carney that he lived
in a trailer on on the road. You just way to do it now
sounds here, look at look at Funk move Terry and instead he wants some
revenge. That's a lock up. By the way, kids hit hair flying.
You know what I love to One of my favorite things about that,
you know, from Renaissance rumble, is that the idea is here is that
you want it to look intense, but you don't want it to be intense.
Wow, because if you are intense, then you fucking get gassed.
And so true. Well, they're doing a hell of a job making it
look like they're holding nothing back. And that's something that I really that that's
another one of those things that if if the time ever came when I when
I rumbled renaissancely again, I would I would want to work on stuff like
that, where like to create the image of intensity without actually being intense.
Yeah, it's you lose it, like when you're when you're really trying to,
you know, make it look believable, but at the same time not
like you know, you lose it and you really run out of steam pretty
fast. Amazing. So they locked up like crazy hands and through a bunch
of chops against the ropes, slam Terry and dropped the big elbow yes,
and the tag to Brody trying to fight off his knees. But no match
for these oh gosh giants is Brody hits the ropes full steam, puts a
boot right in Terry's ribs and a scoop and a slam, and Brody held
him up there. Look at the delay, plenty of timepertarity, a terrified
face out there, brother, What are you doing? Dude? Big leg
drop by Brody walks out one about that, dude? Uh, Look how
Terry violently fights the thigh of his opponent. Yes, because he can't possibly
gather enough strength to rise to his feet. They're going crazy with Terry Chance
here, nice knee, huge jumping knee by Hanson and another big elbow and
Stan Hanson had that stature that made you feel like an elbow drop could legitimately
be devastating. Yeah, oh for sure. I mean, look, he's
that, he's barrel chested. He's like, yeah, oh god, Dorry
looks like there's like a dog watching a squirrel or a cat watching a squarel
through the yep yep light glass. I mean, he looks like a guy
who doesn't really know where he is. He thinks he does well, he
thinks he's in a wrestling ring. But yeah, sure that that's the case.
Oh fun quick turn of the momentum and O'Connor roll and now he's just
slugging clubb in the chest Dan Hansen. He's got tape on his wrist,
he's got tape on his ear. He's good. The only one storing Black
Dory Funk Junior. Here he comes comes. That's right in his fucking Vern
gagny blue trunks. You know, he looks just like Vern does look like
Vern, you know, like for Dory at this point, I don't know,
let's take a look serious European uppercuts. He looks like he's fifty five.
It's amazing how much more bald he got than his brother. Yeah,
but also like his his skin is so saggy and like aged looking page looking.
Yes, double team now on Dory. In the corner of their chanton
Dory is Brody goes to work snatches the side headlock. He was born in
forty one, so in eighty two he would have been forty one. Yeah,
he looks like he's fifteen years older than this. Another big crotch lift
and slam by Brody plants Dory Funk Junior in the center of the ring.
Back up, now, spot call. I want to know, like,
I really want to know, like, and I know that that usually comes
from a bunch of different ones, But Brody's got some of those scars on
his forehead, those vertical vertical caverns, like when did they write? When
did they happen? Oh? What I want to I really hope and I'm
sure that that is is the result of many specific, many different blade jobs,
mostly Puerto Rico, where they blade from north to south instead of a
east to west in terms of the direction of the cut. Really want to
know I hope it was a real gusher. Oh yeah, I'm sure to
have to be able to leave that kind of a mark. Oh here comes
Terry. Look at the man. Throw punches. Guys, work on your
punches, everybody. I've never seen Brody sell like this, and I know,
you know, I'm used to. I'm used to, you know,
the United States Brody where he just constantly no cells and and and nothing like.
It's amazing to see him sell. I don't think less of him because
of it, you know, Oh no, not all you just you think
more of the funks, right and their fighting spirit. Terry tried to drop
down for a back body drop. That was ill advised, as Brody puts
the furry boot right upside his head in the tag. Now to Stan Hansen,
who's ready to feast. How much I mean how much of a uh
you know, like what what Dusty says? What does he say about Terry
funk this? As a worker? He's a was? Was? I mean
I know that they all are. Was was? Was Brody a worker like
that? Was? He constantly tell him FIBs and shit? Yeah, Brody.
Brody's thing was he was going to fuck the promoter before the promoter had
a chance to fuck him. Right, Brody was always he was more defensive.
Yeah, right, he was more jaundiced. He was more like hypersynical
about the business. He was taking money and run like. Right, So
he's he's he's actually more honorable in a way. Well, yeah, he's
he's sort of he's the least likely to be taken advantage of, right,
But he's all I mean, would he be someone who took advantage of other
people in the ring? No? In general, Like, well, you
know, there are people that said that. Yeah, there are people that
said he ran off with the bag. There are people that said the part
of the reason he gets stabbed by Jose Gonzalez was because he was holding folks
up for money, wow, and insisting on a payout for his ownership stake
in the company. But as he comes off the top of the massive double
axe handle, Terry Funk is back in the verge of death mode. By
the way, yeah, for those keeping score at home, But yeah,
I wrote, Brody definitely pissed a lot of people off. Brody had very
few friends in the business by design. He led very few people in because
he just didn't trust anybody. I mean, those are the those are the
main eventors, those are the winners. Yeah, you know, but you
know, one could say those are also the ones who end up leading out
in the bottom of a San Juan shower off of Terry's busted. Here we
go, Terry is split open over the right eye, and Hansen's in there,
just going to town with a drop knee pack thrown the kneecap right in
his fucking cut. And here comes Terry head butting Hanson with the bloody side
of his head. Look at Terry, cell boss, I love it.
I can't get enough. Terry always can barely stand, you know, and
we love him for it. Oh Hanson just shuts him down. Oh Terry
grabbing the waistband of Hanson's trunks to keep himself up. Fire's back, snap
mare. Terry on the run now hits the ropes and misses the elbow drop.
But Terry wild to rolling tag in his brother. Terry was so good
at that, like those bursts of offense, those hope spots, yep,
and then he misses, you know, side head locked by Hanson. But
Dory with the back suplex with the delay dumbsum right in the center. A
lot of oppressed by Dory on Hanson gets too. Terry's still in there working
on Hansen as well, dropping a big knee, afraid monishing Terry. He's
not the legal man. Interestingly, Brody not here. He is to step
in. You're looking Yep, he wants it. Sing a leg to the
spinning toe hold, went Dory, but he was kicked off immediately. Stan
Hanson knows and enough then to spend too long in that hol Dory goes for
it again, looks it a lot tighter this time, and look of that
Brody reaching out all the way from the apron to the back of Dorry's head
to break the hold, and Dorry drops him on the apron for his troubles.
That creates the opening deal for stan Hansen to go to the gut.
I'm always like, I always want to think about the the wives of people
like like Bruiser Brody, Oh, Barbara Goodish Yeah, and she's like Frank,
yes, Frank, do not treat me like I'm one of your promoters.
Ah Okay. She was in business with him, man. She uh,
she watched his his affairs as closely as he watched his's an ass
she met him, But you ever think like to like you know, he
just out of out of instinct, play some kind of game, yes,
think of that where they don't mean it on purpose, but just because they're
so used to having to to to be fucking carnies on the road, that
all of a sudden they just bring some of that ship back home, you
know, and just like but they're not, they're not, fucking the wives
are not. I'm not taking that all right, No, no, no,
you can go play. You can go play big shot, fucking master
negotiator. You can play strong when you're in the ring, but don't bring
that ship home. Exactly. You fucking get up, you take the trash
out, you go to the dump and take the kids to school, exactly,
and you come back and you eat my pussy, and you try your
fucking mouth about it, by the way, exactly, you fucking complain about
it, I'll fucking kick you in the balls. Right then, what are
you gonna do then? Right? Oh, you're gonna you're gonna give me
a big boot mocking him so action briefly spilling into the people, and then
it came back in and and now Dorry is busted wide open. Yes,
finally, Brody lines up a pile driver, but Terry slips in and throws
elbows to break that up. H Terry, I think I should get color
in this one? Do you think I should get colored? Terry? I
don't understand how Terry ended up with the full Texas accent, But Dorry has
his dad's Illinois accent and it's probably on purpose that much of a difference in
age. Oh, Dorry spiked on his head times ten with a Brody pile
driver. Look at Dorry get that with a convulsive cell covered by Brody too.
No, Dorry kicks out such great entertainment for these people. Seriously,
imagine with Christmas like two weeks away, being able to count and going to
see this every year. Ah like this. Would love to see one of
these in person. This was the real Christmas gift God centering swinging neck breaker
by Stan Hanson on Dory. The cover has made, but Terry breaks it
up. I would love to have seen a Dory and Terry al Japan match
in person. Who one of these crazy fucking brawls yep, rock and roll.
Oh, there's Brody casual slam of Dorry walking around owning the ring,
ruling the roost. Here comes to the big King Kong me drop or leg
drop, but he misses got up there. Terry was for to tag his
Dory, but Stan darts across the ring and prevents it. That's right,
that's the way you do it, oh, Larry on the floor. Yes,
just like we saw in the snook of Brody match, Stan Hansen leaving
Terry funk soup pine on their look at him, He's mummified in the streamers.
Oh my god, huge knee dropped by Brody on the bloody Dory funk
and now Ry is a mess. It's like there's nowhere for the Texas Broncos
to hide. Now Terry, he is fully engulfed. He looks like a
ball of rubber bands. Larry Hoto referee gets out of the crossfire. Everyone
got a got a piece of that one. Dory nailed, ref nailed and
Brody holding Dorry also sent backwards. Terry looking at the ultimate warrior right now,
he's completely covered his head in the streamers, and Luths is in there,
and Stan Hansen's going after Luths. He just grabbed Hall of Famer Luths.
That dirty, rotten son of a bitch rings the bell, Lu has
the signaling for the bell, and it sounds, and Fest takes a bomb
through the ropes to the floor. Oh my god, last time you bitch
about that one A Renaissan's rumble has taken it. It's sixty eight whereever you
is. Yep, So the bell is sounded. Hanson and Brody disqualified for
putting their hands putting their hands intentionally on ruferee Luthez. But that doesn't mean
the beatings will cease. That's what's so good about him too. He's got
these heels back then. It's like they didn't care if they got qualified.
They didn't give a fuck. Yep. They carried their body language didn't change
in iota once that bell rang. They just kept throwing because they're here to
do damage. They come here to cast checks and hurt people. Oh,
Larryott from Hanson on one of the ring boys Japan all Japan rather jumpsuits filling
the ring and Brody in Hanson addressing them one at a time. Thank you
very much. Uh, it's my turn. I guess all right, suck
see fuck. So Terry Funk once again, completely and thoroughly incapacitated by the
lariat of Stan Hansen on the floor. Hanson takes the middle rope, throws
up the Longhorn hand signal and just swings it people at random. Look at
Terry Sell out of his mind. He's so fucking goof, He's completely collected
almost thirty pound ball of paper Streamers Barnett siding, Yes, can somebody give
me a lariat please? I kind of feel like one. Oh man Hans
just stalking around the ring. Don't fuck with this guy, Oh, not
at all. He's scary, like reminds me of h He's even knocking over
the trophy Scott Steiner at that Yes Big Time Wrestling show that I was,
Yes, very very scary. Yeah, but he's walking around looking for an
excuse to legitimately punch somebody. Brody and Hanson make their way through the people
to the back, leaving an absolute scene of destruction and chaos behind them.
Terry and Dorry Funk do it again, pulling a maximum emotion out of these
fans. That was against type that matches end and DQ's you know, only
only the wildest guys on roster would do this, so it was Yep,
it's kind of a novelty. When the match ended, the ways Jim Barnett
and the ring in the corner there, Yeah, looking to present the check.
I believe, by virtue of this disqualification, if I have my memory
right, Dori and Terry won the whole tournament because of that DQ wow.
As we see some of the other teams. Per tradition, Harley Race is
in there, Dick Slater's in there take the ring for the closing ceremonies.
But it's gonna a tough one for Dory at least as we see him there
clutching his bloodied head to enjoy very much. Bill muscaris in there. That's
Gino Hernandez I think or don't Jay young Blood. Oh, Terry is still
gushing blood on the floor. Ring filling up now. And that's the thing
about going to see these tag tournaments like you'd see, like you know,
twelve top guys from America mm hmm, one tour. I think they're trying
to load the funks end of the ring so they can do this ceremony.
Now, look at this, I see Harley raising giant Baba Jah jacking.
Now that's nuts. Baba would h in fact win the NWA World Championship for
a Cup of coffee from Harley Race. I always wanted that title, always
wanted to say and present himself as the first and only, perhaps Japanese to
hold the NWA World's Championship. It's hard for him to finagle that until eventually
U the grip of the NWA Writt large loosened on the title and a deal
was cut while Race was working Wow to lose, to lose it and went
back on the same tour so no one would know any different back in the
States. Of course, the magazine's covered it, so word did get out,
but we're not travel it is nearly as fast then. Of course,
look at how damaged Dory is. What a mess for longtime pal Dicks later
there helping to hold up Dory as Jim Barnett looks to Brittley get that smile
on his face. What a weird man. It's gold bracelet. What they're
just stuffing trophies and cups and Dory and Terry's face and they get him and
stand up totally fine, what what what do you mean? We're not going
to do the ceremony? I was told I got a boy out of the
Is she pregnant? Did it not? The trophy looks like two balls.
I love a pair of balls. Oh yeah, what did he get?
No, Bob's got a trophy as well. Maybe run her up, I
don't know. Sweatshirt like Steamboat? Was he fucking u? Bill Belichick?
Here? Do you need your ten? Are you back there as well?
There we go? Steamboat and young Blood were in the tournament that year.
Wow, look at ten rou and uh is that horror? Oh god,
it's all my god, get into his back this ship. He's hungry for
more. Look how crazy Jumbo's going throwing on him. Why is he in
the ring again? He's fucking fighting Baba. Hanson is just I'm just laughing
his fucking what's he doing? Hansen? You probably didn't run it by anybody.
He probably just get the Sam Hanson looking like Mikey Corridge here for a
moment. Fuck you. He's back out, just screaming things stopping. Terry's
still getting stuck in the head. What's he doing on the floor again?
He was in the ring a minute ago. I like streamers. Leave it
up to Terry. He's such a goof. You find himself looking like a
fish that just got reeled in. Ah easy, So holy shit, it's
it's intense, and it's it's Terry Funk's contribution to and entire generation of Japanese
wrestling fans' memories and why he's so revered and beloved, But its retirement time.
After the match there, in December thirteenth of eighty two, the calendar
turned to eighty three, and Funk, working several American territories, came back
to team with Ted Dibiyassi in Japan, and in the spring of nineteen eighty
three against Baba and Sharuda, he wrestled Hanson again. He wrestled Brody and
Hanson a couple of times in the spring, and as we enter the summer
of nineteen eighty three, it's becoming very clear to the fans of al Japan
Pro Wrestling and Japanese Wrestling with Large that the Great Terry Funk is about to
call it a career. Funk writes in this book, I announced my retirement
in Japan in nineteen eighty one, two years in advance of my planned nineteen
eighty three retirement show. It was around the same time as the Abdullah Angle
with the fork to the arm, and was born out of the same sense
of necessity to compete with the Nook. I wanted All Japan to have something
that the fans could follow along with for a long period of time, and
my idea was to announce my retirement that far in advance and then build it
slowly, built to it slowly. I discussed the idea with Baba and Junior,
but it was my choice in my idea, and it was my idea
to have it for two years. I thought we'd have something built up by
then, and at that point All Japan would have some other things with momentum
to carry the company from that point. What it though, things kept on
peaking and the company was really rolling by the time we did by retirement match.
All right, the match was Junior and Me versus Stan Hansen and Terry
Gordy. If I hadn't done what I did when I did it, I
truly believe Anoki would have eaten All Japan and the company wouldn't have existed much
longer. New Japan was leaps and bounds ahead of us at the time in
nineteen eighty one. My retirement was an enabler. It enabled All Japan to
have some long term programs to build to the future while it was going on.
I'm not just patting myself on the back when I say that I unselfishly
gave that company three years to get back on track and then willingly gave up
my position as one of its top attractions. I would call that being a
good soldier. Give me a medal please. The night of the show,
I had a tough time. It was very emotional for me because I truly
had no intention of ever going back to Japan. Bob I certainly never said
anything that night or in any of the nights leading up to it to make
me think there was a plan to bring me back. I had gotten close
to a lot of the wrestlers there, and even a lot of the guys
in the press, and I was very much taken aback by the whole thing.
The point of the match was almost as much to show Gordy in a
new light with more of a main event feel, as it was to spotlight
my retirement. I think the match really did a lot for Gordy. He
was a hell of a hard worker and had unbelievable natural talent. After that
retirement match, I was done. I was it. I still got paid
a meager amount as a booker, but I had no involvement with the company,
and they had programs going so strong that things just kept rolling on for
the next fifteen months, and I just stayed retired that whole time. Now,
he must be clear. I said I was retiring in Japan the days.
That's what I was waiting for. I never did say I would never
wrestle again, and it was never my intention to stop wrestling everywhere. My
god fucking phonies. Man, I didn't lead Boba, the fans or the
press to think that that was what I'd meant. He always does, like
when you go back and actually look at what he says, like, yeah,
of course he did it in Marilla in ninety seven too. I always
just said I was retiring in Nemarilla. I never said that I'd never wrestle
again. They go back, and that's exactly what he said. I just
said I'd never wrestle again, Right, I'll never. Yeah, it depends
where you place the comma, like WWF booking in ninety five, right,
right, So Jerry, it's like, you know, I'm gonna go back
and pretend this was in my mind, this qualification when I was initially communicating
my intentions. I didn't lead Baba or the fans of the press to think
that that was what I'd meant. I'd worked a handful of matches by early
nineteen eighty five in the United States, but I really did stay out of
the ring for most of that first year. After the retirement match and the
retirement ceremony, that night was very real to me. It was very,
very emotional to me, and I think for the whole audience. My kids
were there and they were crying. It really wasn't a work. I was
retiring and I felt I could. I felt I had the knowledge and fortitude
to survive in the world of business, did he Boss M I mean,
yeah, that's another lesson we have to learn from the Funker, is what
happens when you tell yourself that you found your ticket out of the business.
Yeah, that you've now accomplished enough that yeah, you know what I mean.
Yeah, as he was loving the health insurance man. We know about
this, You've talked about it, of course the shows you've done about his
movie career. He's getting SAG insurance by this point, right, Yeah,
totally, absolutely absolutely, And so to him it's like this, this is
a great setup. I finally, I finally have my ticket out of this,
and he doesn't, because there's nothing like that pro wrestling fix. There's
nothing like to someone who learns how to make the kind of money in wrestling
that Terry Funk had made. There's absolutely no way that any other business can
sort of that you can leverage the skills wrestling instills in you to anywhere near
the earnings power in any other business. Yeah, it's the curse. You
get so good at so many elements of pro wrestling that you develop the skill
set that's just not transferable. It just isn't. I mean, sure,
he carries himself on the silver screen and he got booked as an actor,
but he spent way too many years perfecting wrestling to ever get good enough at
acting to make that his next livelihood, his next career. I mean,
he wasn't bad right in acting. No, he's fine. Actually, he's
he's pretty good. Actually, you know, I don't I don't think.
I don't think he's Uh. I think he's one of the better in terms
of guys who who kinda made it a side hustle. I think he's he's
one of the better ones. Honestly, I think he's pretty good. Did
you ever see anything that told you he could make it like a second life
though like The Rock did. Never no, no, no, no way,
no way no. I mean, I think Piper had more of an
opportunity to do that than he did. You know, he'd never he's a
movie star. He's character actor quality. I would imagine I could have seen
him in maybe a movie, you know, maybe every couple of years or
TV show. I mean, but I don't think. I don't know if
he would have, it would have been a thing that would have been able
to sustain him one hundred percent. I don't know if he had that much
go on for character actor. When you when you think Terry Funk primarily being
characterized as a character actor, what flashes to mind? What did you see
from him that told you that that's pretty much his ceiling? I mean,
everything he's he's he doesn't have the look of a leading man, number one.
I mean, and he tell me that guy we just saw wrestling Hanson
and Brody and Abdullah wasn't a leading man, not at all, not not
in not in the world of Hollywood. You know, he would have had
to had he would have had to have had a Paul Giamati quality of acting.
I see the eleading man, you know, but you know he's more
of a more of a that guy type actor. You know, he's he's
fine, and he's he's good at what he does, but he's he he
probably needed to take a few more classes. But you belong in the ring,
Terry, Yeah, pretty much belong in the ring. That's pretty much
the way it should be. And so, in the lead up to the
August nineteen eighty three retirement match of Terry Funk against the forementioned team of Stan
Hansen and Terry Gordy, Al Japan Pro Wrestling aired a series of vignettes and
tributes to Funk on their television shows, including career highlights and look backs.
And we're going to take a look at what I believe was titled Goodbye Terry,
a series of looks at some highs and lows. I'm sure it's going
to include stuff that we've already seen from Terry Funk on the Al Japan Ring
and perhaps some stuff we haven't. But we're gonna ride the wave here,
boss. We're gonna ride Terry Funk off into the Japanese sunset, just as
they did in nineteen eighty three, here on the lapsed Funks. So let's
see what they have for us. This is the tail end of a prior
match, as Hanson and Brody exit after another fucking whar Look at Terry,
what condition do you think he's in? Oh? About as much as good
as you can get. When it comes to surrounded by medical personnel and trainers
carrying him out on their shoulders because he's been through another fucking soul draining war
with Hansen and Brody, with Dorry close behind. It dissolved to be a
banner hanging in Japanese lettering. I'm sure that says something about the Funks.
Yes, it does, it says the Funks. Yep. So it continued,
look back, exploits, and we get a little more and the clapping.
It's so crazy that thank you for your fight, Terry Funk. The
banner reads another one that simply says fight. Are you ready? I'm ready?
That's giant, baba. What doing now? Leading the charge, leading
the cavalry, leading the battalion to battle is ceremonial? Look at Terry,
just tell us what you're seeing? I mean, well, I can't even
see. Is that a woman in front of him? I mean he is
being molested like he's a fucking von Eric, totally mobbed. On its way
to the ring. Terry Funk steps in, you know, yep, funking
in Japan, Funking and Japan. Mhm. And it's a momentous occasion right
there in the blue jacket, that big banner, Terry Funk on the hard
camera side. It reads haunts and couldn't have put it better myself. Fucking
Terry Gordy might as well be fucking Stan Hansen. I know. So this
again a sampling of some of the matches they chose to highlight and remembering Terry
and Dori Funk. Terry Funk in particular, look back in his career as
it aired on All In Television at the time. Hansen and Brody and we
see, uh, I think this is the match. I'm getting all confused.
That's Terry Gordy right there. Yeah, as you see in the classic
Stars and Bars vest he's fresh faced, he's new in the business. Brody's
in there too. I think it's a six man Well, let's say,
cause it looks like it looked like let's just butt their fight. Mm hm.
He hung look at him, Hey, Hung, good it's wild.
That's just complete madness. Are you hung? God? Doan yet by?
You'll gu take the liberty of skipping around a little bit? Sure, God,
Jesus Christ, fucking fight guys, Jesus no sound here for sec Yeah.
All the big hugs being exchanged by Dorry and Baba and Terry on the
Aprin six man tag match was Dory retiring to no. Okay, Now,
Dorry didn't go anywhere, so they didn't get they So it really was just
the they just cared about Terry. They don't really give a shit about Dory.
I think, Yeah, I think they Terry had much more as we've
established of kind of like a three dimensional connection to the people. They respected
Dorry and they wanted to see him succeed, and he was definitely a legend,
somebody that they took very seriously in the ring, but they didn't have
anywhere near the emotional connection with him as they did Terry. Yeah, and
how could you? Right? Sure? And what Dory Funk's out there trying
to do? He hits the floor after being body slammed by Brody. See
Terry there was talking basically to himself. Yeah, right, which makes sense
listening to the audio forgive us as we skip around a bit. So look
at Terry Gordy. Here, young Terry Gordy, He's moving like a motherfucker.
Look at that holy shit bumping all over the place human super Bowl.
There was definitely a lot of promise for this guy. Also said to have
pretty much the best Terry Funk commentation you've ever heard, the late Terry Gordy.
Really yeah he could, said he's got most of the voice already.
Yeah, he's throwing, he's looking good man. This is during his John
Goodman face. Oh no, totally, I mean John Goodman face. It's
awesome, brody, and they're bringing the violence to Dorry. Big drop kick
Hanson in there with Larry Atto. No, that's actually enable to the gut.
Yep, are you doing that? You can do the cutting. I
am all right. It's the way we should watch wrestling anyway. I know,
I know it's recommended. Here's Terry. Terry's found his way in the
ring, just had enough of the ass beating his team's taking. And now
he's getting all tied up in the ropes and flailing about. Look at what's
it do when you're sitting out in the middle of the ring, No one's
there. He's doing sit outs. Dukes are up all the time for the
Funker. Walking it up now with Hanson and with the triple teaming now commence
on Dory as Brody scoops and slams them. So they're working Terry Gordy in.
You can tell they're trying to get Terry, trying to see that Terry
Gordy gets a little bit of that Hanson Brody shine right. Look at Dorry
fucking seems motivated. Jesus, I've never seen Dori move that fast. Oh
yeah, oh yeah, he's it's there. And look at Terry. Look
at Terry Gordy bounce around that ring. He's doing all the selling. He's
like, it fucking pays to be a young guy talented like Gordy but also
big. So that like seeing you fly around like that, it really it's
it's very It really affects fans in a good way, you know, to
see a guy like Terry Gordy get thrown around like a like a bitch.
Absolutely yeah. They want to see him take an ass beating. They want
to believe their heroes can take him on. He dropped Missus for Bruce or
Brody, and here comes the Funker, grabbing Brody by the foot, doing
anything he can wild see too, He's got Brody's hopping on one leg.
I don't know what the hell is supposed to be. Back on Terry,
it comes Gordy beating up on Funk. So this is how you you know,
this is how you incorporate a new young heel and Terry Gordy. You
have him shared the ring with Brody and Hansen like this and let him get
his spots in. Brody, now hook it up. The pile driver on
Terry. Right, it's Terry yep up, delay dangling, Terry trying to
get out of it, Terry kicking it crazy. It still got spot.
Didn't matter, doesn't fucking matter what A pile driver by Brody gesus covers Terry
for the two. Here comes giant Boba to break it up. And you
know those biceps have not grown a centimeter anything, They've shrunk. Ye ye,
disarmy, it really is. It's really unfortunate. A lot of houses
in the neighborhood put giant Baba statues in their front lawn. It seems this
Halloween. He looks like one of those oversized skeletons you buy, Yes,
it does. Whipping a big boot is Baba gets the offense in dropping Terry
Gordy cover too, Bob a throw avers whipped Gordy hits the ropes running through
the shop. Don'torry funk with a drop kick going to the spinning toe hold.
It's pure six. It's a bell sounding. Is this thing that's totally
out of control. We don't even get a fucking a fucking pin for the
retirement match. This isn't the retirement match. This is a part of the
special they did showing select matches from his from his history. Oh I see
that's This appears to be from a December third of I imagine eighty two.
They're showing here they're stand hands and with four chairs at once. I don't
see what the problem is. It seems like normal, you know behavior to
me, a mess. Look at the furniture, everyone where Oh my god,
these guys just swung for like fifteen minutes after the bell. Every single
time I do, I do have to wonder forgot a little old, do
you know what I mean? It's like no one shows up expecting a finish.
Oh my god, what the hell is Brony doing. Did you see
Brony stampeding over the public? Look at this? Watch him? Look at
this? Just why Yeah, he's just stomping on the chairs. People are
fucking It's like a it's like a fucking volcano's exploding. He's parting the red
sea, that's for sure. End of the rising sun. Fucking Baba,
that Terry motherfucker with this busted forehead and his muddy facial expressions looking to no
one in particular, pointing and saying you motherfucker as they try to collect Dori's
carcass off the canvas. He's clearly been severely wounded, even though Terry Funk's
forehead, at least on the left side, is a total fucking mess YEP.
So this is what the the go Home campaign felt like. And I
can take that literally. Or Terry Funk next up on the docket and this
goodbye? You see that? Goodbye Terry? How far back we're going now?
Jesus, A lot more hair on their head and it's Boba and Sharuda.
Look how much faster Baba moved. Wow? Oh see him leave his
feet in that chop. This must be seventy three. Look at Baba fucking
like he just did Jesus so stark. Now that we've seen them into the
eighties, you know, Oh Sharuda with the fucking craziest dropkick I've ever seen
in my life. Oh German ready tom Ona. Oh that's out of no
mercy straight from Sharuda. O'Connor roll by Terry on Sharuda one two three penned
them. Wait wait, there was a clean finish in Japan. If you
can believe it. There's Funk and Dory and Terry hoisting the straps high patty.
This is him working in you guessed it, in the United States of
America and becoming world heavyweight champ. They played it up even in Japan.
Wow, Area is coming to Japan with Jim crock They are reading the proclamation.
There's Crocker, got that right. Terry Funk with the flower Child headband
on ye defending against Sharuda in Japan. Look at them go. This is
world champion Terry Funk. This is some another version of Funk. They were
more than acquainted with Sunset flips. Shereta pins Funk. We saw this one
in't me so? Yep? That's so that's where Terry wins with the hot
shot, dropping him throat first on the top rope and getting all the plaudits
and the trophies afterwards. It's a closer cropped Uh, Terry Funk here and
Dorry and they're taking on Abby and Chic and so what that. That's what's
great too, is like this special crystallized the legacy, you know, like
this, Oh, this is the Fork match right here. I went to
the arm yep. Oh, god, both Abby and Cheeks abbing the arm
mercilessly. If Terry Funks, he's bladed it wide open for the public to
see and accept and deal with. Yeah, and this is where they tape
him up, right, tape him up with almost a sling. A lot
of magic being created in these moments, I'll tell you. It's it really,
you know, you see so much you don't realize how much Funk really.
I mean, we we've breathed through it, and I didn't even really
realize how how long and how much of an impact Funk really had in Japan.
Yeah, they went all the way in eighty three to remind you all
these matches. Yeah, I'm sure there are a lot of people that had
heard about these matches but hadn't even seen them. How would they until a
tribute special? And that's the d Q win for Dory and Terry. And
yeah, that's the one where she stabs the ref but the fork. Yeah,
that's where Terry has his arm wrapped in a sling after it was torn
open with the little no no no, that's clapping to look at this a
backstage segment showing Dory and Terry warming up, pulling a towel like a tug
of war rope back and forth between each other. That's bizarre. That's very
bizarre. That makes you feel very uncomfortable on the ground, you know,
my head looking down like each other. Boys ranch See now he's got a
towel wrapped around Funk's head and working the neck neck exercises. Doris yanching down
with a towel around Terry's head. Well, Terry's trying to push back.
And now let's hear from Terry. Let's lay out speak to the Japanese public,
to those people you want to make him, you want to make you
know, let's tell you, yes, I'd love to. That's my whole
goal. I think if my father would want me to have a goal.
Right now, it wouldn't be the World championship. What it would be would
be to eliminate one of those fellows from wrestling. I think I'd make him
real happy, I know, to make Junior and I happy. I think
it would make the Japanese people happy. And it means a lot to me
in Junior. Both powerful words there. And of course you know, the
translation of what he's saying isn't look at look at the people, grab him
and hug him and smile. But you can imagine, you know, Mamasan
watching that, yep and just loving Terry Funk because the things he's saying.
Look at the fucking fire on my Abdullah. Man, he's nuts. He's
now finding that nutcase deep inside. Yes, Terry chappings sticking and moving on
the big abbey about to come to the conclusion of this video file, move
on to UH, on to the next. The way this is formatted,
for those I might be wondering, is three final video files here. So
I mean, what are what are revisiting? Oh seriously, what are you
seeing here? As I get things configured? I mean just the just violence.
I mean we're watching UH, both Abdullah and and she just devouring Terry
funk. Now we got Terry Funk with the bloodied face. He's gonna do
the the spinning toe hold on and he's humping humping Abdullah's foot, as is
the match we watched. But that was a nice time to pause. Huh.
Yeah, Funk giving Abdullah head right now in the middle of the ring.
Look at him? Is he even bouncing his head up and down?
Yeah? This is that match. Some match. It eventually ends when he
starts stabbing him in the lake right, Abby starts stabbing him in the thigh
and he blades the thigh. For the industry, I mean, who blades
their fucking thigh? Uh, Terry question, Terry just in agony, ye
pain suffering. It's actually pretty uh confirmatory that a lot of the matches we
happened to pick to watch are also the ones as Jim Crockett makes an announcement
here that they picked to do the highlight to his career. So this is
it. You're gonna get to see a bit of Dory verse Terry Wow in
highlight form, which is a much more preferable way of consuming it. This
is a Terry down the stretch, locking the spinning toe hold on his own
brother. And you can kind of see the fans are sitting on their hands,
you know, they're not They want to go crazy for Terry funk and
it's hard to against Dorry, right, Dory turns over to counter and get
out of the spinning toe hold, side headlock shoot off tackle by Terry.
Down, goes Dory. What are you? This is kind of weird,
isn't it? It is weird. I mean they're also both wearing blue.
And remind me again, was this were they feuding or was this more of
an exhibition type? Just an exhibition type? And that was it. Terry
came from the apron in with a sunset flip. Dorry rolled through, stacked
him up and pulled the rug out from under Terry and pinned him one two
three. And they're sort of like, you know, sitting there like you
know, brothers who just competed against each other in a sport yep, and
are sort of like, you know, Terry is it's like the Mannings fucking
playing. Yes, yes, very very true. So this match fondly remembered
just for the novelty of it. That worked hard. Flash forward to snooker
and Brewte Brody. Oh yeah, this is what we saw, just watched
it very fresh in our mind, because this is the one where hands and
debuts knocks him out. Let's to let's hustle Terry. We saw that one
as well, of course, or maybe they maybe there was more than one
occasion where that sign. Yeah, because this is a this is a Terry
Hanson one on one. And I think we saw Terry busted open, turning
over for the spinning toe hold, but kicked repeatedly by hands until he drops.
Yeah, that was different than the one we saw. I think,
my friends, this is it all right. Here we go, So let
me just recalibrate here t do do din did di di di di di?
Did you didn't did? Didn't di do? Didn't do? Did do?
Didn't? Kettle did little Dane? And did little did a little? L
cattly King King hang King kettle? Can little Dane thing kettle right? Cattly?
Can care Yang King rety say goodbye to the Funker. Uh yes,
at least in the rings of all Japan for the time being, it's quite
with him. Here we go. You're your super hero super heroo, Terry
Funko. We lay out for the entrance. Terry funk for his retirement match
in nineteen eighty three. Okay, you must what's gonna must? Now?
Hang on, hetty punk puto? What do you together at the nys here?
Do you thunk? You punks type tongue? Hansen? Did you go?
Do you know? Final Tokyo? Okay, not you that's correct,
And you just heard them say Stan Hansen and Terry Gordy. So we got
the right match. Here we go. Look at the palm, Palm's boss,
Look at the cheerleaders. Jesus Harry comes a ton of emotion as we
can pick up Terry Funk walking through the the catacombs. This what the down
is? Final match? Yeah? Yeah, it was like everybody knew this
was it. I'm trying to get a sense of I think last time I
see him. So yeah, you're asking, is this the last time you're
going to see him in all Japan? Yeah? Yeah it is. He
would come back to a Japan. I mean like, this is this is
what they were building for for two years? Yes, correct, exactly.
Look at they are fucking raping him. They're fighting each other, trying to
get as close to him as he can. Glitter is flying through the air,
confetti, streamers, he's got a white satin coat on Dory Funk behind
him. How much? How much was he making like for match like this?
Man, I don't know, he's you know, he's probably pulling down
like a half mill wow in eighty two eighty three. Think about that.
That's between wrestling and booking. Yep. I could be wrong about that,
but he seemed to be making incredible money. So brought him back eventually.
Yeah, got to go back in his word, and he steps in.
It looks a little more fluffier and yes, yeah, suited dignitaries look at
that. Unbelievable streamers, the palm palms, the the pageantry, the formal
wear, ceremony with ceremony, now ceremony, assive bouquets of flowers being handed
to the Funks. There's the fan boss. There they are, ye in
the middle, waving of the people, and his two daughters. How what
is it, Stacy and Brandy? Is it? The tears in their eyes?
Cowboy hats on a special night for Terry Funk, any any any Dory
family? There No one cares. I don't know. That's a good question,
such an afterthought. It's hilarious. How much he's an afterthought, Now
they're crying for him. Look at the look at the girls. It's actually
a fascinating bit of foreshadowing to the mcfoley kids. Yes, yes, considering
how intertwined their lives and legacies were. Funk and fully Terry's oldest daughter and
his wife both receiving bouquets sort of on his behalf. That's his high school
sweetheart right there, Vicky Funk, nicky weaver, Jesus not an eyebrow in
sight, all pencil thin built a family built ast egg together? Did Terry
and Vicky Funk? The Double Cross Ranch and Amilla Canyon to be exact as
Terry being greeted and shaking hands with dignitaries clutching a bouquet of flowers he's been
handed a gift. It appears so much pageantry, you know, seriously,
Ah, look at some tears. Yeah, they get some wonderful shots of
the little girls crying under their cowboy hats. Is His kids remind me of
Adam Sandler's daughter in that Bob Metzva movie. I don't know if you saw
that one. That one. They're terrific, and especially his younger daughter.
There's a similar age range and it's funny to think of Terry being at that
stage as a dad, you know, a teenage girl at home. Yep,
No, honey, you know there's a lot of boys. They're going
to say a lot of things, but you don't have to be confident in
your cell. They're gonna be a lot of boys who want to touch you.
There's it'll be a lot of boys ranch that want to touch you.
And there're gonna be a lot of boys that you want to touch. Make
sure you touch them first. Is that what Sid said in that promo?
With this gift after gift, one after the other, they step forward and
gray suits to pay tribute to Terry Funk before the commencement of his final man
in All Japan, or at least we thought so back in nineteen eighty three,
a couple of weeks before I was born. Boss. Yeah, seriously,
that's something I'll tell you a lot about it that here we are,
yep, in twenty twenty three, toasting to Terry Funk. Because even though
he retired quote unquote, this is forty years ago. It'll remind me he
retired before I was born. Yet here we are celebrating him as someone that
was of our time, a remarkable career, one of a kind career,
yep, and we're really starting to get the flavor of any texture of it.
Seriously, probably, I mean, it's safe to say nobody else really
had this kind of this kind of career. There's nobody the diversity of success,
the longevity of it, the how many places he went, you know,
and produced. I just knew how to do. Especially with the way
that that wrestling's done now, it's safe to say I think that you'll never
see a wrestler be able to do what he did. No, it's just
not possible, even if you're capable. It's a proclamation being read by a
probably an NTV official would love for any Japanese members of the Solar System.
Japanese speaking members of the Solar System might want to take a look for us
at this pre match ceremony for Terry Funk and translate some of the honorariums being
directed there. It is Giant Baba steps forward with a big, white toothed
smile and a big handshake, and they respond very positively to that. Terry
Funk can show Hey, Giant Baba from the very beginning of all japan eleven
years prior to this moment. Goodbye Terry Funk. They say, Shrewd is
there as well, of course, who they ushered into the business which we
chronicled and talked about and watched become a thing. And not just in ways
that were apparent to the fans back then, but back at the ranch,
back in the Amarilla, seasoning him as it's Tokyo Tom, wasn't it?
Or Tokyo Tom was Antonio Jnky something like that, So it Tokyo Tim.
Maybe it's the tiny Tim. The ring finally cleared of dignitaries, and the
round of affection. Oh he threw his white coat to the crowd, and
the screams go up from the ladies. Oh aagine catching that coat on his
retirement night. And look at dor He's going to do it too. I'm
no one cares about Dories. So it's like the you know, people are
running to fucking catch Terry Funk's jacket, but people are run away and there's
like a hole lands and nobody grabs it. Hunk bouncing on his feet,
a hug for referee Joe Agucci as well, tape over his left eyebrow,
and we hit the music of his menacing opponents for this final stand. Terry
ready warm, bouncing, hang hang hang hang hang hang, just nervous energy.
You can just feel it coming out of Terry right of course, standing
there like he's waiting to pay his respects to the corpse ding gang. Here
comes Terry. I mean, pardon me, Stan Hansen. Hansen doesn't give
a fuck whose retirement it is, swinging it. Everybody got a He's swinging
that bull rope at people hands with no regard, and they fucking love it.
Yeah, beat that shit up, Stan Hants and Terry Gordy take the
ring. It's time. August thirtieth, nineteen eighty three. Terry Funk's All
Japan retirement match. About that, in so many ways, crystallizes his unique
connection to the Japanese people, on par with just about no other guid Jin
in history, to come to Japan and to win overhearts and minds, to
understand the landscape, to understand what they saw in him, and to reflect
it back to them. Here's Terry Gordy still very much. They hadn't even
really done the the Free Birds von Eric's feud in Dallas yet I was gonna
say yeah, because that happened in December of this year, right, Yeah,
the Christmas Angle where Hayes turns on Kerrie the cage match against Flair.
Ah to hear that pop for him? Yep, that's absurd. They are
screaming for the introduction of Terry Funk and Dorry showered with cheers and streamers as
well. The ring is completely impossible to move around in, but these guys
are going at it nonetheless. Let's fucking go. It's the lapsed Funk and
Terry is swanging these guys. Their fists and wrists are completely covered with streamers
and they're still throwing Haymakers just thinking in about you know, in fifteen years
instead of streamers would be barbed wire. And here we go out to the
people. Go stand Hanson and Terry Funk arm in arm, get met done
early exactly, Dorry out after them, Terry Gordy following the crew as well.
Look at that just one rope standing between the people. Ohn't know that's
a streamer. Sorry, there's nothing, there's no guardrail, no look at
all the fucking photographers. There's a big night man. Hanson and Terry Funk
end up in the ring. Irish whip Terry hangs on and avoids the lariat
and they rejoice. Terry swinging wildly while Hanson grabs him by the hair,
peppering that bandage over Terry's left eye with right hands and elbows. Terry Funk
going off with hands oh oh, jacking the job Hanson. That looks like
a potato to me, So David and Goliath, man, it really is.
I fetch chop straightens up the Funker, but he's feeling it. He's
powering through to the Funk corner, goes Hansen, despite blood already showing on
the forid of Terry. Dorry's legal double whip by the Funks, and Stan
Hansen is the one hanging on this time. We have psychology in Tokyo,
right, psychological bassis. This is wrestling, absolutely, This is the kind
of moment so well, you know, it's that kind of shit that really
makes a difference when when you know that they know each other this well,
Hanson hooks up an arm ringer on Dorifunk. Tag now to Terry Gordy,
who's legal for the first time, young upstart star a ton of potential and
as Terry mentioned in the passage from his book, there the design to have
a strong heel set up to take Altrapan into the future and Gordy, who
it's a great drop kick off the whip drops. Dory gets one Ambaban red
trunks for the Funker in his farewell contest, blue for Dorance, red for
Terrence, blue for Dorance. Both Terry's wearing red tonight. That's true the
American flag giving how fucking wipe their skin is to listen to them? Ay?
Is that what they're saying? Quick quick tags here between Terry, Gordy
and Stan Hansen keeping the pressure on Durrance story trying to find a way out
of this arm lock. Because Hansen puts the pressure on center ring fever pitch
in amongst the people doesn't slow down even when the action does push off in
it. Hanson absolutely punchs Funk to the canvas and drops a heavy elbow cover.
That's good for one. Terry Funk reaching pacing, clutching the tag rope
on the apron, watching his brother Dorry first to achieve world title glory.
Added clean up after Terry tried to dispatch foes and territories across the United States,
but now definitely uh the supporting cast to the main star of this match,
which is his brother, Terry Scrapy younger brother who found a way to
connect on a level few others ever banished to do. But they're cutting the
ring in half masterfully, or Hansen and Gordy preventing Dory from getting anywhere nearer
tag. So you can bet your ass, boss that when that tag is
made, the people are going to be primed for it. Oh, they're
gonna go nuts. It's gonna be the hottest tag of all time. It's
not apt to mistime it. Dorr Funk trying to fight free, but they
just keep hospital orderly here as a referee, nice powder blue suit, a
straight jacket to Hanson comes off. Then a rope with an elbow driving into
the Willi and dharm at Dory and then drives a knee onto it as well.
Crankin. Everything Hanson does just looks like it's done with such malice.
It's so funny how Dorry it literally has become such an afterthought. I know,
I mean, I don't know if it felt that way and when,
like when this was happening, like Dory is such an afterthought. He just
lash bulbs go off every time Dory lands one of those European uppercuts, but
it's handsome cutting off that rally with a big slam. He's so lethargic to
oddly Dory. He throws methodically, you know he throws. He seems so
tired. Yeah, oh, every fucking match he has his sixty five minutes
long, so learned to pace himself over the years, reaching for the tag,
but nowhere near close enough, as Dorry funk is young, precocious,
Terry Gordy hooks up the wrist lock on the former World's ampy into the ropes.
They go shoot off. The hole is broken over the top end from
the other wren. Comes Gordy and he runs over Dory, but he may
have clowned heads. There is Terry Gordy went head over heels and here we
go. Is it time? Are we ready? Are you ready? Is
the world ready? Durrance Terry steps in without the tag and just starts stomping
the ship out of Terry Gordy right back into the the enemy corner goes Dorry,
double teaming, recommences, double wit, double back yelbow answer. It's
the rope straps, the knee right in up face, right on the fucking
face to count very close, but they respawn very positively to Dory Funk still
being in the fight. He's got Vern up in the spiking him tough shit,
springing off the bottom rope and driving a knee into the face. That's
how I beat my friend. We had, Oh my god, I drop
the thanks. Terry just lunging into the ring from the apron to snatch hands
and off his brother. Now it's Dory fighting, fighting, throwing forearms,
reaches for Terry and gets pulled down. Look at that. It's almost like
a German soup lex, but it's more just a wastelog takedown from from Stan
Hansen and O'Connor roll too. That's Terry. Gordy back in there, snatches
the side headlock on Dori Funk Junior, push off Funks free back elbow catches
Gordy on the way in and Gordy collapses. Hose. He's gonna tag Hanson.
He's out of sword. Here we go, tack to Hanson, tack
to Terry. Here he comes. He's gonna so the right hands are landing,
but Terry's not gonna feel it. Not tonight, What the hell?
Right? Yes, one night the crowded one last stand. Flashbulbs explode as
Funk lands left after left on Hanson Funk is busted. Wow, he drops
some of the left. Terry Gordy lands a cheap shot from the apron.
I can tell why they bade Stan Hands and top Dollar to come over.
Yeah, they could. Terry look like God himself. Here, oh Stan
Hansen now biting Funks for it in the middle of the ring. Shrieks of
horror from the faithful Terry reneuvers of the mex who play Jesus bleeding profusely now
from the out as Terry Funk drops the elbow, nice elbow and another elbowing
crowds with them on. Everyone lateral pressed by the Funker gets too not enough.
It's the lapsed Funk. Ladies and gentlemen backup. Stand throws a nasty
leg kick, trying to Charlie Horse up the thighs of the Funker. Terry
started to lose his footing as only he can, a lapses to the canvas
to stand drills him with knees. Spaghetti and meatball legs, I'll say,
and Hanson knows a lot about taking advantage of spaghetti and meatball Listen to them.
Wow, take me to a place where we're allowed to care about wrestling
on par with anything else in our lives. Take me to a time where
we were okay to do it, and indeed a place the country of Japan.
Cup Hanson has hold of one of Terry's legs and kicks away. Terry
Funk in big time trouble here. God, every time they close in on
Terry, these people, these women scream yep. Terry Gordy draping one of
Funk's legs from the top rope, pulling down from the floor while Stan Hansen
lands shots to the exposed knee. Dory finally makes his way over to break
it up. Terry grab at the trunks, throwing at the stomach, leaving
all over Stan Hansen now is the funker. Terry Gordy keeps grabbing Terry Funk's
ankle from the floor and that right knee, the same one that we saw
Abdullah stab like a like his played at the Outback Steakhouse. Listen to them.
Ye oh, now Funk on one leg, essentially throwing jabs on Terry
Gordy big left hand. Wow, look at Funk bleed. Oh he goes
for the spinning toe hold on Terry Gordy, but hans and slips in and
kicks him down. Great injustice being done here. It's so wild, I
mean, just what the immune Yeah, it's just fucking amazing. And now
it's Terry Gordy with the spinning toe hold, the Funk family signature move.
What a way to put Terry away in his retirement matchup would be but Terry
fighting off of his back with a series of lefts, the tagged now of
Stan Hansen legal for the heel side. Terry still comes up firing despite hands
and clutching one of his legs. Head butt, a bloodied head of Terry
Funk and East collapses into a tag on Dorry and here comes Dory and they
love to see it. Series of drop kicks, stories on fire, drop
kicks for all of them. Jesus, look at Dory. He's fucking nuts.
He's grabbing headlocks and falling under the robes. A series of tackles,
two of them puts down Terry Gordy. In a third, perhaps on order,
no Gordy caught him on the way in with the big power slam to
count and Terry breaks up the cover Terry Funk. That is Jesus talking about
high stakes and it's Dory with the back soup x rocks Gordy hants and blind
siding Dory so much that knocked Terry into the ring. Hanson again with no
regard to stomping away at anything that moves door he Funk dragging Stan Hansen out
to the floor. You want to fight in the mud, yep I do.
Meanwhile, back in the ring, Terry Gordy scoops Terry Funk slams him
in the center. Well, Hanson and Dorry continue to mix it up on
the floor. Terry Gordy's going up top. They're screaming at the possibility that
Gordy's gonna crash down on the Funk or here he comes. He leaps,
he misses. What big splash attempt by Terry Gordy eats nothing but canvas and
that's rare. Meanwhile, Terry Funk is climbing the top rope not allowed sunset
flip off the top one two fuck finish, What a fucking finish. Also,
Stan Hansen not doing the job. He just comes in and starts kicking
the shit out of him again. Us Vicky Funk and her daughter is clapping
at ringside. Now they just have to watch Jesus Christ say it, boss,
you preach what a pot of that finish. But he's still he's larioting
young boys. Jesus fucking kill stan Hansen. Oh my god, working on
a hero status for this journey. I'll tell you look at him. Ho
shit. I think got like thirteen red shirts on this guy trying to get
him out of there. If ever, there was a night to deploy all
available resources to protect Terry Funk and from other things we've seen, this is
about record time for them to get stan Hansen out of the ring. I'm
not convinced that he ain't coming back. Terry Funk, no little him too.
But Stan Hanson listen to the people, his brother Dorry from the beginning,
of course, hovering over over Terry's what hey, Terry, what happened?
What's it hey, Terry? When does the match start? Exactly would
appear by body language that Terry Funk would like nothing more than to be able
to get to his feet and stand tall upon his retirement, But the fucking
dastardly acts of Stan Hansen just won't allow it. Slowly, Funk tries to
gather himself. Dori's a big help just standing there, Terry. I think
I have a little diarrhea? Can you help me with that? What a
finish? That was absurd? It was so great. Look at Terry agony
yep, fighting just to stand. Good luck ever getting this much of a
reaction out of just standing up. I mean also, like how you know
at this point, after winning, he doesn't have to do this right exactly,
he doesn't have to here here comes stand. I can see the one
standing. Yep, I know what's coming back. Yep, Harry comes.
Harry comes. Everyone's racing off camera, fucking sanans, and he's such a
loose can, fucking crazy man. There's like thirty guys holding him back and
he's swinging over their heads. He's a mile away from Terry Funk and he's
swinging like he's right in front of him. Oh we're screaming vengeance. Like
Terry Funk could very easily just have gotten up by now, and and but
he's still like selling everything like it's crazy. The giants, he sligh,
the the onslaughts. He survived. How could you not love the valiant Terry
Funk. Here Terry is now on his feet, but using the top rope
for support, hunched over his brother Dory's arm around his neck. More.
You can hear the young women channing. Terry Funk still having trouble standing upright,
selling that beating like you said, it's okay, you can do it
now, pal, all right, you can stop this whole these fucking shenanigans.
All right, let's get going. Let's get real here for a moment.
You can't send us one more running. And he's still out there.
He's a fucking look. Just threw a trophy in the ring. I think,
what a wild night. Oh now he's in the people. Look at
him, Look at the people from him, Look at he's Look at people.
They're horrified of this man. He's all the way up. Okay,
we're gonna get to the next clip ship. That was a bad time to
stop. That's so amazing. Oh we're bringing home now, baby, like
never before. It's the latched funk. Like another hour of fucking Stan Hansen
trying to get back in the ring. Stand just talk talk about things while
I get this ready? Will you know what to fucking say? I'm just
I'm just taking a back by by by Stan Hansen's completely uh unrelenting his social
behavior. Right, He's just gonna fucking always make it about him. But
if the time code tells me anything, we're really about to uh to reach
the mostgnant moments here. If Terry funks goodbye all right to the Japanese fans
finally, and for no other reason, then Hansen just decided to walk up
the bleachers. I get rid of the guy. I'm just taking it back
back in the ring, Terry waiting, waiting for the high sign that Stan
is done, running in blood, dried and caked on the wrist, tape
of Funk limping like crazy, selling the knee, all the media, look
at all the photographers ring side Wayne Newton. Ready listen, we lay out
now, Oh for Terry's goodbye speech. You have fine ju fad just bad
not verline whatever sion love more both money. Come Onney, my son,
you bore advice. Get up with me, my signing, my sign?
What this man sag Onna? I said to pick their send me hung on
that sign. You can't get a sign? You might's son? He said,
Hey, you're then he attack the people up to heck nderstand, what's
gonna. I'm not you don't have a tidy line mother, you you don't
have the gun loggy talk? Did he smote me my tips that sid?
Hey, I'm on a plan? Shi why cayn? But he con I
just get it up. He's gonna come my back. Cock's head, n
I gay? How you go? Oh? Comp to my neck? Oh?
So they don't mind bet off? What kind of time? The way?
About? What your mother? What did you know? Gets book?
Gimp? Other cheerleaders in tears, Boss Jesus and a legend departs for now
anyway, Yeah, we'll see you next time on the lapsed funk, you
know, good for nothing eggs sucking down. We did it our way because
we love it that way. We love it that way. And I have
this wonderful gut feeling and I've had it all my life when it's time to
go. I think it's now it's time to go.