Ep. 371: The Lapsed Funk, Dusty The Egg Sucking Dog

You know, good for nothing, eggs sucking dumb. 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. It's the
lapsed funk happy Holiday Solar System co chairs are back in the sleigh. You
could say, oh yes, I am ready to sligh with the lapsed funk.
Got I've got I've got a nice alpine forest candle going right now?
Do you actually? Absolutely? It's an exciting time around here, as you'll
begin to see in the feed the TLF Christmas n rapping specials starting to hit
fast and furious gift by gift this year, it's feeling festive, it's feeling
real, and it's feeling funk. Because that's what's under the missiletoe this holiday
season is it regards KLF. And we're turning the page away from you know,
his time in Japan, his time with the n WA Championship, to
individual feuds that in so many ways defind terry funk. And this is gonna
be something unlike we've done before. And it's going to be really fun.
We're gonna kick it off with well, the person that Terry Funk is making
reference to in the song we play at the top of every episode of The
Lapse, Funk, the egg sucking dog himself. They MalCon dream Dusty Rhodes.
Oh daddy, what do you What do you know about sucking eggs?
Uh? You know, not much. I'm not a big fan of sucking
eggs, but I understand it's a thing that some people do. They'll be
deviled by the time we're done with this. That's true. From Florida to
WTBS out of Atlanta, this feud, in so many ways brought forth all
the best qualities that Terry Funk brought to the wrestling business. And it also
helps illuminate how Dusty Rhodes became a national sensation off TBS. One of the
key feuds there not only on TBS but setting him up as he got his
sea legs under him as a you know, massive babyface in Florida Championship Wrestling
was the feud with Terry Funk through the mid to late seventies, and as
the eighties turn, it's onto TBS and these two do absolute battle and before
you know it, Dusty's in demand and all corners of the country Madison Square
Garden to name just one, where he of course went up to challenge Billy
Graham off of the stardom that he was able to obtain off TBS, feuding
with you know, Oly Anderson, many others, but Terry Funk definitely among
them, and we very much look forward to sampling some of those contributions from
the Funker that we would otherwise never really have an excuse to tackle. So
this is going to be something wow. And so before we get to business,
we do want to remind you that since the holidays are ringing in,
there really is no excuse in terms of finding a gift for the LAPS fan
in your life, or perhaps telling folks in your life who are looking for
a gift for you and know you listen to a very strange podcast about a
very strange business that the TLF has you covered this holiday season, not the
least of which boss is the Pro Wrestling te store for the LAPS fan.
Fuck Yeah, Absolutely Pro Wrestling Teas dot Com Slash the LAPS Fan get your
holiday schwag right there, from our movie themed LAPS fan t shirts to our
jolly old Saint Fritz. You find that shit there and you can tell people
exactly what you and we are all about to say nothing of going ahead and
buying the Sergeant Adam Funk shirt because you don't get fan damn straight. I
mean, listen, you want to warn people. Okay, yep, he's
coming for you. He will find you. And if you're so compelled,
why don't you stick your hand up the puppets ass and become a ventriloquist over
it. The Lapse Fan's cameo, you can give voice to the motley crew
of TLF characters. So so on Thanksgiving Day, I actually recorded the one
I talked about it last week. I think where the request was for Lapsed
Vince to tell to tell the guys that were going to that that that performed
on the Halloween Halloween Macy's Parade on on in nineteen ninety four, that they
had to do it as if they didn't know, basically telling them after Survivor
series that they couldn't go home, no, that they had to go to
New York and they had they had to go on the fucking float in the
parade. And I hope, I hope I did I did it well.
So from what I understand, that's from the homie Zach who's making that an
annual tradition asking lapstants to tell the wrestlers via camon to get on that fucking
float. Really, it was, it was, it was, it was
fun. I was you know, as I was getting ready to record it,
I was thinking of just some different ideas and stuff, and I was
like, oh, yeah, this is okay, Okay, I know I
know where to go with this. Such notions keepsakes can be yours over at
cameo dot com. Search us up under the wrestling category. The Lapsed Fan
able to deliver personalized messages to you and yours this season as well. And
again, if you're looking at the new year turning over and you're thinking of
whipping yourself into shape, as so many do, we can't encourage you any
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that's tight Nutrition dot Net with discount called lapsed this holiday season, whip
your shell, whip yourself into shape, and it's only going to be all
the more necessary, i'd imagine, boss for folks that checked out tlf's Instagram
over this Thanksgiving holiday and were treated to actual video of you preparing the sandwich.
Absolutely definitely. We talked about it in the Survivors Series live call,
but for folks that might not have been able to avail themselves take us through
it. I decided, you know, I just it was kind of a
last minute thing. I was like, you know, it could be kind
of fun to do, you know, kind of one of those And they
bug me so much when I see the people cooking, because usually first,
you know, because usually I get not surprisingly, I get you know,
on my on my feed videos about about guys cooking steak, you know,
and usually you I would say maybe seventy five percent of the videos that I
get that I have to do cooking steak are outside in a winter type of
you know, a snowy atmosphere, and they're cooking outside on an open flame.
Yeah, like Barren Corbyn. They've got black latex gloves on. So
it's so grotesque to me at times, and it's like how, like what
the fuck do you? Like, really like, what are you? What
are you doing? What are you proving? And so I said, you
know what I'm gonna I'm gonna kind of do that myself and and kind of
have fun with that and do a little video showing how I make the sandwich.
It's lovely to see and it's lovely to see sliced and issue forth.
And it was tasty. I take it, boss, I tell you.
It's all about the cranberry sauce. Yes, yes, it is. I
I I realized that. So as I took my first bite, I was
like, you know it it it's great and it's good. But I was
like, you know, it's a little too rich and a little too savor.
I was like, it needs a little more sweetness. And so I
just started, you know, dipping it in some cranberry sauce and it was
not better. Like it's a fun and uh like it's, uh, what
do you call it? What's that? What's that sandwich that's like extra the
French dip, not the French dip. It's I'm thinking of it's fucking christ
I don't know what you're talking about, the torta. No, it's it's
that. It's like it's like deep fried on French toast and ship. Oh
oh oh, people are screaming, right, oh my god, I can't
not Napoleon, Napoleon, and I know it's like it's it's it's it's part
of a movie, like it's the name of like a story as well.
I can't fucking think of it. It's the the the crystal crystal money,
Cristal money, crystal, Yes, the kind of money, Cristo, right,
money, Christian. You dip it in the you know, you dip
it into the raspberry jam whatever. So it's the same thing. The sandwich
gets dipped in cranberry. So we do hope our American listeners enjoyed Thanksgiving this
year, and holiday greetings and blessings to all across the TLF solar system.
We're deeply moved. I'll tell you you know, you know who's you know,
those are actually a big fan of dipping in the cranberry's conan I was,
I've been dipping it in all these crime berries. I'm not a single
one at Motos Locos. No no, So he's in Iran this this holiday
season, so we wish him the best, uh in those I ran away
from him too for that. And and yeah, we feel humbled by the
outpouring of holiday gifts shot at our po box with the Christmas special that come
in your way, and because we're attacking it gift by gift, pod by
pod this season, the window is still sort of open. We know there
are been some folks that didn't get it in under the wire so to speak
for our in person gathering, but as we're going to prove here, we're
more than happy to connect remotely as well and react to your gift appropriately in
that form. Also, so deep thanks Patreon dot com. Rocking and rolling
for the holiday season. Back and effect under the cinemat is knocking on that
door, Yes it is, Yes it is. We We've got one.
We've got one more movie, you know, before we get into the into
the holiday, the holiday spirit. And you know it already, so I
don't mind telling to everybody in in celebration of Terry Funk and the Lapsed Funk.
We're gonna go to the Roadhouse. I got one of the Funk's proudest
cinematic on screen achievements. Yes, indeed, and I think, uh,
you know, I'm gonna I'm I've never seen over the Top, but I
do believe he has more screen time in Roadhouse than he does over the Top.
Yeah, we were debating if there's going to be a UTC accompaniment to
Lapsed Funk. We've already done Paradise, Sally, We've already done it like
to Hurt Peece. Of course we've already we did be on the mat.
Which of the two should it be Over the Top or Roadhouse? Those are
the two sort of you know, it's made reference to when he turns on
Flare at Wrestle Worrety nine and starts that program that you know, you got
to get to the back of the line as a title contender because you've been
off in Hollywood, right, And this is really the era that Rick Flair
is making reference to when he said that in nineteen eighty nine, was was
the time period where Funk was really trying to make it in Hollywood in the
Midtal Ladies. Well, I mean, you know Roadhouse came out right around
that time. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the movie he was referring to.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure too. You know, it's actually good.
It's a fitting thing. Yeah, it came out in eighty nine, so
it's like, right, he'd probably just finished making it, which is wild
because you better believe a stop on this this line that we're on a Funk
feud by Funk feud is Rick Flair, sure, and and the series of
matches he had with him over his illustrious career, so that'll be a nice
accompaniment as well. So we landed on Roadhouse as being the Terry Funk film
that will get the cinemat treatment. We'll touch on over the top as well,
of course. Yeah, and there's also just mainly also a reason is
there's just non stop fighting, like to a just hilarious degree. I haven't
seen a movie, so I'm excited. Yeah, it's it's it's just it's
so goofy. But it sounds like Terry Funk the man for the job.
Then, absolutely, and so much more on that front to come as the
laps Funk unfolds here this holiday season. So patreon dot com not only rocking
and rolling for Under the cinemat Scary Movie three, just dropping as boss Man
was able to talk a scary movie in due to the truncated schedule that was
exciting, featuring, of course former WCW World Heavybay Champion David Arquette, but
also on Patreon the live call for the Survivor series and the return of Cmpunk
And this was a special one. It's wild. Just what the file is
happening. I mean, we're we're we're in it's it's it's uh, you
know, it's it's just bizarro world here, Okay, is what it is.
It's just it's it's off the fucking hook. The first thing he said
was something along the lines of he's gonna start so much shit. I think
of his face right now. Oh oh man, Hey that nice locker room
harmony you got there. Yeah, would be a shame if something happened to
it. Yeah, right, would be if somebody just started saying, you're
a fucking asshole. I'm I'm I really don't. It's it's so so the
Art of War Games continuing on Patreon as your Coach heare. I took on
the men and Women's War Games matchups this year at Survivor Series, so you
do want to head over there and check that out and some other goodies coming
your way over on Patreon this holiday season. So that addressed that out of
the way, Let's turn to the Eggsucking Dog, shall we. Let's all
right to hold about eggsucking dogs. Here to the amakn Dream, Dusty Rhodes,
and the phrase is always wrung in the minds of anybody who witnessed Terry
Funk cut promos on Dusty over the decades, but it was most recently sort
of tabled by one Cody Rhods, of course, son of the American Dream,
who was allowed to take a live mic on the first SmackDown after the
passing of Terry Funk as well as the passing of Bray Wyatt. Let's not
forget reason Funk kind of got short shrift was because he passed away the same
week as the entirely death of Bray Wyatt, so it was very difficult to
figure out where to place the emphasis in terms of tributes and outpouring. So
now that that's sort of settled down and we can focus on Funk, we
go back to what Cody had to say about one of his dad's greatest rivals
on that SmackDown. You know, I want to tell you about a time
eleven years old. I'm at the Denver Airport. I am traveling with my
father, and across the people mover, I hear a man yelling the most
peculiar insult. I hear a man calling my father an egg sucking dog.
I don't, Michael, can we say egg sucking dog on Fox? Brother?
They're not renewing you, brother, Yeah, and choice words for my
grandmother as well. And again I could not see the man yelling. So
I am assuming, at eleven years old, we're about to have some sort
of domestic incident. And then I see him. It was the proprietor of
the Double Cross Ranch. It was Terry Funk. It was Terry Funk,
and I can you imagine I mentioned his grandmother. What Funk said to Dusty's
mom to in the airport, She's no good. You're no good, Dusty.
Hey, Dusty, you're a your mom's a triumph. Hey, Dusty,
suck my deck, Dusty, this is Miami International Airport. Hey,
Dusty, did you know you're my son. I fucked your mama's right hard.
She's no good. You're no good, just like all knockkneed walking through
the airport in ninety four. He works, he works, He imagedially flips
the switch because it's Dusty has told us, and we're about to play it.
Worker worker, Terry is always working. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's
what we want, right, absolutely, so I don't want any fucking reality.
I want I want, I want workmanship. So let's hear it as
it occurred. This is a promo that Terry Funk cut on Dusty Roads on
Florida television in nineteen eighty, where he more than deploys the famous egg sucking
dog line Thirsty Road, you know you're good for nothing, egg sucking dog.
I'm sick and tired of having you claim to be a cowboy, you
with your putrid body, your verhicles, veins, trying to claim that you
are the greatest at a bull rope match. You don't even know what a
bull rope match is. You don't even know what a rodeo is. You're
a drug store cowboy, That's exactly what you are. And I wrote in
rodeo after rodeo after rodeo, and I intend on doing the same if I
ever get you in the ring in a bull rope match, I know what
I'm doing. And I'm gonna ride you around that ring and I'm gonna whip
on you, and i'm gonna spur on you, and I'm gonna whip and
I'm gonna spur and I'm going to ride, and I'm gonna put you up
with. Boy, I'm gonna put you up with That's what I'm gonna do
because rodeo in was when you put a man against an animal. And I
know you're a page. Yes, dislike your mama was a peg. Your
mother's a peg, and you should stay nestled in that soals belly instead of
ever coming into a ring and trying to compete with me. Now, a
bull rope match goes until there's a submission. Well, in a rodeo,
you don't even realize that you just gotta ride that bull eight seconds. Well,
I'm gonna ride you and ride you until you run out of gas and
you're gonna be s. S. Norton and you're gonna be sweating and you're
gonna be breathing oh so heavy because there must be a winner, and you
are going to admit, you're gonna admit that I'm the best. Wow thoughts,
there we go. I love it. That's great, that's fucking awesome.
He's an intense guy and thought he was. I really thought he was
gonna say he's a drug addicted fool when he said that, not drugstore cowboy.
Yeah, I know, yeah, that'd be much later. Well,
Terry Dusty, you're a you're uh, you're you're you're a you're a drug
infused bitch. That the only he's also infused with a he's also infused with
bacon grease. I mean he called he called Dusty's mom a pig right there,
right? A pig? Is that what he said? Yeah, a
pig, that's what he said. That's right. I don't know. I
didn't know if she was a police officer. What do you know, learn
different things, you know. All I'm saying is that's the promo that comes
up when you type Terry Funk Dusty Rhades eggsucking dog in the YouTube, and
it has him calling him his mom a pig, and then Cody acts like
I don't know that he heard it, and did he really hear it.
I don't know, Cody did he did he hear it in an airport?
Like, what's going on? Pal? What airport was this? Cody?
When would you have been traveling with your grandma? Exactly when we are you
alive? Did you? Did you say? Did you just hold on?
Did you say, brother? When were you alive? Because that hasn't that
hasn't been established to my satisfaction yet, Brother, I mean said that happened
in nineteen eighty right, that promo? Yeah right, he heard those same
words. Cody wasn't born in eighty five. Well, you know he watched
the promo on YouTube before he went to the ring on SmackDown. I see,
I see, I understand. So it was so we have to know,
of course that Terry Funk didn't just create the term egg sucking dog.
It's that fucking cast, it's that fucking lapsed funk. Oh my god.
Apparently this has been an insult that's been hurled around and you know, political
circles and any other forum in which people go joust for joust verbally. This
is an article from the Ottawa Citizen in Canada in two thousand and six.
Because apparently there were some there were some feuding going on between some prime ministers
and MPs in the Canadian Parliament in which one accused the other of being an
egg sucking dog, and this, of course led the Ottawa Citizen newspaper to
do some research into wherefore this curious phrase came from. And Boss, I
think it only appropriates me bark on the Terry funk Dusty Roads view to share
this article with people, anatomy of an insult the egg sucking dog, that's
written by Bruce Dietschman. Mister Deechman, thanks for your contribution to Bruce.
Indeed, when MVPMP Pat Martin, commenting on Liberal leadership hopeful Joe Volp's acceptance
of campaign funds from contributors as young as eleven, compared the Liberal Party to
quote egg sucking dogs, we can only hope that he wasn't using that expression
in its nineteen fifties slang incarnation meaning elderly homosuals. What that's what it meant
in the fifties In the nineteen fifties, elderly homosexuals calling Dusty Rhodes and elderly
and elderly homosexual they could yeah, more likely, mister Martin was referring to
the old American expression popularized in Fred Gibson's classic nineteen fifty six young adult novel
Old Yeller, indicating farm dogs that have become liabilities by rating the chicken coop.
Here's an excerpt quote a big yeller dog, Mama asked, looking sober
and worried. Yes'm the man said, then added with the grin and the
worst egg sucker and camp and camp robber you ever laid eyes on. The
phrase egg sucking dogs has a long, if not particularly proud history, including
in nineteen sixty eight, Johnny Cash released an album of songs he performed at
California's Folsom Prison. Included was Jack H. Clements Dirty old egg Sucking Dog,
which opens this way, Well, he's not very handsome to look at
all. He is shaggy and needs like a hog, and he's always killing
my chickens. A dirty egg sucking dog. Oh, that's got to be
where he got it from. Jack H. Clement, Dirty old egg sucking
Dog. Right wing American radio talk show host Ken Hamblin has been described as
quote the Black Avenger by himself, and the black and quote the Black Rush
Limbaugh by his critics. Among his detractors, presumably, are those he refers
to as egg sucking dog liberals from Annie roe Car's nineteen nineteen adventure novel Nan
Sherwood at Pine Camp quote, He's a miserable, fox faced scoundrel and I've
no more use for him than I have for an egg sucking dog. Definitely
sounds like a book that Terry Funk's mom would have read after reading. Oh,
absolutely, after watching whatever that TV show was that you got the name
Terry from? What was he remember? Oh? We had like the war,
the World War II plane over Japan. Well, or I'm Terrence.
I'm gonna read you on a novel, Nan, Sure, what a time
camp? This is your go to bed novel? Well, I sure do
appreciate the opportunity to listen to the story. Mama, He's a miserable fox
face scoundrel and I have no more use for him than I have for an
egg sucking dog. I'm gonna go ahead and listen. Oh, it's me
wonderful. I'm gonna go ahead. I'm gonna go ahead and use that one.
Mom, Can I use egg sucking dog? No, Terrence, You're
a piece of shit. Whoever caps the roads of raiding a chicken coop anyway,
a fried chicken coop I got, yeah, yeah, the fried chicken
coop off east and South and fucking Austin, Texas off like nineteen oh two
novel Glengarry School Days. That's it's coffeest for closers. He was gotta say,
is that the prequel to Glengarry glenmer Canadian author Ralph Connor aka Reverend Doctor
Charles William Gordon brother, that sounds what what do you mean? I mean,
it definitely does sound like a wrestler's name. Absolutely Introducing prefriend, Doctor
Charles William Gordon wrote quote, his chief business was the doing away with dogs
of ill repute in the country. Vicious dogs, sheep killing dogs, egg
sucking dogs were committed to Allan's dread custody, and often he would be seen
leading off his wretched victims to his den in the woods. Whence they never
returned. Well, I'm sure Terry Funk saw that as the future for his
arch nemesis, Dusty Roads wherever they battled, But he of course failed to
prevent Dusty from returning time and time again to cook and smoke with some elbows
and bionic punches and just you know, wild offense. These two totally epitomized
the Texas style of violence across the country. Wherever they fought, we're gonna
taste of not only how they did it in the ring, but how they
talked about it before and afterwards and made sure people came out to the Omni
or whatever the hell it was the fucking build one of several buildings in Tampa.
I'm not sure they fought much at Fort Hesterley, but Saint Petersburg and
all the rest of those towns where Dusty was so hot down there during the
seventies. One thing Terry does acknowledge looking back on it upon writing his memoirs,
Dusty Rhodes was always one of my favorite opponents, but I must admit
I have no concrete proof that he actually does suck eggs. Damn it,
Terry. That's why I bought this fucking book. I thought it long last,
you're going to produce that? And what what the pictures were that baby
doll slip Dusty on TBS? No such luck. He turned out to more
than just hardcore. Terry Funk's book, as he reflects on the first time
he became aware of one Virgil Runnels. Oh, Virgil Runnals was another West
Texas boy you know who became a big name in wrestling. His Dusty Rhodes.
I met Virgil playing football, and then I met Dusty Rhodes after that.
No, vir Virgil was a good linebacker about two hundred and twenty pounds
at that time. He could move too. That son of a bitch could
play ball. Truth is, he was a better baseball player than anything else.
But he was an all around great athlete. There was only one problem.
He couldn't talk a thwere You just couldn't understand a word he sed.
He writes that out so that fanatically it sounds like Dusty's tongue's actually pretty clever.
Wow, he writes thwere t h w e ar instead of swear.
He writes jeff j u t h t instead of just. He writes under
tanned of u n d e er wow th h t a n d And
he writes wood w u h d for word and fed tgd four said my
future father in law had a filling station in town. This is something that
really pisses Dusty off that he keeps. He always every interview I've seen pretty
much that he's asked about Dusty Roads in a shute kind of context, he
brings this up. Yep, my future father in law had a filling station
in town, and he had this idiot working for him, Virgil. He
was working at Terry, father in law's gas station. Oh my god.
One day Dusty was working there and I drove up in my nineteen sixty five
Galaxy, the first new card ever bought. I'd spent three dollars on it.
As he filled up the tank, Virgil said, Hey, try I
just dweam about a car like Fifth some day. If I could just get
a call like Fifth, it would be full for fine. As good an
athlete as he was, he couldn't get into wrestling here. We wouldn't train
him. We didn't have anything against him. It was just that guys would
get interested in the business because of how it was portrayed here in its popularity.
We had just started Bobby duncom Off when Dusty wanted in, and we
didn't want him to seem like it was that easy for guys just to come
in and start wrestling out of West Texas State. Remember, Dusty went to
West Texas State played football trand yep. But to Dusty's credit, he found
his own way into the business. Dusty went up to Pittsburgh, told the
promoter he had worked for the Funks in Amarilla. They were having some kind
of bullshit world title match in the promoter put Dusty in as the challenger,
even though Dusty had left his gear quote unquote, of course, the truth
was he had no gear. I did worth noting that Terry says in his
book it's Pittsburgh. In interviews he says it was Boston. It was almost
definitely Boston, because, as Dusty will talk about, he goes up to
Connecticut to play for RUM with the semi pro football team that was based on
out of I think Hartford at the time, and that's where he became a
lifelong Boston Celtics fan and Bruins fan as well. I believe, of course,
the truth was he had no gear. At the end of the night,
the promoter gave Dusty's ten dollars payoff, and Dusty wanted to know where
the rest of the money was. Since he'd been in a world title match
and all, it didn't matter to him that there were only one hundred and
fifty people there he's twisting the mind. God, I love it. Terry
will remind you that he was there before you were, right, of course,
he'll do it with a smile. He'll do it like in a gregarious
way. But he will always mention that he was there first. And Dusty,
is that of course because it was because he was Yeah, because that's
one thing you can certainly hang his cowboy hat on. Then Dusty turned that
into a chance to work in Detroit for promoter at Farhad, who also wrestled
as the Sheik. He came back down here and said, tay, I've
been looking for the Sheikh. Oh my god, He pointed to a bunch
of scars on his forehead. Well, I wasn't so sure he'd been wrestling
for the Sheik. He went into the dressing room, but nobody would talk
to him. I went in first and told the guys, Hey, we're
letting this guy into the dressing room, but we're not sure he's smart to
the business, so watch what you say around him. Dusty went in,
pulled up a chair and sat down, and no one said a word to
him. But when we got word from the Sheek that Dusty had wrestled for
him, it was like the arms opened up and he was welcomed into that
fraternity. He was a living testament to the will of guys who truly wanted
into the business. He made his own way and became a tremendous box office
attraction. Dusty turned that into a chance to work in Detroit. From butter
Red Farhat, he kind of jumps around a little bit in his book,
who also wrestled this to Sheik. He came back down here and said,
Tewey, I've been working for the Sheik. Okay, Twy, I'm repeating
myself. So basically the story is that, you know, growing up in
Austin and playing football at West Texas State, knowing Bobby Duncan really well did
Dusty, and of course the pipeline, the straight pipeline of pro wrestlers that
were coming out of that out of that university from you know, we've mentioned
them all, Tully Blanchard and Teddy Biassi and Tito Santana, not to mention
Dorry and Terry Funk Bruce of Brodie Stan Hansen. I mean, christ,
you know, it's like, where's my fucking ticket to the dance? You
know, I played too, I was a good player, Dusty kind of
took a more meandering path than Terry kind of indicates. Dusty has talked about
getting an athletic scholarship to play baseball at another college beside West Texas State,
getting in trouble, getting kicked out of the school, transferring here, transferring
there, ending up at West Texas State kind of incidentally, and then trying
to you know, having a proclivity for the business, already trying to find
his way in. Terry Funk kind of portrays Dusty's hanging around the arena and
trying to catch her break and trying to talk his way into getting trained.
And I'm sure there's some degree of truth to that. But it's interesting because,
you know, Funks is in his book they're already training Bobby Duncomb,
Whereas other times when he tells the story, he makes it seem like both
Bobby Duncomb and Dusty were just two guys on the outside looking to get in
that they wouldn't let in. So why he let Duncan in and not Dusty,
I've never heard him specify, or why the Funk family did. But
of course this was you know, at a time, and Amarella was one
of the top territories in the country. They had the japan influence, the
funks WA Worldavyweight champions in their respective times, right, So this was this
is a special time to grow up in that part of the country as it
regards being a wrestling fan, because it seemed like the biggest wrestlers in the
world were right there in your backyard. They weren't in New York, they
weren't in La They they weren't some some far flung city. They were right
there in Emerald of Texas. Not again, as we've talked about, not
the biggest metropolis in the great state of Texas, that's for sure. At
all. It's a very strange place to have so much outweighted influence. Of
course, per Dori Funk Senior in the NWA, in the wrestling business.
And so we're gonna hear Terry kind of tell the story that we just read
from his book and his own words. This is from the first RF video
shoot interview he did. And I would just like you to listen boss to
the passive aggressiveness in Terry's voice. Okay, yep, Like you know,
Dusty is keen to point out there's always working here. I don't think Terry
Funk is capable of answering a question about Dusty Rhodes without recalling many of the
old digs. We heard him going on Jerry Briscoe's nose, remember that last
time. Yes, yep, like no reason. They totally been called for.
But as soon as someone comes up, he starts going under the mode
of the hundreds and hundreds of promos that he's cut on the guy before,
and he's got to reiterate these things. But I just find it fascinating,
this kind of like balance he's striking between answering the question in a shoot way
and still making sure to twist the knife a little bit. One has to
wonder, you know, the agree to which he's he's really trying to fuck
with Dusty getting some of these answers. I've got a lot of memories of
Dusty. Yeah, Dusty played football with me too, see in West Texas
tite you know. Yeah, he was always uh, he was always uh
second team guard right behind me. See I was the first team. You
know. He couldn't stand that. Yeah, he was always very fat and
overbearing. Had even Dusty had a tremendous amount of turisma and funny story.
I'll tell you a story, and this is the true story. You can
ask Dusty about this. But I had started in nineteen sixty five, and
uh, I was wrestling and going to different times, you know, and
I finally saved up enough money to buy a new Galaxy Ford five hundred,
you know, which was the least model of the forge. But and it
was maroon, you know, it was maroon and black roough on it.
And Dusty Rhodes had a job this God's on the true Dusty Roades had a
job with my father in law's gas station, pumping gas. And I used
to drive through there going to Appling and those other places that I talked about,
and Dusty would go ahead, and he'd go ahead, and you have
to wash the windows, and he lost the windows, you know, and
he timed the gas. And I'll never forget one day that they did that
didn't do it the good that can call the dumb day that I loved to
have CODs in like, but he couldn't. He really couldn't talk then,
you know, because he really had that lit bit. But he used to
come to the matches every Thursday night, you know, and he watched the
matches. You know, and him Bobby Duncan wanted to come together, you
know, and they sit up and the Crows danced up there. You know.
We wouldn't let him in the dressing room or anything. Seriously died.
He didn't ring. We would never let him start, you know, he
he's too fat. He took off and he went up to uh play Continental
League football up here. And so he came to Boston and I think the
guy was God, what was the old promoter. It was Stepher's partner or
something like that that had Boston wrestling for years. Not sure, no,
no, wow, yeah, I'll think of it in a minute. But
this guy had the worst cards in the world and worst boys in the world.
And Dusty went up there one night because Continental League folded, you know,
and Dusty went into there and he said, went and said that.
But he went into the dressing room, you know, he told him,
you know, you know enough about wrestling. They say, Hey, I've
been reffing before, you know, wrestled bot before. What he wants to
do well that I've been rentling down there in Ambrella for him bumped. So
oh really his name is Frank So I think of a minute, somebody out
there in the woods. But anyhow, his Dusty went ahead and then convinced
him that he was a professional wrestler. So they put him in the ring
that night, you know, and he wrestled this one guy that was in
He wrestled for the world Championship the first night. It's like the winner is
supposed to get five hundred dollars or something like that, you know, or
he supposed to get paid five hundred dollars or whatever it was. But anyhow,
Dusty went out there and wrestled him by the match guy. The other
guy came back in his wrestroom said, are you sure that this guy has
wrestled before. I don't think he's ever wrestled before. I do like it,
you know. Dusty came back here and he said, well, that's
about my money. And then when they had they gave him like ten or
fifteen bucks, and he the well, Reugh money money money. But anyway,
he went from Marion, he went to Detroit, and he was up
in Detroit for about a year then, but he got to start that way.
That's where he got to start, from Boston, and then from Boston
he went to Detroit, and then from Detroit he came back down to Ambrilla
there. You know, him and Dick Murdoch were a big team down there.
There. You have it from the horse's mouth, boss. Love it
fucking love what's going on. He's operating on several levels there. What do
you want? I mean, I'm I'm I'm hearing. I mean, it's
it's hard, you know. He he transitions very well into you know,
being a pro wrestler, being a pro wrestler, into talking about pro wrestling
as a business, you know, like excuse me, like he he goes
from from from k fabing into into into real life. And it's very seamless
at times, seamlessly armless. You know, it's very it's it and in
that way, it's very like the you know, it's very convincing in a
way, you know, because because it's so seamless. I think one of
the best, as great of a worker as Terry was, he was best
at working sincerity. Yes, that's really a rarity in pro wrestling. You
know, everyone thinks everyone in wrestling is a manipulator. Some are great.
Mostly they're great, and aren't that great Terry, But a few can convince
you that now I'm actually dealing with you on a one to one level,
right, But what he's really doing is just like any other worker getting a
shit in, and he got a shit in on Dusty right there, And
I think, what kind of color is my understanding? It hits different,
so to speak. Knowing that this shoot interview came out first and then Dusties
came out second, it was a it was a hard battle to get Dusty,
I guess, I gather, I sense. I mean, I haven't
talked to anybody about it to do a shoot interview because he was, you
know, front office at WSW until it hit the skids and right had that
ECW run and there was that little period there where he was kind of in
between booking jobs and didn't really have a lot of income coming in. They've
talked about this in WWTV and playing up the Roman Cody storyline at Mania,
because of course Hayman, you know, being in ECW at the time and
booking Dusty to do some stuff and Cody framing that is you know, something
that was done really to help put food on the Rhodes family table at a
time when they were really struggling. So I feel like it had to get
to that perfect little air pocket there for Dusty to see that's worth his time
getting the pay day to do the shoot interview. But when he does,
you can tell he's got what we just played and what will continue to play
on his mind, and he fires back in a way that to me does
not feel like working. Yes, because one of the keys, Terry Funk
always talks about it, from calling Rick Flair a banana nos to calling Jerry
Lawler something we'll specify later. He's not satisfied until he is saying something that
really the guy on the other end of the promo would rather not have him
say publicly, even in a promo. He yes to go that far,
He needs to burrow that deep, and he needs to do it so much,
to the point that I'm actually convinced that Terry loves fucking with people.
Oh yeah, and even though he's got the fraternity and the camaraderie with these
guys on level with nobody else, at the end of the day, he
goes home and kind of snickers to himself about what a bunch of assholes all
these fucking guys are. I like to think of Terry Funk that way.
Yes, Yes, as a guy who's basically marionetting and having fun with these
people because he knows how to make them feel like he puts them in a
different category than the other wrestlers he makes fun of, and of course he
does not. So this is Terry and that sit down high Spots interview with
Harley Rays and Bill Apter that we acerpted last time on the lapsed Funk we're
talking about, of course his days is NWA champion with Harley there, that
made sense, But there's also just an aside where Dusty comes up and Terry,
who again is very clearly having bottles of beer throughout the course of this
session, of course, and gets increasingly more belligerents as the event goes on.
As soon as as soon as Dusty's name comes up, you can tell,
I think this is probably five six oh seven something in that ballpark,
the enmities, the distaste for Dusty is still there. And again you tell
me where work starts and shoot begins. As regards Terry Funk, who again
he's commenting to kind of like a closed room full of hardcore fans that would
buy a ticket like this to a Q and A. Apparently Dusty Rhodes was
supposed to be part of this sit down conversation as well, and no show.
They make several references to that. And this is around the time where
I presume Dusty was coming off the T and a booking job and started getting
set up with the Developmental Territory in NXT and started working for vinc again through
Triple H and stuff. So you tell me where work ends and shoot begins
here as the Funker addresses Dusty all those decades later after the clip we just
heard, well, Elton John it used to be pretty fair, but not
as fans Dusty. Why are you written on Dusty? He was? I
know Dusty Rhodes was supposed to be here this evening. I don't know why
he's not here, but because he's a fat, overbearing up, nonxious wind
breaking, a sucking dog. Anyway, what is this whole thing with you
and Dusty? First? Why isn't he here? He was supposed to be
here tonight. And I don't know why isn't Dusty Rhodes here. I'll tell
you why he isn't here, because Dusty Rhodes is up in New York with
his nose Vance McMahon's. But if he's again big hand for noses, up
punts here. Yeah, and uh Vance McMahon is up in New York with
his nose up dusties. But now that's a horrible thought. Yeah, too
much information. So you want to fisure that? Well, did you want
to ed any into that? Not to releases? Well, somebody bought me.
It's so fucking do it. You fucking be said, Shit, I
don't know exactly what year it is, but you know how I know it's
before two thousand and nine. How that's the year Terry Funk was inducted into
the w W Hall of Fame. And he never wants said that shit evinced
before that. But that's Terry, you know, like he he gets pissed
off when people just try to supplant and and prop up the giant while he's
on the you know, while he's trying to make independence matter and make independence
place like ACW where guys can actually come close to make a living right,
not to say the dusty o's, you know, the indie circuit that.
But you know, he didn't hesitate to go all in on him there,
and I think that's that that's revealing. Remember this is a small, closed
room and it's also you know, just a limited release DVD. I presume
it's pre YouTube, or at least pre everything that's ever existed on DVD being
available on YouTube in some way, shape or form. So he's probably making
these remarks without a whole hell of a lot of concern that is going to
echo all the way out to Dusty, just to entertain the fans in the
room. But well, yeah, that fascinating blend. And I think that's
why we're sitting here all these years later talking about Terry Funk's great feuds and
the promos that preceded and postseeded them is because he did cut deep. Yep.
Yeah, he did say things that when you hear them, even all
these years later, you can tell yourself, you know, that probably really
pissed that guy off. That probably really did get the blood flowing a little
harder in Dusty's veins and push him to swing a little bit harder when they're
in the ring. And god damn it, Terry Funk's happy is a pig
and shit when that happens, he loves that shit because nor right now he's
permissioned to swing back full throttle as well, which he loves nothing more than
to have his matches look real and full contact. We've learned that and we
will learn that has the laps funk on folds here. So I just thought
that that was really interesting to hear him Todd greed Dusty without really any prompting,
without Dusty standing in front of his face, without trying to build a
particular match. You know, it's you can't mistake that for trying to do
business, because he's acknowledging that Dusty, He's pretty much can't do business with
Dusty now because he's now aligned with WW again. So there's the flunker.
I don't know. Maybe the enmity between these two has something to do with
the fact that, unlike Dusty, Terry was actually in the movies. Boss.
You know that that could be. That could be a very good point.
Actually, I really don't doubt for a second that Dusty didn't get kind
of pissed off that Terry had a little movie career there, and Dusty always
saw himself as a John Wayne or a director. We talked about this at
nauseum over the years. I mean, that's a very good point. So
his big cinematic ideas come from, of course, the war games, sprouting
out from what was it called demolition Man. What was it called no Wargames
was from Mad Max DM Thunderdome. That's right, Thunderdome, thank you.
Yeah, yeah, there's some something that came from demolition Man. But it's
so u it's so interesting to think about because when these two really turned up
the heat in their feud in Florida in seventy six, seventy seven, seventy
eight, that's when Paradise Alley comes out. That's in Funk shooting the movie.
That's Funk sort of transitioning off dropping the n WA championship in seventy seven,
as we talked about last time, and you know, trying to make
a go, you know, to supplant the income that the world champion would
get by actually diversifying in a Hollywood and trying to get acting gigs and really,
as far as I could tell, trying to lean full throttle into that.
And I think Terry Funk would have gladly just acted and done nothing else.
If right, Yeah, I think you're right. Opportunity presented itself.
Of course, he met Stallone in seventy seven when he got word that Stallone
wanted to do a movie with a pro wrestling background called Paradise Alley of course
played Frankie the Thumper in that film, and of course that available under the
cinemat archives for you. We also posted it to the main feed when we
launched The Lapsed Funker a little bit before we launched The Lapsed Funk earlier this
year. Wonderful job by the boss breaking it all down. And you probably
have your notes right in front of your boss, but just your general sort
of recollections, what stands out to you as highlights is what you learned about
Terry Funk's transition into Hollywood. And you know, of all the wrestlers you've
studied that have made the acting transition, where does he stand? You know?
He I think he's kind of an underrated, an underrated a talent in
that regard. You know. I'm I remember you know well, especially you
know I when I did the little I did that thing, uh, I
think for it was for beyond the mat when I did that little video tribute
to to Funk, and I was amazed really at how much he really did.
And when you think about the time period and you think about the work
that people that that wrestlers did outside the ring, it's not it wasn't as
nearly as much as as they would do now, you know, like it
was a really impressive thing that he was that he was doing that. I
think, yeah, he actually you know, in Paradise Sally, he does
not come off as a pro wrestler trying to be an actor. No,
not at all. It's not like an Academy Award winning performance or anything.
But there are a lot of performances in like the Wrestler, including Dusty's scene,
where it's like, Okay, this is it's fun to watch, but
yeah, this guy clearly couldn't fit in as a character that would seem as
ly integrate into the narrative of the movie. He just has to be involved
in some over the top violent hype scene, you know, some crazy violent
fight scene. And listen, Funk's not the the the greatest actor in the
world, you know, he's not. You know, I certainly have seen
plenty of scenes where he looks like a fucking idiot. But at the same
time, you know, they are there's always I'll never I'll never forget this,
And I think I might have said this one time that before that that
there when it comes to being a movie star or being a film actor,
and a and A and a big name. It doesn't always mean that you're
a good actor, and it doesn't always mean that you're necessarily a top draw.
What it means too, why you keep getting work could also mean there's
something you do that's unique that no one else does, right, you know,
And it could be something that we just do not know, Like I
for example, one of the things that I've heard about about Tom Cruise,
at least back in the day. I don't know if if if it's so
much now, but back in the day he was known as somebody who was
reliable to do the same hit his marks every fucking time, and do everything
the same way in terms of movement, maybe give a different performance and stuff
like that, but in terms of physicality he hit every single mark precisely the
same way. And that makes you know, an editor's job or and also
a you know, a continuity person's job much easier, you know, And
that was a thing that made him stand out, Yes, besides fact that
he's fucking Tom Cruise, you know, like those like it's things like that,
that right word might travel that on the set he was especially especially good
and not just what was you know, filmed, but right setting a scene
up things that might be invisible to get exactly like that impressed Stallone. You
know, if you're right exactly there could be something else that that. You
know, and Stallone, you know, being a being, being a bodybuilder
himself. You know, I'm sure he liked the giant physique and stuff,
and you know, and that and that Funk is a charming individual, like
all sorts of things could have happened, and you know it's true, and
and stallone gave him a lot of work, you know, over the years,
he gave him a lot of work, not not just on you know,
in front of the camera too, but behind the scenes. You know,
he did a lot of stunt work for first Stallone stuff. So it's
and paved the way for Hulkan Rocky three. Indeed he did, you know,
indeed he did. And it's it's very much like how funks kind of
mainstream appeal in Japan Mirrord that of Hulk Hogan with the record and everything like
that and sort of like being a pop culture sensation. Yep, there's a
lot of I think there's a lot of Pat Terry Funk flit that Hulkgan walked,
but two terries. Yeah, two terries, that's right, two terries
in a pod. So I'm going to do something. I'm gonna resurrect something
that you actually played and I heard for the first time on the Paradise Ally
Under of the Cinemat episode. This is from the Mike Douglas Show. Oh
yeah, yep. Now that we're talking about Dusty Roads, we're talking about
the promos. Keep in mind too, don't don't forget. This is also
the segment. This is the segment he met the director of Beyond the Mat.
Oh yeah, we talked about that Beyond the Mat too. Barry Last
Team's there, Yep, he's there. They do they do a skit that
is on this thing, but that just doesn't It didn't survive or at least
no one's put it on YouTube yet. That is to say, the skit
plays elsewhere on this episode of the talk show. Yeah, yeah, So
this is the Mike Douglas Show. It was like a primetime or like a
late night talk show at the time. Yeah. And they have Terry Funk
on because he's going to be in this movie Paradise Alley, and he's brought
along with him his audition tape where he shows the country what it was that
he submitted to stallone to get cast as Frankie the Thumber and what it is
he said. And while we're talking about this in the context of Dusty and
the Dusty feud and the Promosy cut on Dusty, you have to say that
the line he came up with eggsuck and dog to nail Dusty roads with also
perhaps got him the job on Paradise Alley. Yeah, his breakthrough rolling Hollywood
listening. This is again from the Mike Douglas Show, Lee Canalito, nineteen
seventy nine. By the way, Slide didn't want to tell the audience and
our viewers in this studio audience and they're getting hostile who won the arm wrestling
mess? But if you guys want to tell it, okay with me?
Isn't it's lie with you? Absolutely, I'm the wrestlers in the United States.
Well, I hope, but uh, I'm glad that you think so.
Well, even if I didn't think so, I'd say it. Yes,
Yes, I saw the movie and terror. I saw the movie and
you were more than convincing. Thank you. I haven't feeling your He's tough,
don't you think tough, uh universal city. And I thought, well,
by golly, I'll just answer that I'd like to be in the dog.
I'm telling you. I sent back my picture and everything else, and
UH got ahold of Arthur Chamanion, who is associate producer on this. And
Arthur got the thing and he said, showed. I guess he showed the
pictures of Sly. I don't know, but he called me back, said,
Terry, so those look pretty good there. He says, uh,
why don't you send us some kind of videotape? You know? He said,
we want a goop and a nut and Sly hype cast. And so
I guess that's what he wanted, was a goop and a nut. So
I went ahead and just kind of made this promo, you know. And
I hadn't talked that ahead. And I said, Sly, over bearing,
obnoxious, egg sucking dog, I'm gonna go ahead and hit you over with
a head with a lem brick until your eyeballs turn. I think you're being
a little too passive right now. It was more like this, We got
the tape, baby, look at it. Yes, why you over burying,
ub notchious, perverted egg sucking dog. I perverted is the worst.
He sucked that one in there, perverted egg sucking dog, Like, wait
a minute, perverted. Yes, that's never been a part of your arsenal.
But I guess he decided to pull that in for stallone because you probably
heard something. Oh my god, that's spectacular. Again, this is him
just using the dusty promo to get booked on Hollywood in Hollywood and to get
over on this talk show. Yeah, yeah, I always love watching the
wrestler do his stick in front of a crowd that's not accustomed to it.
Oh yeah, Like you heard the shoot interview. Everyone's popping because they recognize
the lineg sucking dog and that they want to hear it. It's him playing
the hits. This is an audience it's never heard such a phrase in their
life, let alone being it being uttered by someone who's so masterfully playing the
aw shucks, dumb cowboy. Hear how he played He leaned into that there,
he totally. I mean, god, he's he's sitting there. Holy
know, I just that gumm it, you know, a dog on on
it on? I want ahead and and uh you know, I said,
hey, you know, I might want to try doing the movies and uh
and then I want ahead, an auditioned, and I want ahead and went
ahead, went ahead, ahead and went ahead. When is this Billy Vanilly?
Oh my god, it's so funny the way he fucking does that.
So I don't know, I just thought it was so good to hear him
kind of a because he could tell he's reading the room and he knows.
Like the most over version of this story is, I'm just a simple cowboy,
you know who who somehow by ad got got word that I could be
in the big pictures. And uh, you know, I stumbled and fumbled
and bumbled my way through getting my auditioning materials to to Sly and here I
am all shucks. But he's so much more cerebral than that. Nobody survives
as long as the pro wrestling business at the level he's, Oh no way,
guy's a cunning son of a bitch. And I think that's a great
early I think he played that whole thing. He you know, I come
on, first of all, you know damn well that they that he knew
that obviously they had the tape there. Oh of course, he was no
fucking surprise, and so he's just you know, he's just fucking manipulating the
whole ship out of that. I mean that those people the way they like
have a guttural reaction to him saying egg sucking done. I just like milk
and cows. And you know, uh, I went ahead and and uh
I ate, I ate some biscuits before I came on the show, and
and said, you know, I'm just going to take a nap, and
it looks pretty good, and terry and then you know, I said,
the tape looks pretty good, and I said, well, I might as
well go ahead and do an audition video, and uh so I got a
camera and I started talking, and I decided to go for it. He
went for it. Nothing big, nothing, nothing, nothing over the top.
No, that would be way later. So let's turn the dusty side
of the coin. Okay, let's hear how does he tell this story of
coming of age in the wrestling business and uh how he interacted with the Funks
in the early days. This from his book. If you could get that
list here were on daddy as I was kicking around with with Texas College in
Kenyon, Texas, nineteen thix six sixty seven. The school's favorite sons were
Terra Funk and Dorifunk junr Thunder, the very famous dorith Funk. They had
the Emerald Territory, Emerald Lebock el Patha or Deafa, New Mexico. You
get the picture. I get, Yes, have a third than an Amarilla
ran at the fair ground and Frank Goodish who later became Brewther, Brody,
Bobby Duncombe and others would go with miss. He said he went with Brody
to the matches too, bounce with me at the bat cave not club,
so we would have a little money. He bounced for Bruiser Brody yep,
cuff about a dollar fifty to get in. Bobby would bail Hey with me
for some of the ranchers in the area to get on money to go Okay,
so Dusty says he and Bobby Duncan would bail Hey to get money to
go to the auditorium on Thursday nights to watch pretend fights. I thought he
would just bail right things and just yeah, he thought. He used to
bounce with Frank Goodish. Wait did they both get in the ring together taking
a bump instead? So that's his story of you know, kind of hanging
out of the matches as a you know post West Texas State football player looking
for his way in the world, and this year from his r video shoot
interview, and Funk comes up as he's talking about these days, these precocious
early days for the American dream before he was anything in the wrestling business,
and I just invite you to just listen and just enjoy and soak in him
thinking Terry is a bitch and barely being able to contain it, having heard
the version where he looks like a total income poop that we just heard Terry
Funk spin and his shoot interview. Listen in then I'd had a scholarship to
go to West Texas State, Bobby Dunclan and all them kids went there,
and so I actually ended up going there, you know, and playing football,
and that's where I met the Funks. And Thursday night was at the
fairgrounds was the uh. I will talk more about Funk because I'm talking about
him now a little more somber than I usually would because of his affiliation with
me and his refusal to recognize that the only reason that he even have his
ranch or his home, or it's wife or anything, it's because I made
him what he is. Wow, And the excuses to even on your interview
that you did with him to give me any credit, except he's used in
the phrase from the sixties. I believe it still is the internet even us
it now? Is it a fat egg sucking dog? I think his his
freight for me. So they all got off on him a little bit.
But anyway, they were there and we would go to the matches. And
as a kid growing up about I remember seven or eight years old, I
produced matches in the backyard like we see now where you've seen the thing on
Cactus Jack where he was jumping off the barn and stuff. But we would
build a ring and I would be like the promoter even back then, and
I would book the matches at eight, nine, ten years old, with
me always winning. And it was always I was against you know, Luthas
or whoever it was, you know at the time, and the industry was
so intriguing to me that I wanted to do it. Dust on you,
what about this backyard federation? Do it? Did you say? Never never
lost back there? What was that about? I wonder just what you're what's
to your mind? But what what? What? What? What? What?
What? What? Exactly? So do you hear that there Terry Funk
wouldn't have a ranch, he wouldn't have a wife, he wouldn't have anything
that is a ball. I mean, come on, I'm dust like,
there's no like he was a big star before even fucking wrestled. I mean,
look at Japan alone. I'm out playing the guy for having no idea
what Terry Funk was doing in Japan in the seventies. It was basically impossible
to access videotape or information about that back then. But what the fuck?
Man? That's like? Man, that's that to me tells me that it's
very personal with Dusty because like he starts, he starts starting with no basis,
you know. Oh yeah, absolutely, Dusty is pretty sure if you
if you're a success in this business, Dusty's pretty sure. He's pretty much
the reason that's the case. Yeah, if you go back, if you
if you peel the onion back far enough to this day, he still he
feels that way. I mean, that's just so delusional and hilarious, you
know, I mean it is in a lot of ways Terry made Dusty in
terms of I was gonna say like that. To me, it feels that
the way around very much. So like if you if you talk about the
history, I mean, Jesus, like, you can't deny the fact that
that that that that Terry Funk was a big star before, way before Dusty.
I'm so grateful for the shoot interview era because it allows us to document
like the level of bullshit in how convenient friendships work in wrestling, and how
you know when it's time for the banquet and it's time for everyone to put
a bow tie on everyone's the best friends. But it doesn't take much to
go back and hear them when the chips were down and WCW's out of business
and they're not quite sure where their next paycheck is coming from, and they
start really auditioning because now they don't feel like they have a friend in the
world, you know what I mean, Because if they had friends, they
wouldn't be in this position having to do this fucking interview. Okay. So
it's it's just wonderful to be able to get that window into that time period
where guys, we're a little scared and a little honest about the fact that
you know, under the surface all this fake camaraderie, just under the surface
is a certain feeling that you wouldn't be shit if it wasn't for me,
And it's all basically my not all, but it's it's to a very large
degree my you know, I don't know my ability to be nice to you
and giving to you my personality, my my sense, my business sense that
you are who you are. Dusty famously really got over in Florida when he
was wrestling Jack Briscoe as a heel. Dusty was a heel in the beginning
of court as he was in the beginning of his career, and he covered
Briscoe. He had him on the ropes in a world title match and he
got the two and Briscoe was forced to put his foot on the ropes to
break the cover. Oh my god, that was a big deal for a
right that pristine grappler like Jack Briscoe was. He should be kicking out of
everybody's pin attempts. Nobody should even come close. And when Briscoe had to
resort to that, it was that subtle NWA heels seventies tactic that then made
people realize that, holy shit, like this guy, Dusty, he's our
asshole. You know, same thing mgf's doing, same thing, stone cold
did he You know he may be, you know, a total badass,
renegade, dickhead, scumback, son of a bitch, but he actually could
lead us to glory. He actually could represent us all the way to the
top. And we kind of love him for being as obnoxious and flamboyant and
all the qualities we first hated him for were starting to love him for because
he's just so good at it consistently and just you know, gives us a
sense we get our money's worth every time we come to see him. And
so when he came that close to become a NWA World heavyweight Champion, that
was the signal. Remember Eddy Graham tremendous way in the NWA, He had
a big, big voice, and who got positioned just like he did to
Jack Brisco to even be considered a candidate for the NBA championship. And the
fans, I think down there picked up on that, especially the hardest core
fans that will probably make the most noise and come to the arena most regularly.
They're there thinking, holy shitly Dusty came close enough. They want us
to start kind of believing in him as a future world heavyweight champion. We
can put this guy across the finish line if we finally and this is before
he did a formal face turn that was an angle with pack Song and Gary
Hart that you can find on YouTube. It was a massive moment where suddenly,
you know, instead of you know, he came to the ring and
you thought he was just gonna help pile onto the baby faces as a dastardly
heel. And they repeated this with the flare turn to start the horsemen and
all that, and he said, he turns around and starts wheeling on the
heels for the first time and makes a stand. You know, we realize
there is there's a moral code here to this bad guy that the others don't
have, and we love him for that. And ever since then it was
off to the races. I think that was seventy four, I think it
was. And then Funk comes through around seventy six to Florida to work with
the Dusty who had been set up, but to suggest that Dusty made Terry
like Dusty had just been made himself. I mean, Funk was the great
first opponent for him. No, and the problems, the problems we were
about to sink our teeth into. We'll tell you all you need to know
about how how Terry queed him up beautifully to succeed. Just a bizarre statement
that was Dusty Man. You know all id a like who's who's working who
dust Yeah, Dusty worked himself into a tizzy, that's for sure. He
definitely did. And I think, uh, he probably probably has a distaste
for Terry Funk because Funk was in a position to kind of big brother him
about that, you know, like, you're not gonna You're not gonna jive
talk me into a corner and and and just spin a big yarn about how
you know you're my dad and I'm your son. Basically, no, I'm
I remember who you were when I was getting paid to be a wrestler,
had this big fancy card and you were pumping gas and you can't deny that,
so shut the fuck up. It's great stuff. It's a great It
has all the great raw material for a great pro wrestling feud, because there's
enough reality there that at any given time, one or the other can push
a real button to take it to a higher level of intensity. And the
fans back then couldn't tell the difference between something they manufactured whole cloth and something
that actually happened that they're leveraging in their promos. So it was all fair
game, and it was all on an even keel, and it was all
about what what can I say that's gonna get the other guy really to come
back at me hard and sell some fucking tickets. It's that simple, right
right. So a bit more extrapolation here from Dusty Rhodes's book which he wrote
with Howard Brody called Dusty Reflections of Wrestling's American Dream Boss. If you could
give us this passage, this will take us through a lot of the meat
of the story between Dusty and Terry. During that time, I had a
chance to thief them with great refer and young Terry with the Nick Barkley a
pro reffling and Nick Barkley with a with a character on the TV show The
Big Valet, which was popular at the time. Tarry would tell me would
later become my rival and model eminemy in the pro refferen ring for more than
thirty years. But we would wait to see who is coming in the next
week. You know. One time there was a thign hanging from the raft
the with the date on it saying come in the Sheikh Man with promotion.
If you read the reflin magazines, you knew that the Sheikh was the battle
motherfucker, the fight of Thary Arabia, much less tofa truly detective. You
although knew that he would kick the shit out of Terry and the old Man
would meet him in the following week. Man, I couldn't wait. However,
it would be another year or so before a cross path with the Funks.
Meanwhile, it was now nineteen fifty seven, and being fresh out of
West Texas State University, I went to play football for the Hartford, Connecticut
Shotter Oak of the now defunct Continental Football League to twelve games into the Thief
and however, with a record of five to seven, the TI team folded
and there I was stuck in the fucking Northeast with a mufftang that had no
heat or air conditioning and only thirty five dollars in my pocket. You know
what if we took that and electrified it a little bit and made it seven
bucks, I was gonna say, like, you know, you think about
it. You know, thirty five dollars in nineteen sixty seven is you know,
if you include inflation, it's way more than seven dollars in nineteen nineteen
ninety five or six or whatever the fuck. So you know, and this
is incredibly similar, and that Rock was coming off a failed career in a
secondary pro football league. Yeah, yep, yep, yep. Getting back
to Terry, I always looked up to him because he played football take the
state, and so did I. That's all I gotta say about him at
the end. Right, So I hope you enjoyed that passage, and I
hope you enjoyed this installment of the lapsed funk. He had family ran the
refer in town that I would go watch, kind of like how yellow finger
looked up to what yellow fingers? Yeers, that's right, that a yellow
finger. It's funny. You'd think he'd capitalized yellow finger because it's not.
But anyway, Yeah, they kind of a yellow finger look up to me,
although he may not admit it. When he would go to the Tampa
Armory to fee and learn from me before he got into the business. Later
on, when I was established at the American Dream, Terry would come to
Florida and talk some shit about me quitting the team because that'd because I was
behind him. But that was just part of the funds. He definitely he
wants to correct the record on the idea that he played second string to Terry
Funk in West Texas. And again this is a mark against Terry. I
actually believe Dusty here. Terry's all right, totally fabricating this idea that Dusty
was second fiddle to him in football. I always claim Dusty quit the football
team because he was behind me. That's a second string guard. That wasn't
true. He was a hell of a ball player, a hell of an
athlete, a good linebacker. People don't know it, but he was rough.
Hard knows. He was a tough, hard nose, damned good athlete.
Right there in a quote that Dusty is keen to including his own book
from Terry Funk. Terry Funk's ture to admit that it wasn't true that Dusty
quit the football team because he was behind him as a second string guard.
But did that stop Terry from repeating that exact line and that clip we played
from the RF video shoot interview, that exact line repeated in exactly the same
tone of voice as everything else he said that was supposedly shooting on Dusty.
Listen, listen if he if he can get under someone else's skin. He's
gonna do it, thank you, right, there's no it's it's not it's
it's not a a like a you know, maybe maybe I shouldn't do that.
It's you know what, if I can, I'm going to do it.
I don't care if it's business or not exactly. I can use that
as an excuse if you ever call me on it, if you confront me
in person. Never I can just say, oh, you know, I
was just working an angle verge. Well you never know when we're gonna get
another phone call. That's right, you never know. And let me tell
you we never got another phone call. I still would have said it if
you were dead in the ground open I tell you if I if I don't
ever get a phone call ever again from anybody, I'm still glad I said
it, and I'd say it again. Where so go suck on that your
dumb bit right, fuck it? Fuck fuck fuck it. Fuck that always
says it. I always went there. Fuck so it sounds like this,
fuck fuck fuck it. Fuck ah, I want to hear I went ahead
and I had, and I had, and I had and I had,
and then I went behind what who? Why? And Where where the fuck
did I go? I disappeared and nobody knows. I went ahead and disappeared,
vanished in thin air. That disappeared, and nobody knows. I want
ahead and disappeared. I went ahead and disintegrated like you do. I dissolved
like sugar and water. Fuck. See you know what I did? I
want to happen. I shot myself in the head, so I said,
fuck it, might as well shoot myself, can get away. I'm gonna
go ahead and shoot myself and get away with it. Yeah, pretty safe,
bet Terry, Like Terry staring straight ahead and going I'm gonna get away
with it. As Dory drives right off the creek into the fucking ditch in
the trailer at the tractor, looking as coma toast, looking as down syndrome
as ever, Dory funk right off the edge. Oh that the fucking thing.
The John Deeer bursts into phones, and Terry's standing up at the top
of the tree like, I'm like, ahead, might as well jump myself
ship all right, don't come coming, don't don't go without me. You
know, it's the biggest irony of the Funk family. What Dory preferred Starbucks
that was the biggest disagreement between the two of them. Terry Terry wanted Dunk
wanted Dunks, and Dunk wanted Starbucks. And now you know what's extra weird
is you know Dori Funk Junior. His nickname, of course was Dunk.
Terry Funk's nickname is a little kid Starbucks actually heard they called him Tim Horton.
Is that one of the guys he defended against in British Columbia. I
wonder I want to have and became Tim Horton. I want to head and
order to nice cap boy, you cappen, clinking boy, you capen.
I want to head and order to large regular. You know, say what
you will about my record in Japan and we hate school. But at the
end of the day, the record is a critique of capitalism. You know,
everybody cappen that's hollered to cap capitalism. That's Timothy shallow Man SNL.
Very funny. A couple of weeks ago, a Terry unopha docs. He
was one of those workers who really thought he with a hooker and a shooter,
like yellow Finger, like Hogan brother, What who you thought I was
a shooting? Who told you what was a shooter. Dude, who are
you shooting on when you say when you say, what do you mean by
why I thought I could shoot? Like? Why would you even wonder if
I could shoot? Why would you want? Brother? Why are you tracking
me into this too? This runk? I thought other Terry brother, one
Terry at a time. Dude. By the way, if you're keeping track,
Yes, Dusty also takes credit for Cogan. Of course, anything him.
They think they're hookers and shooters, but they have a great wall of
imagination. They just have this Dick Muduck or the McDaniel. They just had
that Dick Muddock or Wahoo McDaniel mentality, except Wahoo could be mean. The
wrestlers should be respected, whether they deserve it or not. Great point,
Tara had the respect for the business like nobody I have ever met outside myself
and a few others like Dick or Wahoo. To the day, at sixty
three years old or however old, he really is Terry. It's real m
walking out though through the curtain when his name is called is believable at that
point because he does things for his love of the bisness that people who are
younger than him shouldn't even be doing. But that's what he knows. That's
how he We took care of the business, or we would feud to the
point of real stitches twelve or fourteen stitches and ribs really being broken. When
he would hit you with a chair, it was wasn't on the flat sigh.
The son of a bitch would either throw it at you, I hit
you with the jagged part of it. Are you so throwing a chair across
the ring? That's Terry funk. Is there a jagged part of a chair?
Apparently there is jagged little pill the north. It didn't make a fuck
of a difference to him, because in the ring he always within a barroom
fight. Hold on the state thinking at the Imperial Lounge in Tampa one night
when my good with my good friend Captain Lewis, and he crawled through the
club on his hillnds and kneave going between people's legs from the back door to
the stage to come after me. You imagine Dusty's on a nightclub stage performing
and Terry is crawling on his hands and knees through the venue to get to
the stage to work an angle. I'm sure to even tell her he's gonna
do it. He's there. You know, hey, I heard Dusty's there
and they's singing. He's singing show tunes. I'm gonna go in there and
I'm gonna fuck with him. He's not gonna sing show tunes much longer.
I'm gonna go in there and fucking kill him. I'm gonna, you know
what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna take a knife to his back and then
I'm gonna slit his belly from side to side and see if he makes it
out alive. I'm gonna go ahead and fully him. All of a sudden,
the chair is flying from thirty feet across the room. Earlier that night
we had a brutal, brutal match. Once he made it to the stage,
he threw a drink in my face. I didn't see it coming.
I leaped up and have fought all the way towing out the back door.
He just thought that was the greatest thing in the world, daddy, and
it was funnier than shit because he believed that, And so that believability carried
to the people, and the believability to this day is not carried long about
anybody besides me, the Devil, Kevin Sullivan and probably terrible because he's been
in his entire life. As far as he and I are concerned, I
believe it's still a feud that people will pay to see these two old gunfighters
going at it. Some of the Texas deathmatches we had have still talked about
historic if you will, so you know the feud with him is still going
on. The hatred between us is still strong. We're not shooters, we're
not hookers, which is two sons of bitches who want to kick each other.
There every time I see each other, two old warriors beating the fuck
out of each other. A time added somebody than your pen and show in
front a hundred the people going crazy. It doesn't get any better than that,
buddy, There's no gray area here that said. This is fucking me
and him kicking each other there in for a hundred the people and getting the
crowd into it. That's a great match. Longevity terry thing. I don't
know any better way of explaining it. From the time he picked up a
roll of bobed wire and threw it at me, son of a bitch,
and he threw barbed wire at him, You're a fucking follows, you fat
pig, he throws it. Hey, hey, Dosty, you're a fat
fucking lord bitch and you're gonna eat and you're gonna eat barbed wire for breakfast,
you fuck head. Heat suck brick kid, Hey, dust suck barbed
wire, bitch? Yes, so what it's the lapsed funk. People know
those big rolls weigh about fifty to twenty pounds and the big roles that I
eat for breakfast. To wear that much and just throw it at me and
hit me in the arm with it, and just throw it at me.
I was looking the other way and turned around, and I was thinking,
this stupid motherfucker. Well, when let that happens, you get so mad,
you start hitting him fucking hard with whatever you can, grab bingo,
bingo. Your eyeither shut as you're hitting him, and the brutality about it.
Throw it hotter together with great with respect for each other. We have
a tremendous amount of respect for each other. Because we steal and I won't
even say the word. We still believe it's real while others don't. That's
what makes it great. Well, you would call an angle or a great
feud or whatever, but we can't talk about our ending because it's still going
on. But let me tell you how crazy the terry funk really is.
He would go down in the airport while I would be there, and he
would walk behind me without knowing it, without me knowing it, and he
was followed me. He was creamed fifth. Oh, they didn't hide behind
everybody or in the corner, so when I would come around, I didn't
fee anybody. Hey hap so? And then he'd hide in the in the
duty free show, Dory Dory, hide me, Dorry, donk, donk,
you gotta hide me. It's Dusty. I'm gonna call him a bitch.
Hey, bitchy, Hey, Hey, don't wait, I'm gonna do
this. Hey, hey, Dusty, you fat cut? Dusty turns around
with his Louis Vuitton. Carry on the fucking going on? Who called me
a cut? Who the hell? And the sad damn airport called the man
had dreamed up? They brother cut, Cody, block your ears, Cody,
you fucking put those goddamn mother fucking headphones on your head? Who called
me a fucking cut? Who dare call me a mack? And dreamed up?
They brother fucking cut? You are fucking gunk. I ain't no gun,
I think I got him, Dunk. It's like, well, I
think you did. Man, he's still standing in the middle of the I'm
just rat. Oh, that's did you, Terry? Did you want me
to hide you? Terry? Terry's right, he's twenty feet away. Terry
Dunk takes a left and walks into the woman's room. Well, I do
have to irrinate. Excuse me, it's not there. He's not something.
Excuse me to anyone, pooper. Doooo. Do do you think that's our
plane? I think so? Yeah, let me see the minute. Look
down on the runway. Is that is that Dory standing on the runway?
Is he waving to a part? I think I think that. I think
in my plane. Hey, Dori, you don't hail a plane like a
fucking cab. Hey, hey, can you stop? I want to get
on. Oh I got a ticket to some I got a ticket to somewhere.
Where is this? Fuckings the little girl in Frosty getting on the train.
But I roll up, Bori, Alice? Can I jump on?
Please? Got it? Dorrance, I'm coming plane, I'm coming. As
he was following me, he would scream fatso. Then he'd hide behind somebody
or in a corner. So when I would turn around, I didn't see
anybody. I'll walk about five more feet and yell a lot of the good
foot, turn around again and look back, and I still couldn't feel him.
But then I would hear him, so I would ask him, here,
what are were you doing on the fucking apple? Call me feto kid?
They no, I was. I was saying this. Somebody walking with
me? Is that? So? What do you mean is that? So
he look right at me and say, you just took it wrong. That's
why we didn't see like each other. You just took it wrong. That's
why we don't. That's why we don't like each other. And then you
walk away. That was his mentality. We had a lot of good fun
to get that buddy right. So Dusty confronts him for real, and Terry's
just like, No, I didn't misunderstood. I was talking to somebody else.
He's talking constantly. I love it. And this is what it boils
down to. This is the thing you have to keep in mind both when
you're thinking about Terry Funk feuding with Dusty Rhoades and you're thinking about Terry Funk
ritt large. Here's Dusty Dorry. Classic wrestler, okay, not to do.
Not a great interviewer, not chrismatic, but he was a funk and
great on the mat. Hook her a little bit, you know, respecting,
don't get your ass kicked in there, but slow, slow, n
So he had his He tried his hand booking a couple of times, you
know, and everywhere he booked, every place that he booked was on the
down side. So I can't say whether he was going to be a great
booker or he was good, or but he had he had ninety minute Broadways
in his head when me and Terry Falk had ten minutes, blood guns,
chained chairs out the back, you know, things in our head. So
it became like a contest between us, and I always, for some reason,
went in I would get the job after he left, you know what
I mean. And I remember sitting and looking at him one day, and
he's sitting there in Jimmy Crockett's office, and he had on a brown cowboy
boot and a greenish cowboy boot. And then one day he actually he came
in his ten shoes and he brought his boots and they were two different color,
and they were of the same side foot. They were on the right
side, and I said, he's slow, you know what I mean.
Then gets his bookings, and I think he was working. Because the Funks,
believe me, no matter what that interview he did, they we always
work everything. He said. It was the fucking work. They're workers,
they're working you and you and you, they're working us. He's a worker,
he's a worker. Worker. It's alias Church of Worker. Yes,
that's right. Let's make sure we heard that. They're workers. They're working
you and you and you, they're working us. He's a worker, he's
a worker worker. It's alias Church of worker. That's about that. Terry
is the worker baby, their workers. They're working you and you and you,
they're working us. He's a worker. He's a worker, worker.
That's all he is. Terry a worker, a beautiful thing. That's amazing,
but still lots of fun. You can say that Terry Funk was a
worker, worker, worker, but he was still lots of fun. According
to the American Dream Boss, please pick up here from Dusty's missives, you've
been drinking, beering and going along. And he would try to be in
like an outlaw of something when he was with me. Anyway, we came
from Amma Rebel and it was about three thirty in the morning. He said,
let's go by. Who's he talking to? Terry talking to Dusty?
Terry Funk talking to Dusty. Oh here, let's go by Terry's house down
in the canyon. Wait, Tarafunk. That's why I'm wondering who he's talking
to. Uh, Terry Funk literally lived in the canyon out thout of Canyon,
Texas. This is a motherfucker of a ride. So Nick was driving
the Hawkway and there was a hundred nine and there was one hundred and nine
five degrees outside. Let's let's stick with the truth. Only here dust I
was threaten to death. And he still had that fucking shooting sport coat on
that that all the old guys wore, and that he had that the shoulder
pads in them that made them stick out a lot more in there, and
then they wore they all wore them. Every time you see a picture of
those guys, they had the shooter shular pads. He had this coat on.
And we're drinking about twenty beers, and I and I like Nick,
and I and I like Nick. He's right there with me drinking beers and
but he's immaculate. He didn't spilling it on the shutar like me. I
was shooting guns off and shitting the night, being loud andnoxious whether we were
driving down the road, and he's calm and cool. Baby. We drove
and we got down there, and he said, what are you gonna do,
myke, what are you gonna do? My plan with this sneak around
them? Got a house that's a that's a ranch house, terry as a
screen, didn't deal And knowing he probably had the windows up because it was
so hot, I was gonna take the water hole, stick it through the
window in the bedroom where he and Vicky were, and turned the son of
a bitch on full breaths three thirty in the morning. Why, Nick says,
my boy, talking like my boy, that sounds like fun, talking
like Jim bond Man. I said, all right, motherfucker, we got
there. Stop the car, turn the lives off, just like a jewel
HAIs or something. We walked down into the canyon. Nick still immaculate,
He didn't even break a sweat. He was down there and he said,
Dusto. He always called me Dusto. He said, dust O, what
do you want me to do. When I give you the signal, you
turned that water holes on full blast. I crawled around in the back and
I ran the water hole through the window. Nick was standing by the facet
shoulder pads sticking out in the moonlight. You could see this motherfucker. Motherfucker.
I turned around and standing right behind Nick with Terry holding a double barrel
shuck on. Oh what a hell? I went ahead and shot Nick barklingle
in the goddamn head for the double barrel, double barrel, double goosel.
Fuck it, okay, sir, what was your dress again? Nick was
waiting at me, waiting for the signal, and I'm just staring at him.
Terry put the double barrel shucker behind Nick's head, sticking straight up in
the arrow co Then he pulled both barrels. Brother, I never seen a
white man turn whiter than this. Motherfucker found that thing made me made in
the stove of the night with like a cannon went off in my ear drum.
Terry ran back around in the front of the house and locked him felf
in. I got him, I got him, Vicky, I got him,
fucked the door the door, thinking a call Sogan Adam funk to get
this barricaded suspect out of his house the hard way. Lock the fucking door,
Vicy, look him all. I learned this and my uncle locked him.
Walk down, lockdown. Motherfucker. Well. Nick was running around a
thugle, like a chicken that had just had his head cut off and didn't
know which way to go or what the fuck happened. He was running around
with his mouth open, but nothing was coming out. It was like,
why did they do this? Why did he go to the river across ranch?
Uh? It was a ribb. Daddy was trying to rib the man.
Baby fuck it. Fuck ah, I mean, Terry coming out with
the shotgun is just fucking unbelievable. Oh god fucking can imagine picture of him
waking up and beyond the mat right with it the bed head. Hey hey,
Vic, I think somebody's out there. You know what, I bet
it's those fuckers Dusty and Nick Buckwinkle. I'm gonna go fuck with him.
I'm gonna get the double barrel, the double cross ranch. I went ahead
and got the double cross, double barrel, double goosele. Fuck it,
You're going to hell and I'm gonna eat ship. By the way, VICKI,
by the way, In a related note, I'm going, by the
way, I'm going to eat ship. You're gonna do that after all this
is done, or get ready to lock the damn door. Get ready to
lock the goddamn house down. We're gonna fucking lock this ship up, leave
it on the doorstep, and get the hell out of here. Merry Christmas,
your fucking bitches. Oh it's great. In the end, Terry Funk
can't say enough about the guy Dusty Rhodes. Back to Terry's book, It's
like my memories of Dusty Rhodes talking about a finish with his opponent. Of
course, the discussion always ended with how Dusty was going to win. I'd
say, I'll go ahead, and I don't think he said that. I'll
go ahead, and I'll climb up to the top rope before you can move.
Then you'll be down on the mat. After I flam you, I'll
draithfully fly off the top rope and land on your body and cover you one,
two, three, and the crowd will go wild. Of course that
was not what happened. Dusty would climb up to the top rope, taking
quite a long time to get there. Then he would fall like a three
hundred pounds sack of shit onto the other guy's body and get the pin.
You know, there's a great deal of difference between graceful flying and fallen like
a sack of shit. But Dusty believed he was so like a damned Eagles
tru That's hilarious. And that's why I don't watch my matches, because I
have occasionally watched a match of mine, and I know that I don't look
like what I think I look like. Florida was always a good territory before
I won the title in after starting in nineteen seventy five, and for about
a decade, Dusty was the top star there. It was hard to believe
ve this incredible star was the lips lisping baseball player from West Texas State.
Dusty had become a really big babyface, a three hundred and fifty pound one
at five foot four. When he was born, Dusty was fourteen pounds eight
ounces and he was only eleven inches long. The interurn dribbledhim out of the
delivery room and slam dunked him into the incubator. I actually used that one
on Dusty on TV once. Seriously, he was incredibly over. What was
so surprising was that the guy had a lisp and he utilized it. He
took every single hindrance he had from his speech impediment to his physique and turned
them to his advantage. And College Dusty could be very difficult to understand.
I mean, you'd seriously have a problem communicating with him. That's how bad
it was. It just piles it on. He doesn't stop, he doesn't
just say no. He was hard to understand. He keeps going. He
self corrected that to a large degree and did it because he knew he had
to be able to talk on TV in order to make a buck in the
wrestling business. The lisp he still had he made into part of his character.
I can't say enough about the guy because he was smart enough and tough
enough to turn weaknesses into strengths. He was a classic, and he was
another one of those who was very real. He really hurt and he really
meant it when he told the people I am the American Dream? Is it
time to taste it? Boss? I think so? I rap Disc two
if you would, all right? He I think the Hair Terror Funk tribute
and we're gonna go ahead and toggle fifty three seventeen on the time I said
funk Funk two. That's what you said, funk two? Right, yes,
sir, And what's the time code again? Fifty three seventeen. Okay,
okay, I got the uh. I got the graphic up there,
and this apparently is from Florida in nineteen seventy six. Definitely is from Florida
nineteen seventy six, so it would be Boss for the nw A World Heavyweight
Championship. That's wild Terry Funk comes to Florida because he had yet to be
made by Dusty even though he was the fucking world champion of the n w
A to face Dusty Rhodes. This is the earliest piece of Dusty versus Terry
footage I could find here from nineteen seventy six. Here we go, hit
play on my play, so that'll be three two one play Dusty. This
was an unusual situation and solely on the call of course, right, yes,
this is my whole lab but dreams here Dusty and studio laying commentary over
the match this Broadway. This is the super Bowl. We're waiting rugged dust
World Heavyweight Champion road from up at the time. One I didn't know way
what's going he he comes back. There comes Terry with a wooden chair at
ring Soccer. That ship, Oh my god, ah, the meanest man,
James. They're saying dust they what's that? Are they saying? No?
What are they saying? No? Go go go? Who's the who's
the fatty there? And the no shirt? I don't know. I couldn't
tell you. That is extend Durrance. Wow, Terry and the charge side
steps into Terry was running around with the world title around his waist a minute
ago, Cold Steel Daddy and Jack. Look, I mean, look at
the having to stop some of this. Look at Funk, Look at that
fucking wrong and who that fucking hair on Funk? That's the Missouri maler I
guess, oh to been there four hours? What are you doing four hours?
There? Dust has been ready for it for four hours, he said
stop, So Funk immediately seizes and now he's stomping on Dusty's head. From
the ring open you can hear door. You can hear Dusty kind of narrating
for the Florida television against what's happening and the injustices. Terry swings at the
reft. I mean this this was on W twenty four seven, extremely desperate.
Was this was never on on on Hidden Gems either? Like what the
fuck guys read at that point if you wouldn't mind, I was saying that
that this was on W twenty four seven but was never on Hidden Gems.
No fucking failure, another failure of imagination. Dusty's and cooking. Look at
that. Look at him. He's fat, but he's moving, man,
Yeah, I mean he's he's like, uh uh, what's his name?
Adrian had Donnis. In many ways, sure, he's big guy, but
he could fucking move. Dusty running Terry funk of the post from the apron
note, taking him from the outside into the ring with the big body slam
the world champion down bianic elbow misses the bark, Dusty crashes into the canvas.
I mean, you know, it makes total sense to me. Actually
when you think about it, how oh, look is he busted open this
Zerry Maller's back out would have taken forehead after Dusty took care of him.
That and this blood leaking through too, or maybe it's paint. Ref're trying
to stop the interference with his world title on the line, and you can
you can imagine how these these fans at a fever picks thinking Dusty could become
world champ any day that dropped Terry out of the ring. Dusty ref bump
hit the maller as well as the referees. You know, I definitely you
know, and watching this, I have to agree. You know, it
makes total sense to me that that the n w A champion would be made
by Dusty Rhodes here. Yeah, you know, even though he's already n
w A champion, Dusty's listening by listen to him. Listen. Yeah,
he's going crazy elbow, He's on the fena the greatest three or drops funk
hits the ropes running elbow. Wow, Dusty lands to the heart of funk
rap down one, two, three, static no, No. I see
the referee, I see the second referee, the other referee, Sonny Myers,
is Dusty shand at the other referee that was pumped out of the ring.
I I can smell it a mile away, back to that point when
Terry Punk went over that top or but you see God and I'm standing at
the third point. I can smell it, Dusty finish the third where the
man went over the top blow where they jumped over book. Whatever happened,
he went over the top roof just one seen it. We called it like
you've seen it. Sonny called the one he did like this boo. Dusty
finished much Oh my god, I mean, Jesus Christ, you can you
could, you can smell it? Dusty finish fucking a mile away. Dusty
snatches the ten pounds of gold from the ref and hugs it, thinking it's
his, it's his property, but no, the referee is indicating, looking
like my, uh my, my dad's cousin Linda Dusty Rhodes. Battle continues
after the beil Terry Funk doing the knot. Sell is Dusty just crowning with
rights and elbows. The Maler's back in blindsiding Dusty and this feud will continue
locally well presumably the world champion. Terry Funk moves on to his next territory.
He's got it. Look at it, ugly, faith. This is
how Dusty got over as a baby face to the Florida audience doing voiceovers like
this with Gordon of well what happened at the Big Arena shows. It's a
good idea, It's a very very smart idea. Explain himself. Explain the
injustices he suffered. Explain, you know, you watch this on Florida television
and you're pretty sure that the next time the world champ comes through, you're
buying a ticket because that might be the night that Dusty gets it done.
Look at Terry covetously clutching his belt on the mat. That'll end that piece
of business. As Terry has his hand raised. That's pretty brilliant challenge before
the match. The winner of this matched. So this is another glimpse of
Dusty versus Terry. We'll keep it rolling here. PW, Sorry I stopped
it. What what's your time? Code? Is fifty nine sixteen, actually
fifty nine eighteen for you. This aired on ESPN Classics Canada, much like
the Harley Race title win over Terry we watched last time. So let's uh
okay, I'm ready to go. Listen in here, three two, one
play both of you in one night. I'm standing very nonchalantly. I can
Dusty out in jeans with no shirt on, entering the ring. This is
the face off dust He's fighting in street clothes and Terry's bouncing around like a
box or pumping jabs. Here we go look, listen to them, go
for look at Dusty move elbow. Terry Funk decleats on the cell canvas and
Punk Funk grabs the belt that makes Auji belt and decides to leave the ring,
and Dusty Roads standing the tall and standing alone in the center of the
ring, still offering Punk that opportunity if he wants it. The Dusty Road
still wants that World Heavyweight Championship, standing tall, standing alone. All right,
that'll do it. So a little bit of a taste of the intensity
of the seventies between Terry Funk and Dusty Roads definitely worth observing. That was
from seventy six as Terry was that that was a bit of an elusive footage.
Last week we talked about how there's precious little of Terry defending the world's
title during his run in the United States. We have the Machikin's Jumbo that
we looked at during the All Japan series, the Funk in the Japan series.
But there it is Terry Funk coming through Florida defending against Dusty Roads.
That's amazing, and uh, that's some good ship. You can send some
intensity there. You can definitely get the feeling of what they were trying to
get get done with Dusty, definitely giving the fans the impression that even some
of the statue of the world champion is going to end up running with his
tail between his legs. Oh yeah, I mean, I mean, they
did a great job making him look like a like a fucking killer. I've
never seen Dusty, even even in the the prime of of like Crocot days,
look like a killer like that. Absolutely, And we're going to jump
out a disc four. Here's a little bit more of Dusty and Terry mixing
it up down in Florida. These clips are from the summer of nineteen and
seventy nine and on this forward to jump to one nine forty eight four.
So here we go. Let's sit back. First, we're going to hear
some words from the American Dream as communicated to the Florida wrestling public watching him
campaign and feud in battle with Terry Funk. Here's what he had to say
in three two one play of course. A week ago Tuesday night, Dusty
Roads was wrestling Charley Race for the World Heavyweight Championship. At a point in
the match, both men went over the top rope one to the ring apron
one to the floor outside. This was the point of controversy. However,
as you will see Dusty when the match resumed, Dusty very solidly, very
firmly and unquestionably in the champion and defeated him and won the World Heavyweight Championship.
We're going to take a look at that instance right now. Well,
it wasn't very definitive rule immediately direct because the you know, n w A
fucking changed their minds there right, I'm just a second clips of Dusty laying
into a Harley then took the NWA into there coming thing seventy nine. Harley
was n w A champion at this point, Terry had turned the belt over
to him on the outside. Now there was no rule made at that point.
The National last got together the review the film this year is all all
I have to say about this film gun. So it is clear cut all
the people that all the people witnesses. It was made a decision. It
wasn't miss head in by her made the decision to point the disqualification. We
would be waving later on then I'll never know. But right here you've seen
the mass but by Harley Road getting up off the canvas right here he's shaking
his head and shaking his head, coming alive. Gilbow to holler. Race
right here and with this big blood right here becomes well heavyweight champion now whatever,
this is just dust for the belt. Three. I just feel how
can people even fucking like to see this ship? Watch this ship? You
can't even see nothing? Well was that you can't see ship? It's so
dark? How can people even watch this ship? Yeah, in the arena
when it was happening. Well, no, I mean like the footage of
it after Reed, because protests were lodged immediately by Protests were lodged immediately by
Hartley Race because of the film, and here Gordon solely explaining what happened why
Dusty the belt decision situation, however, there was no question about the fact
that Dusty Road scored the pinfall and won the World Heavyweight Champion engine. However,
they did rule. I mean that for the match in Orlando Byron split
decision of the NWA board that the disqualification rule would be waived for that match,
which means that when Rusty Roads, the World's Heavyweight Champion, went into
that match, it means that the title could be lost via disqualification of most
unusual circumstances. What dust lost for work Race didn't have anything to do with
There was something that the board directors, after reviewing the film did but there's
no doubt in anybody's flying that just seen the film. I defeated Holly Race
for the World's heavyweight title in Tampa, Florida, and I f I defeated
him right in the middle of the ring. There is cut and dried at
what I mean if Florida, I'm concerned. There is no way we can
get around that. I don't care how you slant it. I beat Hally
Race for the World's heavyweight title. I pinned him right in the middle ring.
Whatever ruling they brought down, what not no doings of mine or no
doings Harley Race. And I might just say that there is something else involved,
as I said, a most unusual set of circumstances around this world Heavyweight
championship match that took place last Sunday night in Orlando. And we're going to
go to that scene right after we paused for these words. Appreciate it,
so it's more to come, Ordecaiah. I know it's just like you barely
see anything in this dusty Harley h Dusty year Old's journey. Now we're back
at the desk and Gordon's gonna explain what Terry Funk has to do with all
of this World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race. And the announcement was made that the
disqualification rule had been waived. When suddenly, out of the audience, he
was not there to wrestle, had no business being there as far as I'm
concerned, appeared Terry Funk to add another twist to this most unusual situation.
Dusty and I hope this doesn't hurt too much if we take a look at
the situation. They look at it. They need to see it. Baby,
Let's go to Orlando and I look at the marquis at the Sports Stadium.
Every week, our championship wrestling every week. Now turn left, No,
Dusty's got the strap. He's now the n w A World Heavyweight chance,
American Dream. No no time right here for anything else. So that's
legit. He's the champion. Yes, the attack Terry Funk coming from the
audience, coming from out of nowhere, coming from the Wow, hit me
with his well, here's Terry Funk and street clothes out of the audience,
So what are we seeing funk do here? He's beaten the ship out of
Dusty. So he's got a belt wrapped around his wrist. Dusty still with
the title on his waist here all the way from the top. Look at
it goes right to the knee to unleash attack. What you know, does
the leather really add that much of a punch to the Where does that come
from? It's hardly raising his ring jacket stands on the ropes, like,
what my fucking match? God, a goddamn what am I of? What
happened? Where am I supposed to go? Now? I gotta sit here
and watch this fucker, this fat pitch just walk around like a gun at
the end of what I'm talking about? Where's the fucking ball game here?
I have created a dream I have brought it, have created a dream he
created himself. Will make me give up without a battle? That means a
bast fighting with one arm, with one leg, with one ear, with
one me whatever I need. I will fight a man till the day I
died. Fucking Harley Race, Oh, look at him, bumpus. He
taken on Harley Man and they are land. Look at Dusty, his right
arm hanging like a limp noodle because Terry attacked him for the battle. You
will see go up that salesmanship there, Terry. I am a lot of
pain here at this point. I don't know how bad I'm injured. I
have wrapped it with injured before. You know, see the sweat fly,
see other thing by you see my arm hanging that we cannot look at Race
right now. We cannot make a diagnosis. All I know is I'm fighting.
You cannot make a diagnosis, understand right the bad arms really amount of
pain gun and sold that I had n't felt earlier in the match out ooh
nice city attack. Racist now Grace fucking really going to town on the knee,
on the on the elbow with the knick. Absolutely, that's so great.
Fighting valiantly with that black guy tc Lee and thinking about doing what I'm
doing right now. It's gonna take somebody to beat me, and this man
right here can't do it with two good hands. Now. The thing that
happens here, it's gonna be Howard Sterner, referee for the match. I
know I'm a lot of pain, but like I said, there is no
pain like the pain that is gonna strack Dusty Roads and his people, his
fans, the American dreams, and the world towels. Right now, good
picture is worth a thousand thousand words. Oh backdrop, they freeze frame it
as Dusty as backdropping hardly out of the ring, and there is no d
Q on this match, right, Is that what they're saying, I mean,
or the DQ we could lose the belt, right, Yes, that's
what they were saying. Oh they're keeping this freeze frame. Might point out
at this time that the n w A Board of Directors is considering the disciplinary
measures that are going to be taken against Terry Funk. Got totally already consider
them. I've already considered display actions. And I know what's going to happen
to It's gonna happen to Terry Funk all this situation. Oh here, you
know I bought this. There's Joe LaDou trying to clear the desk. I
realized that we were scheduled to talk to her, and but by the same
joke and clear this out. This is my time. If you don't mind,
I'll talk to you just a couple of moments. If you don't mind,
you just say to you just a couple of Minutes's funny. I used
to Dusty, roads are going smaller to anybody, and now smaller this.
It's kind of like got small shoulders. Yeah, and situation with a month.
I don't know where they at. I think this is here and I'm
going to talk. Because Dusty beat Harley in August twenty first, nineteen seventy
nine. This is supposed to be from June. So apparently they did a
deal where Dusty walked around with the strap around his waist but had that rain
taken away from him retroactively. Oh, Dusty with a cast on his arm
from the terry attack, just leveled Joe Lado over the announced desk and we're
fighting in the studio. Dust even grabs it. Gordon solely to me about
nothing that works, Yes, but anywhere getting funky. Wow there it was
better. Let's get after the wrestler's coming out here to collect Joe LaDue who's
left unconscious near the desk by Dusty and inflamed American dream. Oh it comes
up luddy. Wow, what a bit moment. Oh, Dusty hit him
with the cast I see yep, like we hit the fans every week.
Ha. His attainment of that goal of winning. So here's Dusty winning the
belt and then just five short days, then five short days later finding that
goal utterly and totally destroyed. The goal was destroyed. He was defeated by
the World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race and lost the title back to him. But
it was not that alone. It was the very fact that Terry Funk took
it upon himself very fun charge Dusty Rhodes in the ring before the match ever
started, and it was not until half the match was over that it was
discovered that Dusty Roads had indeed suffered a fractured arm at the hands of Terry
Funk. He insisted upon wrestling in that kind of a condition. He did
so and then lost the title, and now Harley Race is one of the
few men in history ever two have won a World heavyweight championship for a third
time. Dusty Rhoads, after being treated an orthopedic surgeon, had the arm
stabilized. It was put in a cast. He then appealed to the NWA
for permission to wrestle with the arm in a cast. The NWA, after
checking the reports by from the surgeon, agreed and said yes that he could.
After all, it happens in almost all of the professional sports now you'll
see people with the injured members of their bodies and members expected by a cast
that bandages the wrapping stone. So yes, here it is bottom line anyway,
Harley beats Terry for the belt, as we talked about last week in
February of seventy seven. August twenty first, seventy nine, Dusty beats Harley
race of the title in Tampa to become the champ. Five days later August
twenty sixth ninety nine. The aggressive as Gordon just said, Harley takes it
back from Dusty and our Lando. So that about Dusty Road, that was
like one of the first times they did that, Like infuriatingly short baby face
runs. The Rhodes is using the cast as a weapon. What for should
not be allowed to wrestle? What was the purpose of that? I don't
know. It's it's it's it's tint. The one week Tommy Rich run that
was like, let's put the belt on the guy that's famous on national television
so that we can put him on TBS and say he's a file world champion
who perpetrated the injury on At the same time to the claim that now Dusty
should getting around concerns the board of the n w A might have that Dusty
Rhodes might not actually have the constitution need it to be a true and w
way World Chair Resting Alliance say, it's all right. I certainly feel that
their judgment is August, and I certainly think that all of you would join
me in that same diss judgment is August, Gordon, August. It is
August. Just so happens that very Funk claim that he entered the ring.
So let's not forget when Dusty lost the championship after a five day rain,
infuriating every Dusty fan in the world. It was because it's this ambush attack
by Terry and just a couple. Yeah, we'll see what Terry Funk is
talking about when he says he wants to check the condition of a cast.
We'll also see the manner in which he entered the ring, and we're also
going to see the manner in which he left the ring and indeed left the
entire building. It's some highly unusual camera work and I think you're going to
enjoy it, and we're going to come back and take a look at it.
Terry Funk will be joining me and well, I'm excitedsing the situation of
Dusty Rings, right, Let's get Terry's perspective. Yes, the deal was
that they want to put the belt on Dusty. Eddie did, but the
board didn't believe Dusty could actually go around and defend the belt. Okay,
so they agreed on just like this really short ring. And here's Terry getting
right. You're wanted to check the cast. Yes, I did. I
went in the ring to check the cast. That's right, all right,
Well, then let's take a look at this situation that mister Funk is during
Terry with the taped up eye having done an eye inkrey angle with Dusty Rhodes
Is he also would do with Jerry Lawler in Memphis, Dusty Roads at a
househo footage Dusty going nuts on Joel. And as we're going to see here
in just a moment, even with his handicap of the broken arm, mister
Funk he is able to defeat the three hundred pound from the other end helbow
on the top of the head. And the Duke has got himself a pile
of a lot of troubles right here all right now, yellow covered by Roads,
the cast that hit him roads pins side chop. You're trying to call
out a side chop? So was that was an illegal weapon? Is what
he used? Yes? Cast for anything? I think that's killer con the
killer count Gary Hart. You see roads go down in a moment, you'll
see me come into the road. You'll see me go ahead and come up
here. Because what I want to do is I want to sweet the consistency.
Look at him in street clothes with he wants to examine the consistency of
the cast State of Florida. If you want to examine anything on dusty roads,
if you want to question anything, you had better clear the ring You
saw me clear the ringing getting in there, dropping over the insight. Blemy
take the referee and get him out of there, because I realized that the
man would try to stop me from taking a look at roads at all and
front round. Brother, just tell the people that the man is there is
better. He is rationalization weapon. Now it's so great. One time he
knew something. I was lifting the legs so everybody in the whole audience could
see it. And I'll admit that I went ahead and saw that leg and
I thought I'll go ahead and just go around on it one time, but
you saw it breaks free me with that cast, and you saw it drive
me straight up in the air a foot and a half again, you see
him hit me with that Look what the man is could is anyone sitting down
poss off trying to wrestle me. What he's doing is to try to put
me out of commission. There you sawing completely destroy a wooden chair with that
cast. He's using it as a weapon. Now, look at the man.
I'm trying to go ahead and get out of the ring to the best
of my ability, just to get away from him because I'm real I realize
that I'm overmatched. Whenever you get in the ring and the fella has a
weapon, I mean a weapon that he should be right across the forehead with
the forehead, look at him. We need stumbling around like a baby doe.
He is a buffore bearing buffoon, an eggs sucking dog. You see
the blood on that cast. He hasn't touched me with one other thing.
He hasn't tried to wrestle me. I pick up that chair and self defense.
Now, I'm just trying to look for escape, look for escape from
not Dusty Rhoades, but a weapon. Right here, you see him trying
to drag me. He spin me back around to hit me again. Sure
enough he does. How many times did he hit me? Anybody else,
any common average human being, anybody else at what a tremendous athlete would be
headed for the hospital right now that Wyy beheaded, But not me. I'm
still trying to go ahead and figure out what in the world is going on.
I'm dazed at this time. You see him again? Do you see
him again? And you see all of the people out there, Do you
think they would come to my age? Do you think that they would help
me in any way at all? No? No, they won't help me.
Right there, I collapse over the top of that railing and I go
down. Rhodes follows me back out. He's not satisfied. He's going for
what's he going for? He's going for my life. He's going for it
complete. He see me just praying the escape, trying to get away from
him in any way that I possibly can. There you see me out back
here, must say at this point, mister Punker, you've you've interfered after
a match was over, and a lot of people right now must feel that
you've got a taste of your arm, swinging, pushing tables over amidst the
people at the back of the arena, swinging that belt in the ring.
I didn't even use a belt. I was just trying for a little self
depitched. This is nothing but the see he's a he's where what is he?
He's a red neck Floridian, that's what he is, right, He's
a last of the crackers. He's a last of the crackers. That's what
road is. I'm trying to get away. I know that he's gonna be
coming through that crowd at any minute, so I head out the front door.
I head out the front door. The people, the marble, my
god, any one of them individually, A wild night outs seriously into the
wee hours of the morning. Wrestle but this isn't wrestling. Well, well,
there you had it, and mister Counk disappears in the night. Damn,
I'm solely here. He thinks he's so smart. Listen, I've had
five years of college. When you try to attack me verbally, and you
go ahead and you stick that night and you turn it and it hurts.
But I want the people to be the judge, is what I want.
Like I said before, this man here has a problem. His brain is
pickled. That's what this man's problem a lot, and insult you too,
That's amazing, Come on television, insult me. But can he get in
the ring and damn will try to wrestle me and compete with me? No,
he can't. He's got to use an illegal weapon all the time.
But what he's using an illegal he's going to well call it what you will,
Sarah uh be Florida State ship. This man has a lot of room
to talk about anything, that is for sure. Let's turn it over to
a ring announcer, please, And that's that. Jesus Christ, thoughts please,
I'm I'm I'm just amazed. I think that's that's such fucking great shit.
I mean, there is a I mean, Dusty said it in the
book, like they just they they believed it. They believed what they were
doing was real, and in doing so, they made everyone else believe that
it was real. And they are trying to rip each other's heads off.
Yep. And it's all in this sort of you know, in the spirit
of like, I just love how Terry's in the booth. They're justifying every
last thing he did. Oh, that's some of the greatest shit I've ever
heard. Do you remember when we went back to those influences and he talked
about Professor Boris Malenko in Florida? Yep, yep. Remember how we found
that clip of Malenko doing exactly the same thing, voicing over a match he
had with Paul Bosch, yep, and just making excuses for every last little
dastardly thing he was clearly doing on film and like justifying it, creating building
these narratives up about Terry Funk right there and sitting with solely justified why he
just randomly attacked the referee as well. Of course he would have stood in
the way he would have. It's some brilliant, absolutely brilliant rationalization. And
as they hit the floor and Dusty battles Terry Funk over the rail into the
people, just that there's no you know, parting of the Red Sea with
security. There's nothing that makes it look you know, contrived and phony and
planned. And I'm you know, I'm not suggesting we put the wrestlers who
brawl in the crowd at great physical risk. But I'll tell you what what
I just saw there, people shoulder to shoulder, cops fighting for positions,
as as Terry stumbles around the back of this arena bloodied, pushing tables over.
Yep, that's superior. That's a superior wrestling experience, no matter what
slice it. And Dusty giving chase, I mean, it's just it's just,
I can't they create such a sense of chaos, don't they. I
mean, it's yeah, I mean it's it's chaos. It's but it's also
just a a I mean, I don't even know how to really describe it.
It's just it gives goosebumps. Yeah, it gives you absolute goosebumps.
It's it's some incredible excitement. See the people that dialed into every little thing
that's happening on. So after chasing the title and never winning it for about
five years, Meltzer wrote Eddie Graham, the booker in Florida and Dusty's mentor,
finally got the ok for a short term title win for Dusty Rhodes,
and has mentioned Rhodes beats Race August twenty one, seventy nine in Tampa and
five days later in Orlando, which I think is what we just saw.
There was a rematch funk At challenged and lost to Rhodes and an August twenty
fifth title match in Saint Pete. So between Dusty winning the belt and then
losing the belt, he defended successfully once against Terry Funk. The next day
in Orlando, Roads comes out first with Race, but before Race could come
out, Funk attack Roads from behind and quote unquote broke his arm. That's
the footage we saw there. Yeah, so very historically significant, and that
that was the storyline justification for why Dusty came up short in the rematch with
Hartley Race for the World's Championship, and Meltzer wrote, Roads refused to not
give the people who paid their title match a match, so right after breaking
his arm quote unquote, he went in with Race. That's the footage we
saw there, with Dusty's arm dangling by his side as he's wrestling Harley and
lost the title. Funk and Roads headline for the next two months in the
territory, including Dusty and Andre the Giant versus the Funks. So Dory's coming
in Wow to provide some reinforcement, and Andre has an ally, pardon me,
Dusty Rhoades has an ally and Andre the Giant, So that's what it
looked and felt like in Florida, and the stakes couldn't be higher with the
world title in play as well, especially with Dusty looking at the menu absolutely
right. And so as the calendar turned to nineteen eighty, this is when
becomes very clear that, you know, the absolute premier place to be in
pro wrestling is on the WTBS superstation, which for the limited amount of homes
that had cable, basically made you a national star. And Dusty was the
face of Georgia Championship Wrestling broadcast across the nation on WTBS WTCG before that,
really the first sort of TBS superstar in the mid seventies, out there doing
his one of a kind promos, doing his flashy and ring work and establishing
himself there and as we mentioned, getting booked in the Garden as a result.
Now, as this starts to happen, Terry Funk, who of course
grew up in the territorial system, steeped in it like few others. Of
course, his father running the MRL office, starts to detect that. You
know, he credits his dat as saying eventually what happened, as opposed to
putting his finger on the moment it did happen. But the thought was,
eventually, somebody's going to nationalize this thing. Eventually, somebody's going to get
a television timeslot that puts them national. And as he says, you know,
it could have been Jim Barnett. Barnett could have chosen, based on
his position of power in the NWA, to just say fuck anybody else in
the nwway that thinks they have rights to an area. I've got TBS,
I'm out of Atlanta. I'm just going to go into all their territories and
run shows and run off the fact that this new national television phenomenon makes my
stars bigger than the local territory stars. But he didn't do that, of
course, keeping with the niceties of the NWA political structure that he so masterfully
navigated throughout the course of his lifetime. But Terry looked around and he had
a particular moment where he remembered thinking, Okay, things are changing here because
they were down in New Mexico, which is Amarilla Territory, regular stop on
the circuit. Funks big names forever, Ricky Romero, big name forever.
They were accustomed to being the big wrestling stars that everybody had heard of when
they came through town. But one time he's traveling with Tommy Rich, who
basically came after Dusty Rhoads and being a nationally made star on TBS, a
guy who everybody in the country suddenly knew, even though he was just some
guy working out of Atlanta and had been in Memphis for a bit. But
suddenly Tommy Wildfire Rich is becoming NWA World Heavyweight Champion because of the power of
the superstation and what it meant to be presented on Georgia Championship Wrestling as the
biggest deal in wrestling, this of course being the exact timeslot and company and
television show that Vince McMahon moved in on on Black Saturday in nineteen eighty four,
right giving you a sense of how powerful that was. And we talked
about that in our Black Saturday coverage last year. But here's Terry Funk we're
calling in a shoot interview when he realized as they made their way through the
usual stops in New Mexico that the business was changing and who the fans were
thinking of as the most important wrestlers was no longer who was most important at
your local arena. That Jake was up whenever I went to tokumb Carey,
New Mexico, and I think it was myself and I'm trying to figure out
who else it was, but a couple of the other guys that were riding
with me and on we go to tucum Carrey. We go to Albuquerque,
but we stopped in tucumb Carrey for breakfast. So we stopped in it for
breakfast, and it was me and I'm trying to think of what the guys
it was me and oh it was uh, who was the guy that was
over so well, then Tommy Rich, Tommy Rich. So Tommy Wildfire,
that's right, Tommy Wildfire Rich was in the car with us and he just
came in for that week and he was in Albuquerque. But we drove from
Ambula and Albuquerque, but we stopped in tucum carry so we were gonna go
ahead and needed this little restaurant that we ate there every week, so we
stopped there and along came this car load of high school girls. I don't
know where they came from, but they were all screaming, hollering, going
crazy everything. Whenever we got out of the car there and I thought,
oh my gosh, we're really looking good. You know, we ran right
by me and right up Tommy Rich. The TV was going to make a
big difference in the world of wrestling, and it sure did too. And
that's that's true story. And uh, it really really did. Tommy Rich
was probably just huge all over the entire United States. But you guys had
been there in that territory and went through that same town every week for the
previous eighteen years, and all of a sudden, here's something I've never been
here before, but yeah, on National TV. And it was the only
national TV at that time, and that's what really made that different. And
they could go anywhere. And you know, Jim Burnett was you know,
he was a very generous guy because he could have done that. He was
he wasn't an idiot. But what did Jim do. He would go ahead
and he would would put these people. You'd go ahead and you'd say,
well, hey, I want to book Tommy Rich, Well, okay,
you can have me. Jim had no desire to do what Vince did later,
which was take over the entire country. But he was Jim Barnett who
had taken over the entire country at that time. So that's Terry Funk with
Jim Cornette on the k FABE commentaries Tales from the Territories season that they did
Back to the Territories as they called it, reflecting on when he realized that
Tommy Rich was better known in this small town in New Mexico than he was
and it's his territory. Yeah, that's like, Okay, there's no way
this is just an aberration. There's no way that Tommy Rich is the only
guy that's going to do this. This is now going to be the future.
And he was exactly right. As he points out in his book,
it wasn't the first attempt to go national. He writes, Hell, Vince
wasn't even the first person who tried it. In the mid nineteen seventies,
at Eye One, Horn started a group called the International Wrestling Association, which
included Pedro Martinez. On Horne One was the sports guy who helped create the
NCAA tournament in the Final four, a great concept. This was before Cable
came out, and he put the promoters in the position of trying to keep
a national program from taking over. Einhorn's idea was to make wrestling a nationally
syndicated show. Actually got sued over that deal. It happened while I was
n W A champion. Pedro Martinez was on an airplane. The Dusty Roads
and I were also on. Dusty spotted and said, Terry, you see
that gujithon of a bitch back there. That's Peedo Martinev. I wouldn't have
known him if Dusty hadn't pointed him out, but I did know that the
IWA had gotten on TV in Odessa, Texas. It was just one small
town in our territory. Who gives a shit, right, but it was
serious business to me, So I asked Dusty, where is that son of
a bitch? Dusty said he thittened back there and motioned his head toward the
back of the plane. I said, well, you just point him out
to me when we land After we landed and we were walking in the terminal,
Dusty pointed Martinez out to me. I walked up to him, touched
his collar, grabbed his lapels, got right in his face and said,
keep your goddamn tapes out of Odessa, Texas. Said what are you talking
about? I guess he had tapes going in stations all over the country and
didn't know every single city he had. I told him he'd better stay out
of our area and to be ready for a fight if he didn't. I
let go. When Martinez took off, I went back to Dusty and said,
well, I guess I showed that sign of a gun. As we
were passing security, there was page Martinez, only now his lapels were ripped
and torn, his shirt ripped open, and his belly hanging out. He
was pointing out the two police officers with him, putting me out to the
two police officers with him. They put me under arrest and took me to
jail. I got right out, but soon after that I found out Martinez
was suing me for eighteen million dollars in Eastern airlines for one million dollars.
I went to court and Martinez passed around a picture of a testicle that had
swollen to the size of a basketball. He said, I kicked him in
the nuts. I never touched his nuts. What happened was he'd found another
wrestler who had a swollen testicle, took a picture of it, and they
found me guilty off of that. It wasn't even his nut, dirty son
of a bitch. I appealed, but I ended up settling out of court
with him for five thousand dollars. I've seen his nuts. I know the
nuts. I've bet a nut. I've kicked myself, Terry, my boy,
can I help with this? What's the situation you've got with a nut?
I ain't got no nuts. Let me take a look, my boy,
ain't got nothing to see. I got no nuts. Jim. You
wouldn't believe it. He's passing around this picture in the courtroom of some other
wrestler's nuts. I Jim, I've seen nuts before, and I know you're
familiar with nuts, and they ain't the real nuts. Can you help me
out here? Can you provide any forensics? Maybe? Can you provide me
with a pair of nuts, Jim? Can you help me with all the
nuts stuff? Jim, I'll let you finish. Oh I just busted thoughts.
Ah? Yeah, he turns it right back on him, doesn't he.
Well, I guess you know that's a certain kind of not too.
I ended up settling with them out of court for five thousand dollars. But
that was five thousand dollars. I shouldn't have even had to pay for another
guy's testicle. This is fucking Terry Man. The NWA, Jim Barnett in
particular, wasn't very happy with that situation. I thought they'd be very pleased
till I thought the entire wrestling industry would be proud of me handling Pedro Martinez
for them. The entire nWay ran from it. Anytime you had a lawsuit,
you had no friends. Even Eddie Graham would run from me when he
saw me if there was a lawsuit here. I was doing the right thing
to help protect their business, and they ran from me. I've dealt with
a lot of lawsuits, but I have to say, what's wrong with our
country today is that we say you're innocent until proven guilty, But the fact
is in a lawsuit, you're guilty until proven innocent, and it can be
very costly. Someone once told me about an old curse. May you be
involved in a lawsuit in which you are in the right Ironharm ran out of
money and closed up a few months later in nineteen seventy six. But Vince
and the WWF weren't going down as easily in nineteen eighty four, so just
the last vestiges of the old territorial rules there, and Terry Funk was there
to bridge the era, as he really was doing what he thought it called
for, doing what he thought called for, as someone tried to go national
and put their tapes on in his market, and everybody's like, uh,
try to keep with a hands off approach to the whole thing. This is
hardly yeah, right, you know the Blacklist days that got the NWA investigated
by the FEDS decades before this, And further, they didn't think they had
anything to worry about. They thought Vince was just the latest guy to have
this bright idea to nationalized wrestling, and up to that point, everybody had
failed to do it that claimed to have the pockets and the logistics to pull
it off. So you can see why Vince really was able to shark his
way through that whole thing. Because those sons of bitches were resting real easy
after fending off Pedro Martinez in the mid seventies. They hardly took a Vin
senior son seriously as the guy to be able to do it, and he
did. So that's that's Terry living in two worlds with his foot and two
eras here and in terms of what he took to the year waves for TBS
to say about his opponent Dusty Rhodes. Here's a sample of a great promo
he cut on TBS one time against the Dream the all of the National Wrestling
Alliance Champions, Dory Funk Junior, myself, Terry Funk highly Race. But
then a long comes that egg sucking dog Dusty Road to after the book the
end of the World Championship. Now I have a picture of this man.
I want to ask you what does he represent? Does he represent Wrestley?
Look at that big fat, obnoxious BELLI he is Rock Holley's in the ring
and a pair of faded blue jeans and a shirt that says everybody loves somebody
and looking backing a pair of cowboy boots and Vera cos veins and each blonde
hair and this overbearing, age sucking dob thinks he's a World's heavyweight wrestling champion.
Well, listen, I have spent my entire life in wrestling rings,
and I know what it is to be a champion, and this man certainly
doesn't represent one or never should have been one. And that's why I did
what I did, and I'm gonna do the same thing to him. Sunday
night, seven point thirty in the Omni I'm gonna get ahold of dusty boats
and believe me, you're overpaid of not wow. Wow, dog, I'm
gonna do something to you that's never been done before. Damn I'll buy tickets.
Yeah, I'm there. Don't meet me there, beat me there.
They Omni in Atlanta, who Terry Funk takes advantage of that TBS exposure to
push tickets, and remember that's what you would see. You might be watching
Georgia Championship Wrestling in fucking Fargo, North Dakota, but you would get local
promos for the Omni because that's that's all they really cared about plugging the fact
that they went it went out national was almost incidental. It was almost we
did Black Saturday only Anderson's out when people suspected of him trying to make a
national push, especially as he moved into Ohio a bit. And what Biot's
territory used to be out there in the Doyle territory was that, you know,
it's not my fault that the territory guy happened to book ended up,
you know, having a relationship with the station that decided to go national.
I didn't pick them for that reason. They didn't go national at my urging.
So the fact that I'm national is just a happy advantage I have.
But it's not something I'm going to exploit. It's not something I'm going to
take advantage of. It's just something that's a reality. And so he would
have had Terry trying to sell your tickets to see him fight Dusty Roads in
the Omni in Atlanta, no matter where you were in the country at the
time. So we're gonna move down to dis number five boss. All right,
the time code there is one forty seven to twenty nine. We're gonn
get a bit more now that Dory Funk has come down to Georgia to back
up his brother Terry. This from Well you pull that up, let me
take a look. You said, one thirty seven twenty nine, go ahead
and take a look here. So I went ahead and took a look and
eight some pussy. This is a promo from WTBS March of nineteen eighty.
All Right, I believe it is Terry and Dory Funk about to hold some
court. All Right, I'm ready when you are in three to one play
see video tape from Terry Roonk from Texas. Suddenly I have both Dory vonk
Junior and Terry Vink with me. I'm the last gentleman. I cannot interrupt
our format. So we're going to take a look at this tape that came
from you from Amarillo, and I would like to say the Championship Wrestling is
not responsible Laura's Channel seventeen for the actions of the comments of this man.
Let's go to Amarillo. That's what wow today is mental preparation. And whenever
I want to get right mentally, what do I do? I come to
the ambilla, dump the ambilla do with a rifle in his hand? What
the fuck is he going to? Go? Ahead? Terry funk satisfaction out
of shooting up the running around and speaking of Rose, I understand King of
Dusty Roads the death match to file on me for attacking him with the deadly
weapon. Well, this is not the deadly weapon. I attacked him with.
The deadly weapon I used on Dusty Rhodes is my mouth. Wow,
when you blow them and I can't destroy. Truth destroys everyone whenever it is
the truth. And what I say about him being an egg sucking dog is
the absolute truth. Speaking of a few rats, how about Jack and Jerry
Briscoe. Anytime you put a Texan against an Oklahoman, there's extreme hatred from
the Oklahoma side because they can't stand it because fellas like Junior and I are
Texans and we are superior to those silly, stupid okies laughing. Well,
all right, not what I'm confused about. I'm curious about is why you
two here? Why am I here and Junior here? I'll tell you why.
But first of all, where is Dusty Road? Here's he? Does
he have another film clip of himself? Or is he gonna send another telegram
up here? Let's face the facts. We ran him out of Georgia.
He doesn't have enough guts to come back within the state. And besides that,
we sending the wheeling. We sending the wheeling, and that's not West
Virginia either. We went sending the wheeland dirt and garbage where he should be
because he never was a wrestler. Really, I don't think we need to
pursue this. We have a television pro Terry Funk was standing in London,
Jack and J twenty foot piles of dirt, the biggest sir. It's amazing,
a bunch of surprises on short It's like such a weirdo because my brother
and I Boughty and not Jack. Jerry's of course not. We bought the
two. Uh Terry, where are we? Terry? You can't remember their
names? Now we're gonna prove to the people who is the number one in
the United States right here on national television. Bring on the Briscos. You
do have well? All right, all right, gentlemen, we've got the
turn. Pick em Jack my brother? Wait are we coming there? You
have it? Events here? Carry where are we going? Having bought the
contracts of and uh, Terry, that means that all we're waiting for now
is for Jack and Jerry Briscoe to appear, Terry, so we'll be waiting
for that. Let's turn it. So Terry and Dorry in the ring in
the studio, Terry, where are we going? We're free trying to touch
me, Terry. We're free trying to touch me Terry. That week.
Ah, it's dust wow, how McDonnel dusty roads at the ring. Listen
to Gordon, Wow, look a dusty coat of fucking town. Oh,
Terry flailing all over the ring like he's taking gunfire. Tory, such an
idiot, nice bump, Dory, fucking Terry Horn these guys, hor Terry,
no touching me, Jerry, you just got the cap to today.
Oh god, Terry's got his T shirt ripped off and wrapped around his throat.
Terry stumbling all over the studio. Take me out of here. I
gotta go home, Terry. You gotta go to the bathroom. Dusty's with
Gordon now after running off Terry, so we confirmed. Fucking Wahoo said,
where's that the road? Ho these weeks? Where's dust the roads? Where's
the Mac and Dream? I wanna cut and drive this? Yeah, baby,
it's just a simple at this. Whoa McDaniel, come all away from
all in good Texas last night, all away from all again to be with
dust the roads, dear Mac and Dream? Whoa wide naked wide and turn
funk and dorm funks. Juja, you dug about dump, you dug about?
Hey, let's go look at him. But that, baby, that's
what it's all about. This man and me a brother with brothers. Baby,
that's what it's all about. And it's pretty obvious too that you took
the Briscoe's place here today and cleared the ring in very very very short order.
Indeed, uh there's no question about it. But I understand tomorrow night.
That's right. You know we bought up for contract. I don't know
what it costs because I'll leave on my high financing to this man. He
wants to be heavy picture taking in a dump. Well, I'll tell you
one thing. This man I off familiar with that dump. We know right
where it is, and I'll tell you it will be very easy tomorrow night
for him and I to put Dory Funk Junior and Terry Funk right back in
that dump. And Kenya, Texas. There's a shame that has come down
to this talking about one of the beautifullest cities in the world right here and
let it goo goo. Then let it on this Tomornday. Me and woe
who back guy do against the Funks, And I can guarantee you this,
terryff Funk, I'm going for ya, arm Daddy, I'm going for y'all.
Me and Waldach McDaniels, our brother's doll, we all family, and
the morning in the army, oh of our family, will be there.
Get ready, You'll only have one arm when you come out of that night,
and not as I promise, was here tomorrow night, in a manner
of speaking of you don't mind my saying so, Terry. A week later,
I think competitors I've ever seen in the room. I am absolutely sick.
And I'm not sick at my stomach. I'm sick right here, right
between the years is I am sick and tired of hearing people go ahead and
say that Dusty Rhodes was a world's heavyweight champion. He was the shortest lived
champion that there ever was. And yes, yes I did cost him that
championship, and yes, yes I did break his arm, and yes,
I want to put the man out of professional wrestling more than anything else.
You see, as I've got a father up there, and I want him
to be looking down on me, and I want him to say, Terry,
I've got a lot of pride in you because you do what you say.
And Terry, you are king of the Texas death matches right now.
That's what I want the people to go ahead and realize in Georgia. And
yes, my brother McDaniel's the world championship. And yes, I will continue
being on this man's back from now on until we get him out of wrestling.
And I hear people say to me yellow yellow when they come from behind
tomorrow night, they may be saying the very same thing, sir, I
have got after that, no disqualification match, my their junior, and I
are gonna lead them lying in the ring and the omni. And after that,
I'm gonna have a chance at Dusty Rhodes at eight sucond Dog, and
I'm gonna put my hands around his neck and his face is gonna swell and
his eyeballs are gonna bull. We're gonna find out tomorrow. Let me there
it is, My god, what do you what do you think? What
a fucking pause? Okay, holy ship, He's gonna start crying. He's
going so nuts. That's one of the that's one of that. That is
a I mean, is that is that a well known promo? Can people
talk about that promo? I don't think so. They should? They really
should. That's one of the great promos. What did you like it?
I mean his I love that his intensity was contained. I loved that he
wasn't he wasn't overreacting, he wasn't going crazy. He was very Jake Roberts.
Yeah, and it has gotten too serious for him to just be screaming
and hollering. He had a different his gear. His threats were were like
homicidal. I'm going to kill you, that's right, and it's not.
You know, I'm not. I'm just I have settled on that. That
is the only way that I can that I can finish this is by just
murdering you. Tremendous. Terry Funk makes pretty good TV. Oh he's exquisite.
It's got some more jumping over now to disc six. The very beginning,
We'll start at zero zero, zero zero, and this is Terry Funk
ringside with Gordon Solely on Georgia Championship Wrestling, further expounding upon the latest in
his feud with the Amalican Dream. Right. So this is from TBS September
of that same year, nineteen eighty. What a fruitful decade it would be
for Terry Funk, both in the ring and in Hollywood and in so many
other ways. The eighties is kind of when Terry Funk becomes absolutely undeniable in
some ways. Yeah, so let me know when you're ready. Yeap three.
You used to use a four letter word that was very shocking to people,
and I'm going to use that four letter word. But I'm not going
to say it, and I'm going to spell it out to you people,
and I guarantee you that it'll shock you. The word is felled f E
A R. And that's exactly what Dusty Rhoades is going to have whenever he
steps into the ring with me, because I realized that the man is a
drugged man. He's drugged on his own ego. And whenever Dusty Rhoades thinks
that he's so terrific, he thinks he's so spectacular, he thinks he has
a great following, he thinks that you VELVEDI slim is pooling somebody. It's
not pooling anybody, not me. I'd like to say something else too about
Ole Anderson's brother, Lars. Lars Anderson is dumb. He is ignorant.
He does not show any respect for his family name. I can vouch for
that family has respect for each other, and a brothers fight should be not
in public. I have no respect for Lars Anderson, and I have no
respect for that fat, no good eggsucking cock roads, Dusty Road cocksucker.
That's a twist. Let me ask you this. First of all, you
are scheduled to wrestle against Uveeldi Slim on the nineteenth at the Omni in Atlanta.
Not Dusty Rhodes. Listen, he will not have a place to wrestle
because he will be barred from wrestling as soon as that mask is taking off
from him, and he can go back to Fat City or wherever that he
is from because he doesn't impress me or any of the intelligent wrestling in Georgia.
I was there. Oh okay, he can go back to fat City,
Fat City. Oh my god, I really thought he was gonna say
egg sucking cocksucker. Let's move ahead on this desk to twenty three fifty one,
so we continue rolling here in Georgia Championship Wrestling as Dusty Rhodes and Terry
Funk come face to face one more time on TBS. Was hit that play
button? Are you ready? I am ready? That's a three two one,
very very I'm here, baby, I'm a Macan daddy before with that
guy that I could have told Terror Funk before I get him the baby it's
me because and Is Lou louis my lad. Don't be good, brother.
I hate your damn is Terry. Look at that rush off a match,
But let me tell you something. He looks like a grandfather from Maine to
Mexico. And you tried to break my back in Kansas. Woof, and
I broke love. Terry almost cries. It's so true, whether you know
it or not, is that we've got that fire down below. I've never
asked you for anything cal Farley style, only wait, and I asked you
right now to take me as your partner in there. Uh oh, I
get oh. I know that you might think it I'm going across you,
but I got something right here. And that's right here means more to me
than anything else I've had in my life. This is my father's watching this
watch. Who cares? No money doesn't mean anything to you, but it's
the only way. It's the only way. I mean. If you'll be
my who cares about the watch, I'll put I'll let you hold this,
just an expression of how seriously Terry cares about the watch. I guess fathers
and my father's been gone a long time. It's all I got from him.
And you take that watch right there, brother, You take it and
you hold it, and you let me be your partner, even though I
hate your guts and they tell you something don't you ever put your hands on
me like that, put your hands on me like that. I won't take
the watch because I know is your soul. I know it's your body,
your blood and your soul. And it's gonna take somebody just as evil and
it's low down and low life. Have you to kick ther butt, but
I've made your on you on Terry's still screaming after the bicrophone, threatening Gordon
solely as well on set. Well, I know where a fact o what
the late Dory Funk Senior meant to Terry thun Let's go to the ring and
two pause there. Okay, so some intensity there between these two. They
they kind of neat a different level. Yeah, No, for sure.
I mean it's it's it's it's funny to see them be intense when they're when
they're friendly. Does it bother you that they were feuding over a rolex?
Uh? Well, I guess I don't see what the fucking point of the
watches, but whatever, And I know it's special, but I don't know.
Heirlooms are weird to me? There's there's not there's very there are very
few things that that I put meaning into like that, got it? You
know, I mean there are let me, there certainly are some things,
don't get me wrong, But you know, and I'm and I'm a sentimental
motherfucker. But I'll just assume sell the watch and make some cash. Sure
well, I think Dusty kind of just did that. He said, I'll
take the watch I bought, Daddy, I'll take the watch. Baby.
I'm gonna hawk this fucker right on the fucking in. But I haven't better
yet, Daddy, I guess that's better than animal ing this sucker. One
f five is our next stop as we continue in Florida or in seat of
as opposed to Georgia Championship Florida Championship, though of course still Gordon solely with
the microphone. UM, okay, I am ready stand by, ladies and
gentlemen, And three two one plays the American Dream in a bunk house match.
Bunk Yes, Terry Funk's cup of tea. If you will well with
Terry, wouldn't it be a funk house match a challenge? And he didn't
turn down this one either. You certainly met him. We're going to go
now to the armory. We're going to catch the closing moments of what turned
out to be one of the most grueling matches I have ever seen. That
was my pleasure to be at the Armory for that particular match and for Homer
Hester. Go to the Armory and watch Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes, Texas
bunk house match. Look at Terry dressed up like chainsaw Charlie so true.
Look at that and it's funny. I guess got his own or is he
wearing fucking like eighteen hundred's a nightgown? Night yeah, clothing or whatever.
It looks like he's gonna wake up and encounter the ghost of Christmas past.
So Funk's crank in a spinning toe hold on the canvas and Dusty's throwing hands
off his back. Both men and street closed cowboy boots. It's bunk house
here, boss, Yes it is. Or like I said, it could
be funk house. Be funk howser. That's there we go. Dusty just
locked out a few four on Terry Funk. Look at them all bloody and
messy, like wait a minute, he's got looking look what he's wearing though,
he's got red and then he's got fucking like blue panties on. Just
Terry Funk. That is kind of weird, isn't it. Yeah, Ah,
James J. Dillon hits the ring. Wow, thus begins the bond
between Dylan and Dusty that of course would carry through Crocket and the Horseman.
And now Dusty's got his hands on Jim Dylon and a bionic elbow for Dylan.
And look at him that Jesus Christ, look at him sell Yep,
Dylan looking like someone who works with Clark Griswold on his seat, flailing about
as Jim Dylon, as Terry Funk and his long John's begins to gather himself.
Funk just keeps peppering away at Dylan. He's taking shots Ken do he
just charged the ring and now he's blind siding road. Where's Hiroshima? That
remains to be seen? Look at the look at the bass in Gordon's voice,
Oh, look at the blood and look at this missed missed hit Terry
Funk in the face and Dusty roads pins Terry Funk. Wow, that's Dusty
and he just keeps fighting. The matches over but he's still cooking. Look
at him, go, I know appears sixer as declared by Solely. He's
got no one on his side though, fucking Dylan. Who's that? That's
Haku? Oh is it really? Oh my god, it is King Kong
Tonga. Look at the mang. Here comes Dory. Dory is actually fighting
on the side of Dusty Rhodes. How interesting. Why apparently Gordon just said
Nagasaki get injured. Terry. Oh, I don't know if he's a friend
to just now when he accidentally Oh probably, yeah, but this is weird.
This is still you know, you know, I have an issue with
with I mean, not surprisingly with with Dory's hair at this point. I
mean it's just now a it's it's a real problem. I mean, he
looks like a like a like a perverted farmer. It's like like a mad
scientist or something. No, I wouldn't give him that much credit. And
there's Terry on the floor swinging at ghosts as Dory tries to console them.
Could there be some room for wow daylight in the relationship between Dusty Rhodes and
Terry Funk here as they end up on the same page. Terry, Terry,
I don't, Terry, I don't know what happened. Terry. I
went, you know, I went to the ring and then there were people
fighting. I didn't know who was who. I just I just I just
said, well, what would what would mama do? And and Mama told
me to hit people yep, and then she told me to hit myself.
And I don't even know where I am c WF. So let's jump ahead
now to a further clip from Florida nineteen eighty two. This is a one
eight and it's sort of like an empty arena steel cage match between Terry Funk
and a Florida jobber by the name of Bruce walk Up, which apparently there
was no walk up for this particular night because there's no one here. But
it's really it's really like a test tube early eighties Terry Funk presentation in so
many weeks, so this in just a moment. Yeah, I ain't know
twenty by twenty either, twelve by twelve and in three two one play and
it is Gordon. I can only say in my I can only say,
in fairness to all of you, I think it is necessary that all of
you realize the kind of twisted personality we have in Terry Funk. Now,
what you're going to see took place without benefit of any audience. It was
a match a bunk house steel cage match between Harry Funk. Definitely working the
empty arena. Stuff he's doing at this time as well, really goes without
saying. And I'll be back with some further comments after we view this are
Do you realize what this man? And shut the door and lock up the
door? Do you realize what you stepped in? You know, have you
been formed him? Who's the idiot? Who's the idiot in the in the
in the white shirt. That's his opponent, right, come as you are,
Terry dressed in shirt, cowboy hat, cowboy jeans. Okay, what
br Bruce lock up? Is more like it? Oh, Terry go nuts
right to the phone, Jesus, Oh smashing his psycho? Is that Barry
Horowitz? It's like Barry Horowitz pretty much. I mean, Darry was from
Florida. This is just Terry Funk insanity, like no crowd noise drowning out
his verbosity. He's just grotesque and perverse. Oh motherfucker, he fucking drilled
him with that pile driver, got his cowboy boot out, screaming, look
a maniac, get up and smashes it across the back of the head with
the boot listen a funk go nuts, get up and just screaming, get
up, get up. It's practically squealing in there. Yeah, I wonder
if that's where fully got it from. Oh, stiff pile driver covered by
Terry one two. Mercifully it's over, Jesus, I said, wide open.
There's Dusty Rose. He says, pig, pig. Yeah, it
definitely sounds like a little uh, get him out of the cage. It's
Telfonso. What's your people see is the final conflict? That's what you've seen.
Do you realize what the final conflict is? That's when it all goes.
That's when there's no children left. Oh, when somebody pushes the red
button, Pal, I got on that, Pal, I'm already way at
you. Buttons, red buttons on between Dusty Rhodes and myself. Was pushed
several years ago whenever he damaged my eye. He pushed a red button in
but I let it go. Later on, he pushed a red button again
whenever he took the world championship from me, cost it to me, but
I let it go. Later on he doubled across me riding the Mayfront Center
in Saint Petersburg, and I let it go. But now I'm not because
you people are going to see the final conflict, the conflict that ends it
all, because I am not ever going to face that big face egg second
dog again. I'm gonna feed him and I am prepared to take care of
him, feed him like a dog headed the cage, headed in the cage
that I can take more punishment than in the barn world, and I would
take care of It's the last thing that I do me. It is about
the only way that you can talk about it. Man like Terry Funky number
one, Dusty Rhodes, and he's talking about an incident that occurred in the
Bayfront Center. Dusty Roads did not let him down. Yes, Dusty Roads
did cost him part of his sight years ago. And these are these are
two men who only know one thing, but they know it from such entirely
opposite approaches. Roads wants to win, but not at the sacrifice of somebody
else. Bruce walk Up and how he got involved in this situation, how
he got himself involved in a challenge. I know anytime Bruce walk Up,
who uh that Terry just destroyed? Bruce Walkock, Editor's man, a man
who's wanted to come down here. That's what he was. He was a
fucking walk up. He has that dream, that the same kind of dream
I guess each and every one of us carry in our hearts that we'd like
to get right there to the top one day. And uh, for Terry
funk to do what he did to him, where is that dream? I'll
have some kind of what we're talking about, and I'll bring that information to
you as to his condition. But it was obviously he was hurt. And
I'll tell you what. Wherever Dusty meets him, wherever be it today here
on Championship Wrestling eighty two at the Convention Center in Miami, at the Sundome
at the University of South Florida and Robarts Arena the Jacksonville Coliseum, it doesn't
make any difference. When Dusty meets him, he knows, he knows the
bunk house, he knows the steel cage, he knows pain brother Terry Funck
may yet have some lessons to be learned. It's a wrap there, powerful
stuff. I mean, what do you think of Terry's promo in that cage?
Man? Oh god, that was unbelievable. What was unbelievable? For
those accounts I mean, I've never I mean, he just when you think
about what we've been watching with him, and in terms of his his nineteen
seventies run, his world title run, I mean, he's completely insane.
He's horrifying, like he that would as a kid, that would scare the
shit out of you. Imagine in nineteen eighty two watching wrestling and seeing a
guy talk like that into the camera, like you would think someone's about to
get fucking murdered. Seriously, Yeah, exactly, exactly. I mean it's
it's that's incredible stuff. That was just, you know, that's par for
the course for Terry. He showed up in your town, he pitched,
I don't understand what Gordon Soley was talking about, though. What dreams is
he talking about? Like he's walking about that. Why does everybody have a
fucking dream of being becoming the top of you know, a top wrestler in
the world. Not everybody. That means all the wrestlers you've become acquainted with
here on Championship Wrestling from Florida, he said, all of us, Yeah,
that includes him. He wants to be top wrestler in the world.
I mean, the way Terry was banging his head against the not in the
mesh, the bars of the bar that promo. Yeah, I mean he's
he's out of his mind. He's out of his mind. He's not,
but he is, do you know what I mean? Yeah, it makes
him even more out of his mind when you realize how collected he can sound
when he's trying to sound normal. Right. Yeah, It's like, how
can someone go to a place like that and still be thought of as just
like an old grandpa. This guy's out his fucking mind. Yeah, and
he's feeling it. He's feeling every word he says, He's feeling every emotion
he's conveying. And so it would get interesting because after the nineteen eighty two
blowoff in Florida between Terry Funk and Dusty Rhoades, of course Dusty eventually matriculates
over to Jim Crockett Promotions. The first Starcade happens in eighty three yea,
with Dusty involved in naming the event and clearly involved in coming into Charlotte as
the new top guy for that company. And it happens at a time when
you know there's a divergence between you know, Funk and Rhodes's respective career paths.
Dusty's about to be much more Charlotte focused, much more focused on being
like an actual legit NWA World champion, like building a proper rain. Yeah,
and Terry is off to Japan to have his farewell tour in All Japan,
which of course ends in August of nineteen eighty three. And by the
time he comes back to the States after that tour, Dusty's already fully ensconced
to JCP and then that whole Star Kate era begins. So after this blowoff,
these two really don't meet for the rest of the eighties until that's wild.
What's that I said? It's wild when you really think about it.
Yeah, really is, Because, of course Terry is we'll talk about further
down the road here in the Lapsed Funk. He not only returns from Japan
in eighty three to it to a different scene, he eventually goes to work
for Vince in eighty five, right while Dusty is hit a man over on
Crockett in eighty five, battling with Ric Flair winning the championship at Star K
eighty five. The Hard Times promo. All of that and Terry focus on
WWF television when that's playing out wrestling Hogan and stuff. Yeah, Saturday Night's
made event, teaming with his brother working the program with Junkyard Dog. That's
a relatively short lived run, but Dusty is still playing out the string through
to nineteen eighty eight over in Jim Crockett Promotions Stroke WCW and of course has
the you know the blow up over direction once Ted Turner buys the organization,
has that fit where he gets color on TV and direct defies or not to
And where does he end up? He ends up in New York. But
in and around that time, right before he debuts for WWF, Dusty Rhodes,
that is, he makes an attempt to resurrect the Florida Territory as we
have been experiencing it here in the last few hours here in the lapsed funk
really does He tries to get the band back together, He tries to get
the territory up and running again. And who does he call? Who does
he call when it's time to usher his son, Dustin Rhodes properly into the
industry. Is the uber baby face and air apparent to the room throne.
Who does he call? I'm gonna guess he wants to get funky. Oh
it's Terry funk. So I ask you to pull up a disc fifteen if
you could, We're going to take you to not CWF, but p WF.
That was the name of the company that Dusty started upon leaving WCW Professional
Wrestling from Florida as opposed to Championship Wrestling from Florida, which was the long
standing Any Graham territory that he came up in and became a superstar. And
as we've been chronicling, so if we pull up this twenty four, we're
going to see how twenty four he said fifteen brother, fifteen, thank you?
Okay, brother, got me nervous an over On disc fifteen, we're
going to toggle the thirty seven, forty four, thirties forty four and I
got is that DDP in a Batman shirt? That is indeed DVP. This
is where the uh longtime Dusty Rhodes Diamond Dallas Page friendship is forged. Page
coming in off of debuting as a manager of bad Company in the AWA,
breaking into the business for under vern and yeah, his first next stop,
if you will, is this this attempt to get Florida going again. As
the territory, and of course Stu would be a key proponent for DDP for
the entirety of his run with a book at WCW and played no small part.
And I'm helping Page ascend to the top and become champion. In ninety
nine, Page tells the story about getting a phone call from Dusty after winning
the title at Spring Stampede, asking him how it feels. It feels real,
and Dusty says it's because it is m and in a lot of ways,
second only perhaps to Jake Roberts, Stabbn Dallas, Page has his whole
wrestling career. Roberts, Savage and Dusty those are the that's the support structure
that put Page over the top. And this is where it starts. So
yes, it is DDP serving in the role of you know, Piper on
Georgia as the heel color commentator next to the straight man Gordon Soley, so
solely getting what year was this again? Nineteen and eighty nine before? So
this isn't like the months leading up to Dusty going to WWA. Yeah,
yeah, the month it's little more than a month. I think this thing
runs for like six or seven months or something like that. Because he leaves.
He leaves Crockett in the middle of eighty eight. I believe it is
believe it's I believe it's the end. I believe he's that Starkade. If
I'm not mistaken, it's star K eighty eight. Yeah. Yeah, So
here we're going to see how the phone rings down at the Double Cross Ranch,
because it's it's time to pop the territory to the degree that's possible in
nineteen eighty nine. Of course, this is post Vince McMahon national expansion in
the WWF becoming, you know, sort of the McDonald's of professional wrestling.
Yeah. Sure, And Dusty's got his boy to get over. And there's
only one man for the job in that regard, and it's the Funker.
So let's press play in three two one play, So Oliver Humperdink has go
oh, fuck my life, the other guy that would follow over a w
study under dust any more, here's the Funker. Don't want to scream and
holler on this television, as I have heard Dusty Rhodes doing Gordon Solely,
I want to tell a simple story for you simple minded people out there.
Once upon a time, when I was a child, I had a jackass.
My father walked up to that jackass cock a gun and blew that jackasses
brains out. Now, I said to my father, Daddy, why did
you do that to my jackass? He be said, because that jackass was
fat and useless. There and useless things in the state of Florida. One
fat thing that is useless in the state of Florida is the city of Miami.
It is fed with pollution and decadence. And the only reason that I
would go into that rat hole his to rind this state of something that is
also fat and useless, fat on its own ego. That is dp w
F champion Dusty Rhodes put the belt on himself, of course he did.
You can't get the world champion. He gets the fucking I'm here. He's
gonna get the Florida championship at Texas death Match. But why can't you,
Dusty Rhoads, why can't you put your belt on the line. You and
Randy Roberts, a president of the Federation, are ducking and dodging who you
are ducking and dodging, terry fuck Because I am down here with a reason,
and I am going to that staking rat hole to a pndast what I
wanted to and I will. Yeah, we'll find it. Just definitely post
over the top, post roadhouse tearing, Oh totally yeah. Yeah, here
comes Dusty later on the broadcast. Anyway, where's the belt? I want
to see him more carrious strap, no strap, cool, bomber shades,
leather jacket, indoors dust linking is cool in eighty nine Jesus Christ d DP
greeting Dusty at the interview set. We brought We brought something for you too.
I want to make everything who was a good idea? I can't stand
any of these people, like it's all your favorites. They're all fucking disgusting,
looking like a woman comes out of the bottom. By the way,
it was the Professional Wrestling Federation, not Professional Wrestling from Florida, but it
was clearly designed to evoke c w S right Humperdinks a fucking pervert. Dusty
is a goddamn slob. D d P is just I don't know what the
fuck the DP is brought. You ain't bad funks in the boxes. They
work out ahead, jump out of the box, and I'm gonna fucking beat
a bitch with a goddamn chain funk pop out of the same box the woman
did with no shirt on, overalls, jeans and cowboy boots and he's beat.
Here comes Dustin. There's Dustin. We've got them all over and the
nasty boys. Oh yeah, brother in law SAgs and dust him how badly
Dustin? I don't have any idea. Look at that pudgy little bitch,
Dustin Rhodes and so diabolic. It's hilarious. Look at all. Look at
Scott All. Yeah, Scott Halls down there too, yes, ship and
this man was beyond believe, Terry. It's like the whole band he got
together when he came into ninety one. Yeah, right, Debut, Who's
that is that Gibson? Is that Robert Gibson? Dust everybody taking him off?
I can't now that's the current. That's skinner. Get the funk out
of the mullet. Look at that and look at that perverting mullet, with
with with with the fucking highlights at the end, the fucking frosted tips,
the scarlet. Boss, Let's get it. What is wrong with these men?
Verry? So we can pause there, okay, so yeah, we
just you know, let's play all the hits, baby, Yeah, I
mean so by the way I looked it up, Dusty was only in his
own organization for two months. It was two months only, Wow, I
thought it was like six at least according to his wikiped it. Just did
a quick look out onder under Wikipedia and he made his debut. He launched
in February eighty nine. He made his debut in March on March fourth,
and then his last match was May thirteenth in the PWF No. May twentieth.
May twentieth, Yeah, and the PWF. Amazing man, he realized
really quickly, there's no there there huh. Yeah, I guess not.
Probably sold zero tickets I give if I give that the PWF if not,
but a money if daddy. Just I think it's so telling that Terry's the
first guy brings in you know, yep, plugs right in that main heel
position. Yeah, the guy pops out of the box angle. And I
mean for folks that didn't have the benefit of seeing this, I'm sure it's
available somewhere on YouTube. Why did you bust out laughing when Funk came out
of the box. Oh my god, he he You see him get out
of the you know, you see his head pop out of the box,
and clearly he does not have like a good sense a balance from whatever he's
climbing out of. I don't know if he's just in the box, or
maybe his foots asleep, or maybe there's a trapdoor or something, but he
just he gets out of there, and he immediately just fucking falls like a
complete animal. I want ahead and attacked Dusty, and I fell on my
ass and I said, fuck it, I'm gonna whip this bitch with a
chain, and I'm gonna do it with a smile on my face. And
I'm gonna think to myself, go ahead and need a candy cane and get
that shit under way. Yes, he fucking falls. He's just a complete
disaster. I mean, he's everything you think of Terry Funk like the way
he falls, and part of me wonders maybe it was on purpose, because
he falls the same way when he gets kind of tangled up in the ropes,
when he gets beating up hard in the ring, you know, when
he wants to create that sense of absolute chaos raining and he's all bouncing and
flailing and inside the ropes and going in and out like a goofball. Well,
thanks for that chronology. That's great to place it precisely where in nineteen
eighty nine it was taking place, so suffice to say that there was so
funny. There's like a pretty long match between Dustin and Terry Funk on PWF
Television where Terry, let you know, Dustin take him to the limit,
and that is not a Yeah, Dustin shot a few pounds before he showed
up on Vince's TV. Yeah, I'll say that's the beginnings of Dusty trying
to create a legacy for the Road's name in the nineties, and it carries
through, of course into Dusty getting the book at WCW and pushing Dustin at
US Champion, feuding with the likes of Steve Austin and so many others,
and by the time nineteen ninety four rolls around, we've had a couple of
regimes and Dusty's back in control as Eric Bischoff takes over executive producer of w
CW, but of course in trusting a lot of booking responsibilities to Dusty and
his right hand man from Florida, Kevin Sullivan, and come Bash to the
Beach nineteen ninety four. God not only does Ul Cogan come in of course
on that show and win the World titler. But there's also the stud Stable.
The stud Stable Terry and bunkhouse Buck team up to face Arn Anderson and
Dusty Roads. I'm sure you remember that. Yeah, I remember that because
you bought this pay per view, right, I'm not buy this one now.
Oh you didn't buy Dalton. I bought Halloween Havoc. Ah, my
mistake. So that's again and keeping we've seen glimpses of it. The big
angle is always like Dusty or Dustin, they get a partner that they used
to not be able to trust. Right. We just saw it there kind
of with dorifunk Junr when he saved Dusty from Kendanagasaki and others. And he
did it with Oli Anderson as well, and one of the most famous TBS
angles ever where it was like a year long, drawn out thing where only
one Dusty's trust, only to turn on him and you know, kind of
spun a masterful yard after doing it about how you know, he planted the
seeds every step of the way, and you know this was always how it
was going to end up kind of thing. And here they did the same
with Arn Anderson just with Dustin in the Dusty position with a question of whether
Arn's going to turn on him considering the history that Dusty and Arn Anderson had.
So they wrestle at Bash at the Beach, and it's now time to
fire up disc twenty four because not only does a Dustin face off against Terry
Funk and WCW with RN in his corner, Yes, at the Clash of
the Champions Oh on August twenty eighth, nineteen ninety four on TV, as
Dusty Rhodes returns to the ring and battles Terry Funk in a w CW ring
and a tag team match. Is Terry and bunkhouse buck face Dusty and Dustin
Rhodes. Oh my god, So let's go to twenty four twenty four on
the spot. Oh just twenty four. It's twenty four, brother, Yeah,
I'm there and of course worth noting over at one O seven twenty nine.
If you're there, boss, what's what's the time going? One O
seven twenty nine, one O seven twenty nine. So not only when Dusty
tries to get floored up as a territory again does he called Terry Funk,
But when he gets the book at WCW when he needs to usher himself back
into an on screen role as a character work in angles and matches, Who
does he call? Who finds a job ATCW despite all the uh the you
know, just under the surface real animosity apparently between these two it's the Funker.
It's just you can't you know, once you have a dance partner,
once you have the foil, once you have the other side of the coin.
In professional wrestling, you can never not work together if you're in the
same company or or available in concentric circles. And we're seeing it right now
with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. That's kind of like another example of it
exactly. You know, It's like when people detect that when they see you
guys go at a promo battle or battle in the ring, that there's just
that little extra oomph, that little extra sense of reality, you're always gonna
end up working together. And the Dusty Roads Terry funk story serves as really
the ultimate testament to that. So totally go to World Championship Wrestling Boss.
It's the clash of the champions, all right, Terry and Bunkhouse versus Dusty
and Dustin hit that play in three two one play ladies and gentlemen. Well
they call him the natural not true. Oh oh, Dusty's got his tan
going. Oh yeah, Salary, I think you gotta get tan, dude,
if you wanna, if you're gonna play on the game, brother.
Right, Oh, this is the show. So this is August, right,
that's correct. This is Hogan and Kamala. Right. No, I
think it's it's no, no, no, that would have been. That
would be the next year. This is Hogan and Flair, the rematch where
the uh, the the Man in Black attacks the first time? The what
again the Man in Black? Oh? Sure, yeah, yeah it's that
one. It's Flair Hogan again. Look at look at Dusty and send him
over the top rope. Holy ship. That's let down it. I'm fucking
around me and Terry with a chair. He picks it up. He doesn't
know what he's gonna do with it. I don't know what I'm gonna go
with a fucking chair. How you gonna sit around? I'm gonna throw it.
I'm gonna puke on my fans. Fuck everything? What ahead? Hold
on ahead and dump my ass out of the ring. Hold on a head
a sandwich in the ring either any other riveting stories, Terry, I like
that sign Dusty plus dustin Texas, not Amarella but Texas. Yeah, and
never did Amarella. Bunk House buck of course, the jama top just he's
just soiled all over. Colonel Park. I can't. I can't fucking believe
it. Bunk house but what a what? It just can't with him,
I don't. I don't understand the fucking pajama top. And uh, you
know, just what a fool. How remarkable as it though? We were
just watching nineteen eighty two Dusty and Terry at each other's throats on TBS,
and here we are in August nineteen ninety four and still on TBS. Yep,
it's the card they played. Hey, you know, if it's money,
baby, you go back to it, daddy Terry And is red black
striped pants era? Now, so let me ask you so. But but
it's it's it? Is it at all likely that people? I don't,
you know, I don't remember the build up to this at all. Was
there any talk about the past between Terry and Dustin? Yeah, yeah,
there was like passive references made. It was more about you know, Dustin
having injustices done to him. It's basically rerunning every angle Dusty ever did,
just with Dustin. He's even got the cast on his arm from when see
that from when Dusty right got his arm broken and lost the title the Harley
Race, think to Terry Funk. So they just run ran the old playbook.
It was like it was like there was echoes of the past, and
everybody knew that. But it's also fair to say that a lot of people
don't even really appreciate who are watching this. I know that there are some
long time no you know, Georgia, Florida, Atlanta fans, but you
know, yeah, that's why you can repeat it, because people don't automatically
go, oh, this is exactly what in eighty two. You know,
that's Georgia, that's Florida. That's not National TV. I mean, especially
because no one, no one actually had access to the fucking tapes either.
It's not like that stuff everyone. So Dusty's got the tag, he's untucking
his denim vest and he's pumping the elbow. He's dancing because he realized you
need to breathe and he can't breathe, and that shit's tucked in exactly at
the fist. Oh crowning bunk house buck with a bionic elbow down he goes
Dusty. Uh heenan just said he that that that Dusty wants funk. He
knows. Here comes Terry Duke's up from the funker, baby dast what do
you? What do you want to do? Pal? You want to go
in and out? I went ahead and decided that we should do a big
thing, a big scarmish I'm gonna kick you in the balls, then you
kick me in the balls, and then I'm gonna gou your eye out with
a fucking a needle, and then you can stab me in the face with
a fork. Means every word of it he does. Dustin threw his body
on the buckle so Dusty couldn't take the buckle. And here comes here comes
Terry fucking doing the up and down the seesaw action that he does. Fucking
those legs move around. He's such a goof little yep brother. Something about
the way Terry Funk pumps his shoulders and when he's doing that staggering cell yep,
yep, yep, Dusty Roads whips Terry Funk into the corner and incidentally
into the face of Bunk House. Bunk goes, Buck goes Terry Funk's ass
early stink face. I guess exactly right. Well, they call him the
natural natural with Commissioner Nick Bockwinkle, the guy who tried to help Dusty sneak
the garden hose into Terry's bedroom. Terry quick to break up the cover and
puts a right hand on Terry Funk's face. Oh yeah, he's coming out
earlier. I remember this now they're talking about Hogan came out earlier, and
and the man in the mask brewed or actually I think it was arn Anderson
under the mask actually, and he came out and and waffled him in the
knee, and they had to postpone the match to like the main event,
which it's like, well it was the main event anyway, exactly what Terry
came in, tried to ddt dust and Dustin dead waited him, and Funk
just took a bump. So I forget. This is less than a year
after Terry Funk walked out on Vince McMahon at the ninety three Survivor series,
saying his horse was sick and so he couldn't Yeah, he was going to
be a knight, right, exactly right. There was even talk of involving
him in the front office too and having him involved as as a booker as
part of that deal. Well, I think you know we can have you
definitely booked the towns and and you know, I think but all you gotta
do is you just got to be one of one of Lawler's Knights or Shawn
Michael's Knights, whichever one we got. Just I think it's important that you're
a knight, all right, shining armor. Oh well, you know,
oh, Vance say, hey, you know what I'm saying. That went
ahead, and I'd go ahead and do this, but you know the thing
is, I want ahead and rode the horse, and the horse just said
fuck it. If I can't come up, The horse said, fuck it?
What do you want me to do? Did you say? Who Dustin
from? Look at that? There's that old you know, partner turns on
him thing again and arm tripping Dusty as well. Dusty and Peril now is
funking buck work him over? Look at this. Look at that's the old
hold Dusty's arm out to break it in. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Meng is involve he it's just running the playbook man, oh Man, barnyard
buffoons. You got that right, yep. Terry Funk stumping the ship out
of Dusty's arm as he splayed out on the canvas like a beached whale right
in the center of that beautiful W CW logo. I know that is the
best. Put u Dusty on his knees getting worked over here, kicked and
punched by Buck. The Dusty makes a desperation dag to Dustin, Dustin swinging
that cast hand. The youngster's in, Hey, wasn't he in like eighty
nine? Like? How was he in ninety four? At this point?
I mean, because he's the youngest one in the ring. I guess,
oh yeah, by a mile. Buck is the oldest guy in the ring.
I think at this point? Is he really? Buck's older than all
of them? Pretty sure he was? Yeah, even Funk Yep, yea,
I'm pretty sure he was the oldest guy in WW and he was there
no ship. Well, I'll give him that. He looks good for his
age. Dustin whips Terry in a Dusty's elbow and Terry spills out of the
ring. Crowd still loving it. Man, You know what works works?
Yep, it's true. Buck but no double A slips in. Double A
is coming in. He hasn't double A with the excellent hinge. No one,
No one has got a bend over hinge like arn Anderson. He knows
how to do it. Out of Dustin. I was coming face to face
with Dusty brother and an elbow puts down double A. There comes the toughest
man to ever walk into wrestling, the mang Daddy. I'm out of here,
baby, let you be, walks away. I'll let you be,
baby best. He not looking for a fight with the tongue. I thought
that I'm not. You know, I gotta go home. I got a
I got a pie waiting for me and the other and dadd I gotta go
get out of here. H. But first I'm gonna bring in a chair.
Uh yeah, Dusty's fish to cheer out from under the ring. I
don't remember this post match, so he hit Mang in the head. Yeah,
he breaks like a wooden chair over his head. Oh yeah, it
doesn't work right. Where's it like a necklace? I mean I will say
this they they h once you get the fucking tongue of death. Yep,
oh for good he I will say this about about they really did build up
Meng as being this monster totally. It's just a shame that, you know,
they never really did anything with it, because all of a sudden he
becomes just haku. But you know he's he's more of a monster here.
Ah. Yes, Frankie Lancaster dressed like he's fucking assistant manager of seers of
course, not funks in the ring taking on everybody. Yeah, if it
turns into like a fucking group warfare, you bet he's he's walking around.
Oh, meng is choking Dusty Roads around the neck with something, you know,
just more chaos with Dusty and Funk at the eye of the stone.
Of course it's Greg Ganya try to break it up in the suit. Oh
my god, wow w w that's wild, just you know, just to
be able to connect, to go all the way back to the first clip
we saw between Dusty and Terry. It was what it was, let me
fine to hear seventy seventy six, the first time we saw them tussle.
I think it was I think so yep nineteen seventy six to see them going
at it and Dusty, you know, Terry is world champion with the YEP.
The headband on and going ahead and going ahead, and and and and
and making sure we all get fed. So that has to be the end,
right, that has to be considering their age. And yeah, they
didn't do an awful lot in that match. The crowd was hot for you
know, there are other promotions out there. I'm not convinced yet. I'm
not nineteen ninety four. I mean, that's long in the tooth. I
mean, like we just said, we started with this feud in seventy six,
for God's sake. Yeah. Yeah, Well, I'll tell you what.
That last thing they are is long in the tooth. Are you suggesting
that it's not nineteen ninety four, that's the last time Terry Funk and Dusty
Rhodes, these these true enemies mix it up together in the ring. It's
not nineteen ninety five. It's not nineteen ninety six. It's not nineteen ninety
seven or nineteen ninety eight, or nineteen ninety nine, or even two thousand.
Oh my god, are you serious it's that far. Well, it's
not two thousand and one. It's not two thousand and two, it's not
two thousand and three, it's not two thousand and four. It's two thousand
and five Jesus Christ promotion called Carolina Championship Wrestling that was formed in and around
South Kakilaki by a promoter by the name of Tony Hunter. He essentially created
a starcade Jim Crockett Promotions nostalgia promotion in two thousand and five. That was
all the rage ec W came back and all of that. And of course,
if you're bringing back Starkaid, or at least the essence of it,
you definitely want Dusty a call. And Dusty, this is the time period
that we heard Terry Funk talking about in that sit down with Bill after this
is that time period where Terry is what were Dusty's kind of loosely affiliated with
w WE, so, you know, doing things and not doing things on
the basis of you know, soft but I'm sure firm suggestions from from Stanford
is to what he can do and making some money independently versus what they'd rather
really rather see him not do, if you know what I mean. And
so that tension serves as a backdrop. But no, Tony Hunters group got
got some funds together and really really paid high dollar for anybody that was around
that meant something from the Starkate era to start running shows. And so what
what do you do right when you got to when you got to pop a
house, you got to you got to get something ready made out of the
oven, something that doesn't require any of course, of course, you don't
have to discover talent. You don't have to you know, discern who can
do what. You don't have to do anything. You just have to plug
and play. That's Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk and the ultimate example of it.
Now, there was there was talk for a little while there that that
when Dusty was in ECW in two thousand, Remember I made reference to how
Dusty came an ECW in two thousand. Yes, it was kind of like,
you know, perceived at least a bit, as you know, Paul
Hayman doing a favor for the Rhodes family because Dusty it was pretty much not
not earning any money at that point and was trying to start like a like
a like a fantasy camp for wrestling fans where they can come and train,
it was called, and he had an indie group called Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling that
completely. I vaguely remember that Yeah, totally fell in his face, went
absolutely nowhere. But yeah, that's just sort of a lustra of what I'm
talking about. And in one of the RF video shoot interviews they did at
around the time, around the time that people were speculating that maybe there was
a chance this is post ECW closing, but not too long after that,
Terry and Dusty could have actually hooked it up in e c W. He's
asked in two thousands, he's asked by our video if that almost came to
be Listen, is there any plans anything with you and Roads and Center?
Dusty came in and he hit made some comments, So that's actually about bringing
you and know some stuff. Well, that Dusty Road, the Dutchy Rhodes.
He had the plans, but I didn't, right, No, No,
I would have enjoyed working a program with him. I would have,
and I talked about it. I don't know what was it. I don't
even know. I just kind of just blew away. You know, could
have been money and stuff, and could have been anything with PAULI industry,
you know, yeah, could have been a master plan. I'm sure it
was a master plan if those two were involved. After covered from off you
never came back. So I'm sure it was a master plan if those two
were in uh huh, but you see how you had to get that dig
in there. Of course, Firsty wanted to program. I didn't want it.
He wanted a program. I didn't, you know, I never I
never got a program. I didn't. I didn't ever ask for a program.
I only watched my television programmer with the program. I've never gone with
the program. I've never been in the program. I'll tell you. I
just you know, I went ahead and decided, you know, I just
don't think Dusty has a program in mind. I'm not so sure about you
never being in the program, Terry. I've got some arrest records here.
I think it was core ordered. As a matter of fact, I've never
been a programmer. I've never never been a programming you know. I never
quite learned my sequel coding. I've never been a computer program but apparently my
computer because the woman took Dusty Rhodes's job in that one. That was unfair.
I've never been a computer program, not programmer program So we want uh,
that's fucking great on disc thirty six. And if that doesn't tell you,
I mean, we started on like this two and if you can't tell
it goes in an order and disc and pick it up at about two o
two thirteen. This is now post ECW. This is post one night Stand
reunion stuff. This is like, you know, what's out there that we
can leverage that has some degree of nostalgia to it where the guys can actually
go in there and still do something presentable. And it's just it's just,
I don't know, it just speaks so much to the magic these two were
able to create. That there's or the or sadness of the business. Well,
I think we're approaching sadness. I think we are. I'm not exactly
sure how sad to cast it, but that's pretty sad. I definitely think
there's there's there's an element of sadness we're about to encounter. Is when we're
when we're doing well. I guess I get so. My time code has
us on the very end of the previous matchup and it says they're no dunking,
So I guess, uh, I guess Dory is not not allowed in
this uh in this little gymney. Yes, yes, because there's a fucking
basketball hoop in sight. That's always I mean that that to me. Lets
you know exactly the state of of of where these men are at, Okay,
exactly if you're if you're in a you know, a building that only
has floor seats and has a basketball like a permanent basketball hoop fixture, it's
hard time, daddy. And so if you're going to bring in Terry Funk
and Dusty Rhodes in two thousand five and pay that premium, you might as
well have them cut some promos, right might as we'll have them of course,
do what they do again is just wind them up and let them go.
So here are promos in two thousand and five, Terry Funk and Dusty
Rhoads, still building matches against each other, still playing from running the same
playbook from seventy six eighty two, all the rest here we have it.
This is some promo battles. And then we're going to see a match in
two thousand and five between Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes. Hit play in three
two one play. It's getting closer and closer and closer. Ah, I'm
a national treasure. Look at him, you woan breaking eight break sucking dog.
I didn't care for Dori Funk. I didn't care for Terry Funk.
I didn't care for old man fuck, and I didn't like motherfucking you win,
breaking a sucking breaking bad every time he sees uh a line, stinking
buffoon like you roads, I have integrity. Seventh, Tony Hannah brings this
band of ruthless people in the Gefne. Terry Funk leads the pack. I
want you to look into my eyes, Dusty, and think about me.
That's hatred. So maybe the seventh, the guests like Walter Mathow in that
shot, we're gonna find out if he still has that Scene five burning inside
him like I do. The winner of that match on the seventh can proclaim
themselves they won and only living legend Gaffney Middle School. Uh yeah, okay,
like I'm sorry, ready, I can't no ah ah, Like you
said, Dusty has got a job with the E right at this point?
Oh you can't hear me? Is Dusty working? W W at this point?
What yes? A song for Dusty? Oh boy, cull it up
with the branding iron in his hand. Yeah, uh, Terry, I'm
sure this is working, Terry ha Terry's just wandering around the ring unbelievable.
Hoping these lyrics are registering with people. What the fuck is going on?
Do you know what song that is? I have no idea. I have
no idea what song that is? What the fuck is going on? He's
just walking around with the mic. Well the whole song plays through. Look
what it's come down to. I mean, thoughts on the Gaffney Middle School.
I can't. I mean, it's depressing. It looks like that look
at the school. We saw that that show in that Wakefield Wakefield High show.
Oh yeah, Honor, that was yeah, duh, stay, it's
an aesthetic. I feel awful. I feel very like he was working for
WWE, right, Uh, Dusty did you say that? Not quite yet.
I feel like the flirtation had begun. He had just lost his job
as book er at TNA Okay, so he was between jobs. So he
needed a payday. Oh yeah, yeah, a snicker is preferably, but
so I think he liked Actually, I think you preferred both. Else A
reporting at the time that Rhodes is working generally for fifteen hundred dollars per shot
these days, while Fus charged at twenty Oh my god, and this shot
fifteen and fifty fans at Oh yeah, Dusty, here it comes with's some
old time rock and roll for sure. Who the fuck is this clown?
Just like security thinks it's cool, he's like, yeah, ever cool when
you're wearing like a striped polo shirt. Look at Dusty. Look at him,
sleeveless t shirt. His fucking tits are all over the place. Look
at him. Look what it's come down new for the map. I mean,
this is this is the true American nightmare luggage. Dust where's the leard
yet? Who's working hard times now? And he's wearing the fucking Oh he's
got knee pads on the outside of his jeans. He does its bunk house.
Ah, that's how the old cowboys used to do it. They put
knee pads over their jeans. Yeah, I don't think so. Dusty hits
the ring and Terry clears the ring. Go imagine what he's gonna do to
this fucking middle school. I mean seriously, like, you know, he's
like looking at all these people chairs already frame, Terry's launching chairs already.
Who's this egghead? The fucking announcer god a decade after Actually, you know,
the sad thing is is that Dusty is one of the thinner people in
the building. Jesus, that's true. Actually the double Cross ranch Terry steps
in, thinning hair up top, but still looking good. You know,
he looks all right. He looks like a hot mess, but you get
my point. Yeah, he doesn't look like a shell of his former self.
Really, No, just looks like an older version of himself. Right,
Dusty just finished off a couple of moon pies in the back. Oh.
Actually, I think he's got a couple in his pocket. Actually,
Terry fuck fun Funk Funk Darry Funk just launched the chair at the ring announcer
halfway through his new bounce mean and send him flying out of the ring.
Oh my god, listen to this idiot on commentary. Get Terry just stand
there with a chair. You know they're gonna I have a bad feeling that
they're gonna juice. Yeah, I think it's a guarantee, because you gotta
get color for these fans. At least you can do for these people.
I mean, look at look at the size of these depressing individuals on the
outside. Dust has the mic. Why is he talking his shirt in his
in his in his gems. Oh man, give him, dust Rose,
give himself a little thing and thing and thing. Brother, call her an
elbow. Tie up, boss, Take a look. That's how come the
elbows. He's not even hitting him. Terry's trying to do the cell.
My god, he's gonna die. That's what happened in two thousands. It
became like a perverse game of this. He gonna hurt himself, you know,
My god, hardwood floor of a middle school. Terry Funk two thousand
currents. I love how they can't even afford fucking uh gym mats on the
on the on the floor. This is a full decade after that w c
W match we just watched. Think about that. I'm just trying to figure
out what's going on. Terry stalking the outside of the right now? Hey,
actually is that Bruce Pritchard on commentary? It sounds like it be a
long long way I can remember, not that one, the other one.
Ah. Yes, Nelson Royal introduced the bunk house match. Terry's found a
fan to get involved. Here we go. He's gonna get all pissed off.
Terry leaves the ring. There, you got a damn thing. You
go get face to face with this fat motherface. That's the way the cowboys
used to He thinks he's cool looking at it, he thinks he's tough.
Stuffing Terry, fucking cool guy with the stuffed chicken in his hand, stab
hm the fucking belly with a with a pencil. Oh, Terry went for
the chicken. Dusty creeping over good, Dusty. I mean so slow,
it's like one punch, like wait twenty seconds to something else. Look at
that. You see that like barely tapped the ring post. A cowboy wouldn't
be carrying around a chicken. Terry is the only one move, you know,
leaving his feet, that's for sure. Yeah, anyway or not,
he still wouldn't be carrying around a chicken. Dusty came outside. Oh,
I mean it's not even The sad thing is they're not even at a high
school. They're at a middle does not make it somehow worse, you know,
it makes it so much worse. These guys are going at it big
time? Is it big time? I don't know. Oh yeah, look
at the intensity these guys are going on at big time. So it's something
to see the physicality evolve or devolve. Yes, does he's still swinging at
ghosts. But he's doing it at zero point five speed. Yeah, what
do you do? Boss? Let the people know he just Terry went grabbed
the chair and put it around his own neck, picked it up like he's
gonna throw it, just drop it around his own head like a necklace.
That's Terry man. He's just gonna grab things and creep. He's a color.
We have color. We already blame. We have, we have color.
Didn't pointed elbow will get a trick his forehead open. Oh my god.
The tight jeans in the crowd are it is? It's very It's unbelievable.
Oh my god, Dusty is Oh he's covering him. Oh, look
at him. Hit the ground, Look at him. I can't even move
when kicks out. Awful saw I ball, no, no, no,
Dusty p no. Harry's trunks down so further than Shawn Michaels wrestling, I
mean full ass past the bottom ask sheet and Terry of course rolling around with
his ass hang it out. Look at that. Oh my god, they're
getting like fucking clear shots of that. Oh what a hell? Oh I
took my pants down because that's what the fans need, thank you. It
is the lapsed funk after all. Oh, oh he just oh he stuck
something in his head. Oh god, he fucking stuck his thumb or something
on there, and now it stinks like ship. Oh has he smelled it?
Yeah? And he shoved his hand in the referees face oil check dive
Daffney. Dusty went from pumping gas at uh Terry's brother in law's gas station
to check and oil here on Terry himself and Daffney the uh he's a regular
minor key this guy referee Mike van Eric here. Yeah, before he if
he didn't kill himself, big low blow there from uh Funk puts Dusty roads
on the canvas. What are we seeing? Boss? Just so so atrocious?
I mean, And the thing is like you look at the at the
ringside people, No what he cares. Everyone's just fucking silent, sitting on
their asses. They're watching it almost like like you'd watch, like to see
if the groundhog is coming out of the ground. Right right, Dusty's got
color. Now, look at him hiking his jeans up. O, my
god, fifty you just did it again. He was sucking cut himself of
it more. Do you see him do it? I missed it Dusty he
went for Yeah, Dusty did. Terry's choking him with the rope. It's
not a it's not a good retaining rope. If it's that loose, you
just kind of I mean that most of these people couldn't. But you can
step over it. Yeah, people can just walk through it. Fucking cut
it with scissors, Dusty stumbling. I mean they're just walking around, you
know, randing iron to the head of Dusty Rode. He's got a brand
and iron there and he's sticking in his face from the double Cross ranch and
oh that was that was a solid shot, actually, Dusty. But that
Ernie iron not a good follow up. They're gonna come down the air,
Oh man, Terry versus Dusty Reverends, the perennial battle. Bust open the
wall, middle School the door and the door won't open. Oh I supposed
to. Terry Funk is knocking on that door with Dusty's head. Oh God,
Derry, Derry is knocking on that door with Dusty's head. You want
ahead? Terry Funk knocked the door on his head, and I said,
well it's about Tom was sped up and again, as sad as it may
be, back comparison flashes back to when Dusty was beating up funking the audience
and eighty to remember that in seventy nine, yea of the hair. Maybe
through the thing we did in seven and nine. Take back of the venue,
Take it the back of the venue. Baby, we get back of
that daddy, We get back in the middle school. Maybe we can pick
up some death and get some textbooks. You know what I'm saying. Dusty
walks well, oh yeah, shuffling along like a like a dying show horse.
You can tell his knees aren't going to fucking break in any moment.
Look at the look how high the waistband is. And those jeans, I
know, I mean it's like somebody you know jeans. Apparently jeans in this
town have a lot of work to do. Yes, all right, they
have to contain a lot of humanity. Terry's got the mic. He doesn't
know if it's working. This is fine work, and they cannot work.
Oh ship, just one ahead and taught a got a chair all round my
head? How on Hana sad bread. It's like it's comedy, I as
it is. But he's just so goofy that like you believe that he's not
doing it for comedic effectness, right, you just think that he's insane.
So he's found a way to make it seem like with the chair wrapped on
his neck, he's trapped between the ropes as he tried to enter the ring
like he's stuck. This is no place to be. It's physical comedy.
It's slapstick. Right hand, down goes the funker. Wow, he fucking
did a real bump in the middle of the ring. Jesus say, it
must have been an announcer's microphone down there in ringside. I must beut an
announcer his microphone down there. A ring shot, A couple of gut shots.
As the Funker comes back to his feet with a chair in tow,
barely taps Dusty on the head way that look at this, I know I'm
looking at he's just like I mean not to mention the fact that it's a
plastic chair. He's like shoving in his face speaking. Terry takes a big
swing and Ye ricochets off the ropes, hits him in the head, drops
down. Two. Three. DUSI did the thing where you stand behind the
guy he stumbles across your back. Dussia Rose against the wind. Oh my
god, what a disgrace. Carolina Championship Wrestling boss. Uh kids there,
look at that. You got fucking like five year old kids there. Of
course, Terry goes to work on the ref After the bell, Terry beats
up on Jesse Tyler Ferguson. There. Yeah, exactly, big left hand.
Terry beat up Jamie Tucker. Oh, Jamie Tucker. A Funker stands
tall again, tucking his ass, cheeks back into his pants. Look at
dig around in his ass. He's fucking trying to find you. He might
have he might have actually just let out a piece of ship, and he's
like, where is I gotta find I gotta find that piece of ship.
Talk about the lap of Funk hanging in my ass? There. Dusty still
just kind of standing there, loitering at ringside. Despite getting the victory,
Terry makes the walk, the slow, bloody walk to the back of this
middle school, having tankeed dream Yeah, please so long forever the love of
God. So that's gotta be it, right, that's gotta be the last
time Dusty Rhads and Terry Funk met in the ring. Come on, you
gotta be kidding me. No, they did not December third. I said
this was it. You said this was it. Carolina Championship Wrestling Steel cage
match. What disc thirty seven? Fuck? Wow, it's the problem that
didn't inspire God, and even even Dusty and Terry Funk managed to overstay their
welcome. This one did not draw that the one we just saw, pretty
good house. It was but four hundred people. No, it was his
fifteen hundred and fifty fans in that building. You get out of town.
I was onarded house, yep. But when they came back for this cage
match, you would think I'd do more, but it did. It did
less, and this would pretty much be the end of the experiment of it
with only seven hundred in attendance. Kind of a money loser considering the high
priced talent they're bringing in, but a testament to the enduring appeal, at
least to the minds of the promoter, Tony Hunter here of the Dusty Funk
rivalry. So we go to one seventeen thirty seven. All right, unbelievable.
Okay, you don't want to see him in a cage after that.
I don't want to see him ever again after that, either of them.
You don't want to go, ah, head, don't want to go ahead
and watch this match? I know it was wonderful. I want ahead.
I'll tell you what I did. I want to head, and I went
ahead. I went over. Get ready. The Funker's got a microphone and
he's got to he's got to drive home the significance of this one last rodeo
all right with the Drugstore Cowboy himself, Dusty Rhodes, the Emilk and Dream
three two one play. You know, there's a lot of you know,
there's a lot of people in the professional wrestling that I love and a lot
of people that I hate. But o those people that I love and hate,
the one thing that's the most important thing to me is that they respect
me and I respect them, just as I respect the Slam fans that are
out there. Just like Hulk Hogan might be an obnoxious, ball headed idiot,
but I respect Hiller and he respects me. Rick Clair, he might
have a banana nose and be a goof that I respect him and he respects
me. Nick he might have a adential ass. I respect mcfuley too.
But there's one person in this world that I do not respect, and that
person is that fat overbearing, obnoxious, egg sucking dog, and I've got
him in the ring tonight in a cage, and that's exactly where I want
him. Now. I respect the people of Carolina, and I'm going to
tell you one thing. As you people have been used to great performances in
the ring, You've been used to great talent, and now you have to
watch this big fat slob walk around and do absolutely nothing a lord tonight.
And that's a promise from the Funker Roads, the American Dream. How many
roads about traveled with Terry Funk? How many beatings have we gained all night?
This thing has to come to an end inside this steal casey, the
American Dream of tower power, too sweet to be sour, Terry Funk,
that's the road, the longest running feud in the industry. And then ain't
gonna be putty tonight. So I'm telling you, when you see this cage
go up, you better take a deep seat and a fallway. Look like
they say, an old rodeo house, the American Dream, Dusty Roads are
gonna put it on till you get funky like a monkey right here tonight,
All right, fans, this is what it's all. Cage is up.
The scene is set high school. They end this time at the same school,
same the middle school. I'm pretty sure this is the middle school again.
Yet oh no, sorry, this is Conway South Cakilaki Okay in the
building said vicious No showed this event. Of course. What I mean is
that a surprise the glacier you're talking to glacier over there. Loose They made
up the saying loose cannon they had Terry Terry Trump starts and fights with Glenn
ciders that the Mic. I one can hear a word he's saying. Mike
doesn't even work. Of course not there. He is respect you mass you
respect me? I mean he stepping the show fit fair no matter what it's
not. I want step. But I have no respect for you and these
people go ter they no respects you. I have nos I thought that and
stopping. Hey, I'm just like it sad think that bohm. That's may
I put now and have that? Yes? And I oh god, oh
there I agree? Yeah did? I ain't a monkey? But enough about
lunch for the male con dream bell Sounds Terry Funk Dusty Rhodes December two thousand
and five, and a steel can Still go under the just the standards.
So do you see how Funk leaned into the fact that in his in his
pre match promo about how the last time you saw Dusty he was out there
like, you know, like he wasn't even trying. Yes, like Terry
knows how he's coming off, and he tries to somehow if he can incorporate
that into what he says about his opponent. It seems like he's, you
know, going a bit too far. And the things he's said phenomenal.
So it goes from making fun of Dusty being fat in the seventies and eighties
to making fun of Dusty cashing a check in two thousand and five, right
right, And I'm going he'll he'll follow, He'll follow that lead wherever it
takes him, and that will alienate him from working in one place for very
long because you can go there so many times. But here we are again,
back to the well as Dusty puts Terry Funk down in the center of
the ring with yet another But these guys gonna what's that? Veryls Who's going
to draw first blood? The question is did they draw ushers? Who's gonna
draw? Period? These two guys. If you Uh, it's gonna seemed
like noster domis. You can go ahead and predict a blood and a Terry
Funk versus Dusty Roads two thousand and five match. I think that's a safe
bet, Dusty of a Funk lan time be assured that this match will be
violent and very bloody. You can almost be assured it will be a blood
bath. All right, all dust on his knees, taking left hands.
Now he's gonna eat this, eat the steel. How many people were here
at this one? Seven hundred? Wow? Half the crowd? Huh.
Funk eats a cage bar, just like a Ye Florida t himself. It
was Funk bang there the steel. Make sure to rest on there, his
eye on it. Yeah, he has a wave in his old age of
selling where it seems like, yeah, if you were old and you had
no reflexes, that that is how you'd respond to getting your head smashed into
a you would stand there almost frozenss There's just something about Funk's mastery of body
language where even when he couldn't hardly do anything physically, Yep, he's still
know how to make it look like he was really being hurt out there.
The selling well, cartoonish always had just enough completely of an element of believability
to it. Yep, opportunity alone. And you know, we've seen so
many wrestlers step in like Dusty here just twenty years after they should be and
they don't have that. They can't sell like that anymore. They just stand
there, They just you know what I mean, they take shots and they
just they're like a statue the whole time because they can't muster the energy to
sell. Terry never lost that. He refused to. Yeah, I know.
I mean that's you know, that's what makes it. That's that's what
does it, you know, he he that's what makes him so special.
That's why Dusty still will you know, want to work with him moving in
two thousand and five, because he knows, if nothing else, he's got
someone that can move around the ring enough to create something approximating value for the
for the fans dollar. You don't want to be facing the chic at this
stage, you know what I mean, somebody else doesn't move. Was he
still alive this Yeah? I don't think so. I think he died in
three alright. So Funk comes a live pumping jabs into the American dream cutting
him off, throwing him into the fence, and now Funk's trying to rattle
the cage door open. Did you expect we'd end up here? Boss?
When we barked on it, I know I did not just illustrates how long
Funk's in the business man, It's just I feel like I've watched like six
different eras. It's so true. I mean we have, we really have.
There's no question about that. This is like the Batista's winning the title
at Mania. Like, yeah, selling us the cage doors tied, so
you can't get out of the cage door. You got to score a pin
follow get out of the cage. Wow, Dusty having his head raked along
the fence again, three quarters of that cage door open, corners of Dusty
roads his head open too. So there you have it. They're both Luster
Rhodes had h Terry biting the the meaty forehead of the American Dream. It's
probably about to be busted open as well. Oh, Dusty's already busted open.
Dusty's busted open. Got double juice again, Boss, I don't imagine
that, Like, remember Dusty's forehead in the promo. We just saw the
pre match promo. Yes, so pink I he's back here with the razor
burn on his forehead at this age. Oh, I know, it's so
Dusty Cooking throws a big elbow Funk doing the weak needs cell. I gotta
come up with a name for that, and he flare flops. Essentially,
he's all the kinetic energy in the match. It's all Funk. I'll tell
you it's someone I don't in the ring. Den I don't know. That's
a promoter and that's that's the promoter. Don't you feel like you've seen a
real celebrity h elbow to the cut of Terry Funk, Dusty Rhoades laying on
the punishment here just standing around. I mean, I don't much more.
But it's not it's it's very uncomfortable. It really is. Gus, you'll
do something that he'll stand there still, right, I mean, he's right.
That's that's that's part of the issue is that he's he doesn't really he
doesn't do anything. He just you know, he does a thing and he
just lets he lets Funk sell or something. So does this look to you
like Dusty made Terry or Terry made Dusty. I don't know, you tell
me. Uh oh, Dusty obviously made Terry no question about it. There
another view of Terry's satchel ass. Oh, please, let's see if we
can get some more testicles for the fans. Yeah. The last match,
he oh, Funk gets crouched on the top of rope. Look at him
more at this guy, he's like sixty something. I mean, like,
what's he like? Seriously, exactly what's he doing hanging there? Dusty down
to with a knee pep burning barely touching Terry Funk's forehead with those bunches.
I know he can't. Yeah, I mean the last match, you know,
he you know, Dusty mooned everybody with Terry Funk and pulled his pants
down. In this match, he pulls him down in the front and just
like starts, you know, rubbing his crotch. It's kind of weird,
and all of a sudden, all of a sudden, He's got Terry Funk's
cock in his mouth, and I'm like, what is you know? I
mean, dust Now they're on their knees, exchanging red hands. Hey,
you know, Terror, don't yeh? I think you should go ahead and
and suck my cock. I think that'll be a good, No, good,
egg sucking dog. We're gonna put that to the test. I think
we're gonna we're gonna have you be a cocksucking bitch. What's he got?
Oh my god, Oh my god, are you serious? Has lit something
on fire? My god, he's got a flaming branding iron in two thousand
and five. No, oh, he's going after the fucking promoter. What
the fucking he's just killing the promoter, stabbing with his flaming branding iron.
Oh my god, that's Terry Man. He's not going he's not going to
allow you to think he's boring. Oh my god, Oh my god,
Dusty is branding Terry in the ass. Dusty is poking a on all fours,
Terry funk in the ass with a bak with a flaming brand. Yeah,
hey, hey that's what I got. I got, I got a
flaming brand. We're hot, my favorite kind of cheetah hot brand. Takes
the fucking fire toy away from Dusty. That's the end. Oh my god,
Oh my godsty was supposed to do the same finish where he drops down
and Dusty trips over his back. Why wouldn't you, Why wouldn't you just
get up and try it again. You know, he kind of up chop
blocking him and the referees counting the three while holding the flaming branding iron in
his other hand like an Olympic torch. Now, Terry, he doesn't give
a buck. He's grabbing at this flaming branding. He doesn't give a damn.
Now Dusty has it, He's gonna make some s'moores, no doubt.
Absolutely again up Terry Funk with the with the hot thing. That's where Terry's
got the gram crackers in his ass. Yeah, I mean, are you
proud of yourself? Pal? You proud of what you put out here?
What are we witnessing? We're witnessing just a complete deconstruction of society and humanity.
That's a very dangerous situation we're looking at here, ladies and gentlemen.
Yeah, this match is a very dangerous situation. The referee, but the
flaming branding iron raises the hand of that. Nobody cares, say to Black
on the Dusty Roads versus Terry Funk feud ending of All Year's Boss in two
thousand and five, pretty amazing. Just four years later, the Hall of
Fame induction ceremony. When it came time to induct Terry Funk and his brother
Dorry Funk at the same time into the WWB Hall of Fame, it only
made sense to give one man the call to induct the Funker. What a
magical night we have upon us. When you talk about Dori Funk and Terry
Funk, that's so much to say. Dory Funk held the world's heavyweight tittle
long years, the only man to hold that title at any length of time
being and that was the Great Lutairs. Still today he captivates a young audience
of learning the waves of the world in sports entertainment. He truly in his
era and his day, Dorry Funk was called what they called in the Old
West, a shootist, and that's a great honor to even talk about him.
Terry Funk now is another story. You know what I'm talking about,
Yep. Terry Funk myself has stood across the ring from each other about three
thousand times, so many bruises and bumps, so many times I was left
like I was wasted a wave. But what was always true about Terry Funk.
He brought the fight to you before it was fashionable to call ourself East
ced W before Tommy Dreamer stepped up and made E c W a name and
a household around the world. Terry Funk was extreme, even at a young
age in our entertainment world as we call it now. Terry Funk exiled also
world's heavyweight champion. They rode out of West Texas on two horses and captivated
a whole nation, captivated a whole continent, went all the way international Japan
were they he erected statues of these two men. They were legendary. You
call them icons, their national treasures, both of them. When I think
about the years that we have spent on the road together across from each other,
and Terry Funkendorfunk calling me an age sucking dog, Jesus, but at
least he can still call it, you know what I'm saying. But the
bottom line, I thought a long time about these two guys and the respect
I have for them, and the respect they have for all of you,
the fans, And I said to myself, you know that's right, that's
right. I said, I wonder who's going to be around to take us
all home when these two cowboys are gone. I want to shoot us the
other one the last surviving outlaw in captivity, Ladies and Gentlemen is Ananna in
the Hall of Fame, Dory and Terry the Funks. After an inDrama like
that, I'll never call him an overburn. I'm not just a sucking dog
again. They'll make promises he can't keep. Yeah, I'll say, well,
he wouldn't get many more chances. As Dusty Roads passed away in twenty
fifteen, Terry Funk was seventy one years old when he lost his old dance
partner. He told him bus at Open Radio. Dusty had such compassion,
such love, and he instilled that love into his two kids. You watch
those kids. I call them kids now and they aren't kids anymore, but
they are going into their prime now, and you watch them in the next
ten years, They're going to be very well known in the business. For
one reason. They idolized Dusty, both of them, and they should have
idolized him because he was one of the very best in the country. I
truly believe both of them are just wonderful pieces of talent that are going to
be pushed to a different level than what they have been. At least I'm
hoping that they will I think that's the smart thing. Asked when the last
time he recalled speaking to Dusty Rhodes was, Terry Funk gave an answer that
I think you would expect, considering the roads he's traveled and the many ponds
in which he dipped his toe. Oh heck, I don't know what it
was, probably a year or two ago. That's how we always went.
Wrestlers are that way. We say we love each other and we say goodbye,
then we go on to the next town. We don't ever really say
goodbye, just go to the next town the next day, and whether you
see those guys, you see them again. I talked him a few times
through the years, probably a couple of times a year, telling him whatever,
you know, we're just running into him. We always feel like we're
going to run into each other again. We never say goodbye. It's just
like going down the road, you know, good for nothing. Eggs second
down. Then 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.