Ep. 369: The Lapsed Funk, NWA World Champion (Part 1)

You know, good for nothing, eggs sucking dumb. We did it our
way because we love it that way. We love it that way. 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
a lapsed Funk and it's time to talk about Terry Nwa World's Heavyweight Chimp.
I know a great curiosity of yours over the years knowing about Foh absolutely,
I mean it's a he's again, you know. I mean this all goes
back to the same fucking thing that I've said since we started this one is
that I just I think of Funk as the guy from you know, ECW,
the guy from well not ECW, but you know, the the wde
version of him at the end of his towards the end, not even towards
the end of his career. But you know what I'm saying, Like ninety's,
late nineties, early two thousand's that guy. And so that guy,
to me is is not world champion material. The guy we talked about last
week in concluding Funk and in Japan with his nineteen eighty three All Japan retirement
ceremony after the emotional tag match against Terry Gordy and Stan Hansen that Terry Funk
alone is a Hall of Famer. Oh my god, absolutely, And now
we're going to ask, no question another resume in his NWA World title winning
run that would also qualify him for the Hall of Fame if it happened in
dependent of all the things we talked about last time. So I think we're
really now we're starting to get a sense of why this was such a remarkable
career in pro wrestling, because you're layering on accomplishments and resonance that no wrestler
could hope to achieve, even in a third of the measure that Terry Funk
achieved. And just coming off last week's show where Funk walks off into the
sunset as far as anybody in al japannuw in nineteen eighty three, that was
really his first retirement. It wasn't a punchline yet to suggest that when Terry
Funk retires, he'll be back soon where you left in terms of like where
you started as we went to all Japan through the seventies and eighties to him
exiting in terms of what you feel about Funk, now, I mean,
the thing about him that I am wondering and that actually is is kind of
the one thing that really the only thing missing from this man's career is that
he was never at least he didn't seem like he was a mainstream draw on
the level of like a Hulk Hogan or a Roddy Piper, And that,
to me is just the only thing that's missing. And I don't understand why
there was so I mean, man, he definitely has appeal of being a
wrestler more than anything else, you know that. But he's he's exciting,
he's unpredictable, he's brilliant in the ring. I just I don't I don't
understand how how. I mean, maybe it was by choice, I don't
know, but I'm I'm I'm flabbergasted by this man at this point. Now
you're saying those things about America, right, he wasn't amazing, Yes,
yes, yes, America I think of in terms of the rock and wrestling,
you know, orientation. Whatever the funk it was. Well, Fortunately
for us, this this installment of the Lapsed Funk, will get into the
closest he came to being just that in America. And I don't want to
say he's not a draw. Obviously he's a draw. You know, he
was n W a champion. Obviously there was that thing. But you know,
you know, people, he's not someone that people know by. You
know, he's not a household name to normal folk. Yeah, like I've
I've even the people at that that new Old School wrestling in in my cast
King of the Jews, they they they they Terry. I say what they
say, what are you? What are you working on? Oh? I'm
We're doing a tribute to Terry Funk. Who's that? Yeah? You know,
even though he had you know, I guess he didn't have the movie
career Roddy Piper did, but he had every bit the movie career hul Kogan
did. I think he might be able to argue close to it, Well,
we'll do. Brother. Did his movies make money? Though, dude,
if yours did his did, let's put it that way. But I
think the answer is the fact that he was that in Japan. Yeah,
to a degree. The guys you mentioned weren't because they were doing it in
the States. But for Funk and his family having ensconced themselves in the front
office of all Japan. That was where their bread was buttered. Yeah,
and that was where their boys like Brody and Hanson, an Abbey to some
degree, Dick Slater, Terry Gordy, you know, the guys they patterned
themselves after and ran with that came to all Japan went to make their big
life changing money, and all of that was happening as Vince McMahon was consolidating
the American wrestling scene, and so for the Funks and for Terry Funk in
particular, the end, you know, the US wrestling scene that he came
back to after walking off al Japan in nineteen eighty three was what was so
drastically different that that he had missed putting himself in position to be one of
the guys that Vince Junior would have necessarily plucked from territory A because he's in
Japan way more than most and even has front office responsibilities right. Plus he
just mastered the art of being a nomad bigger and earned pro wrestling, A
guy who fully expected once he started in a territory to leave. He had
just as much of an exit plan as he had an entrance plan everywhere he
went. We're a programmed with this guy. We're going to work the horn,
We're going to sell out the houses. This is what I'm going to
say on promos. This is how we get the best out of each other
in the ring. And then this old cowboys moving on to the next town.
And he never dropped that mentality, which was the mentality that was really
you know, baked in the cake of how to be a pro wrestler all
the way back to his father and really only ended when Vince Senior took over.
Vince Junior pardon me, took over and had guys criss crossing the country
and flying from territory to territory, totally indiscriminate. You know, you were
a national TV star. And that starts to happen as Terry Funk starts to
navigate the early eighties and Georgia Championship Wrestling hits TBS nationwide and famously, as
we'll get to Terry Funk was one of the first given credit for detecting even
before Vince Junior took power, that this is what was going to happen to
the business, because he started to notice that despite the acclaim he was accustomed
to getting in the areas he went to when he went to certain areas,
a Tommy Rich who was famous on TBS, A Dusty Rhodes would be bigger
stars than him, even though he was working the main arenas in that territory
the whole time. But suddenly there's this national cable outlet where fans are even
more hyped, think it's even bigger deal to see the guys they knew from
television nationally come to their town. And so once you start to see that,
since that in the area, you're like, Okay, there's no way
the business doesn't totally lean in this direction. Even if there's a lot of
fiefdoms to protect, it's inevitable. And he was right, and so navigating
that was he was kind of masterful, and that he made his money at
WWF when they took off in eighty five. He got there. That's the
thing about Funk. He did it, yeah, and he could have stayed
there, but he had too many angles to work. He had too many
territories that were in need of his services, and he much preferred that life.
And a lot of it has to do with the stresses that it created
on him to be n WA World's Champion in the seventies as we'll talk about
this time. But to understand the significance of Terry Funk winning the NWA World's
Championship in December of nineteen seventy five, we've got to start with his brother
being the first in the family to do it. We talked so much in
The Limitable Tragedy about Fritz von Eric trying to set his kids up for world
title glory, right, Boss, Absolutely it was the David and the Carry
and Kevin and Carrie did get give a lass ass of these motherfuckers. I
don't give a shit who goddamn gets the damn belt by someone's going to get
the damn belt. You gotta think when Fritz looks to a precedent for what
he was trying to achieve for his boys, he's got a look at his
old chum and opponent, Dorry Funk Senior. I would imagine, yeah,
as Dorry got the title on the boy got the title on Funk Junior February
eleventh, nineteen sixty nine in Tampa, Florida, when Dorriy Funk Junior at
a very ripe young age, I think he was. I don't know if
we can run it down how old was he any way, he was looking
like he was fifty five. Yeah, I'm not talking about how he looked.
He looked like he was eighty. I get that. So he was.
He was born in forty one and won the title in sixty nine,
so he would have been twenty eight. So that's pretty young, sure,
considering the riggers and the demands put on the world's heavyweight champion in that era.
I mean you were signing up for. To put it, to call
it a ball busting schedule is to put it so lightly as to almost be
inaccurate. I mean, nobody else in the industry had to crisscross the country
and bust their ass in long and extended matches with so much riding on them.
To keep every territory in the NWA circuit alive vibrant, it had to
mean something when you came to town and you had to leave whoever they paired
you with better than when you came. And that's how the ecosystem worked.
That's why everyone wanted to be in the NWA in pay dues and send a
percentage of the gate to Sam Mushnik or whoever was booking the champion, and
so Funk Dory Funk Junior was the one chosen to embark on that career.
It was and again febru eleventh, nineteen sixty nine. And when he defeats
gene Kiniski, if there's not a bright generational line between anywhere gen Kiniski to
Dorifunk, I mean, yeah, you know, gene Kiniski is so black
and white. You know, that's just right. And he was also a
very close friend and ally, as we talked about in the Lamentable Tragedy Journey
of Fritz fan Eric as well, was Gene kNs the guy who really had
tremendous respect from the top territorial bosses in the country. And Fritz and Dori
Senior were well at the top of the list of that. And as the
seventies dawned, and so when it came time to lose the title, it
was jen Kinisky to Dori Funk. Now we know about this, why,
boss, Because we've watched this title change for lapsed purposes in the past,
haven't we? Yes, yes, we have. When was that it was
a hidden gem? I was gonna say it was. It was. He
was right, It was enacting the spots, counting the spots. Yes,
as we went through all those odds and ends that were on the old WW
network that sort of formed the chronology. I missed that. I know,
that was such a wonderful optionality to have. Now they just post, you
know, a year of Superstars from nineteen ninety five, which is great,
but it's not what you know, the chronological about a year from nineteen ninety
one. Please. Yeah, there's there's that legal issue too that how about
legally satisfying my needs right? Apparently that's against the law. So the point
is somewhere deep in the Patreon archives when we were doing Connect the Spots,
we've covered dor Funk defeating Gene Kiniski because tape was made of it. As
you know, of course, world title changes, not all of them.
There were some that weren't filmed because they were sort of haphazardly decided. And
if you're interested, I did. There is a collection on Patreon for Connecting
the Spots. Absolutely, there is. All twenty episodes have been collected for
you're viewing pleasure and easy indexing. And so you know, obviously a big
deal was made about this on different n W A Sergut television shows, particularly
Florida Championship Wrestling as we talked about earlier in the Lapsed Funk that was really
the first territory that Dory and Terry kind of spread their wings and left and
Mailla at to work on a full time basis. They were called back upon
the passing of Doc Sar Paulas, who was, of course Dory Funk Senior's
predecessor in owning the a Mailla territory, and so once that happened, Dory
and Terry were called back sort of prematurely in terms of how much time they
were expected to spend in Florida to come back to Texas. But the Texas
the Florida Television show was really the base of operations in a lot of ways
beyond Texas for Dori and Terry Funk, as well as Jack and Jerry Briscoe.
As we'll discover as we go. You simply cannot tell the story of
the Funks runs with the world title without also telling the story of the Briscoes,
in particular Jack brisco and his run with the World Championship as well.
Those fates are so almost poetically intertwined. Just a fascinating story about a fascinating
time and a truly bygone era in the business. But to get us oriented
and set. Here's some sound of how if you were a wrestling fan in
nineteen sixty nine and we're watching I don't know Florida Championship Wrestling, you would
have found out that Dorry Funk, junior of Emerla Texas I defeated Gen Kiniski.
He become the world's heavyweight champion. Brother again, Funk moving up slowly,
this time hooks him with a leg dive, goes in again for a
spinning toe hold. The referee checking Kanisky finding out if he wants to concede,
and he does not. This man is tough, he is real rugged.
One of the hardest fighting heavyweight champions at wrestling has ever seen. Jene
Kiniski, a former pro football player. Again, Dory Funk softens him up
with a body slam and goes in with a spinning toe hold, and Kanisky
could be in trouble. A referee checking and the crowd might sense a victory.
Here, Let's watch it carefully, as Kanisky has been unable to break
this toe hole. This time Kenisky trying to make it and it looks like
he has He's conceded. He has conceded and ladies and gentlemen, a new
World heavyweight Wrestling champion, Dorry Funk Junior from Amarillo, Texas, defeating the
World heavyweight Champion Jene Kiniski. There you see him now, the obvious jubilation
of this young fellow as he's holding that World Heavyweight Championship belt. A tremendously
excited youngster, and he has good reason to be. The dream of his
father has come through. Dorriy Funk Senior, who is still a very very
fine and very active professional wrestler, has watched his namesake, Dorry Funk Junior
come home with the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. And you can see that the
belt now being placed around the middle of Dorriy Funk Junior. You can tell
he is still absolutely completely jubilant. He has a tremendous victory for this youngster
from Amarillo, Texas, twenty seven years old, West Texas State College.
Do you see him, Dorry Funk Junior. I think what we have just
seen typifies America's new young athlete. These athletes are bigger, stronger, and
obviously sprighter than I think the past. Dorry Funk Junior, the new World
heavyweight wrestling champion. Born and raised in Texas, wrestled since he was six
years old, competed in his first rodeo at age nine. A graduate of
West Texas State College, played in the Sun Bowl out there they defeated Ohio
University. He's been a horseman and literally a cowboy almost all of his life,
and once again, I think typifies the tremendous, bright, new American
athlete. And it's a real pleasure, Dorry, to have you seated alongside
of me right now on a real pleasure to congratulate you on the holding the
World Heavyweight wrestling championship. Well, thank you, Gordon, and you've really
set a mouth there. And well that I've got the championship, I hope
that I can live up to the reputation that felt all already carries with it.
Well, I know that, of course you have to travel now,
uh, perhaps upwards to a one hundred to a hundred and fifty thousand miles
a year. You are under contract, uh to defend this title. Uh
all over, aren't you right? I'll be traveling all over the United States,
Uh, all over Japan, uh, Europe. Well, the belt
includes the entire world, and that's where I'll be going, I owner,
we might not just take a look at that belt too. It's been held
six times by the great Luthez, It's held by Gene Kiniski. It's been
held by a host of great champions. But I can't help with field or
that. Uh, perhaps I'm sitting alongside of of one of the greatest.
Well, thank you, Gordon, and uh, while we're here, I'd
like to pay special thanks to some of the people that helped me get this
belt. I'd like to thank my father. I'd like to thank my brother
because they've worked out with me for the past six months and they prepared me
for the match. I believe when I went in that ring, I was
really ready for it. And I'd also like to thank the wrestling promoter in
Tampa, Florida, because he arranged for the match. So I'd like to
give a cowboy electoral a big thank you too. Might just mention Dorry that,
of course you come from a wrestling family. Your dad was superintendent at
cal Farley's Boys ranch in Texas, and you started out when you were six
years old, didn't you. That's right, I think, uh, all
about the time I could walk. I think my father had a fair of
wrestling tights on me. I think probably even way back then, he had
this in mind that, uh, someday I might be the world's heavyweight champion.
And he trained with me and worked with me real higher all through his
life. Well, I don't I know? You hold a degree from WESTCI,
Texas State, uh in physical education and the minor and speech. Do
you plan uh when you retire to go into the teaching profession. Well,
I haven't thought about retiring yet, of course not. Uh twenty seven years
old now, and I always felt like a man reaches his peak around thirty.
So I've got I've got a few years to wrestle right now, and
uh, I'll worry about retiring in time. Tennis, Thank you so much,
dorry. If I'm junior of Amillo, Texas Ladies and Gentlemen, world
everyweight wrestling champion and a man that I feel is going to hold that belt
in a great degree honor for a long long time to come. We hope
that you'll enjoy seeing him in action. He believes a man peaks at thirty,
boss, do you feel you peaked already? I mean, if you
peaked at thirty, what's he doing in the ring in a T shirt and
a diaper in seventy something in Japan against Osamu nish Moora. Also, what's
he doing in the Royal Rumble in nineteen ninety five or six, whichever one
he was in? And now, Dori funk Jr. Okay, I mean,
were you not just electrified by just the charisma of the man? Oh,
I'll tell you, I'll tell you. I just you know, you
want to know something, Gordon, I'm going to tell you a big secret
right now. I just ship my pants. That's a big secret, all
right. The most exciting things happened me today, and I just won the
world title again. Thoroughly befuddled by how Dory and Terry can grow up in
the same you know, Texas ranch lifestyle and Dory sounds like that, and
Terry has the deepest Texas twang you ever heard? How does that happen?
Well? And also is one of the most charismatic, fucking people to fucking
get the ring. I actually sounds like a wooden box. Thoroughly charmed by
the fact that somebody like that could be put on you know television. Is
the world's heavyweight wrestling champion and you know, provoke excitement, stoke excitement that
somebody like that is what they were looking for. He's you know, Gordon
Soley. They're talking about the fresh, young, new athlete typifying a new
decade to come, and I don't know, take me back to when that
was enough and bigger, faster and stronger athletes too, apparently, So just
overall thoughts there, I mean, we kind of telegraphed it, but that's
the that's what it sounded like when the first Funk captured world gold. Yes,
were you riveted? Oh oh, you're asking me if I'm riveted.
I guess No, No, I was not. I mean again, it's
probably a product of the time and it's it's not really Uh. I don't
know. The these champions in this era at this point, they're just I
don't know, I don't know what people see in them, you know,
like I don't know what the people who were who were booking and the the
n w A folk and whatever saw in some of these guys. Like I
guess I see great technical wrestling, for sure, no question about it.
In ring stuff, he's he's great, and maybe that's all you needed.
But I don't I mean, does that did that. That must have drawn
money. That must have drawn money. The point. Yeah, when it
came to the World's title, people didn't expect over the top charisma. That
was like that was mid card ship a big personality. But but it's not
even a big personality. But don't you want to like have somebody who's who's
gonna say, you know, you want to fucking see me fight? Yeah,
you would think so. I mean, I don't need it doesn't need
to be like a hul Cogan, but or even a Rick Flair. But
you know, like a Terry Funk. He's a lot more energetic and a
lot more interesting, and I'd be more interested in seeing him fight than me
getting that's that must be the mentality where you know you want a boring champion.
Yeah, it's almost like with Dorry. It was less you want to
see Dorry fight, then you want to see someone test Dorry, whereas Terry
coming to town was kind of like a circus in and of itself, regardless
of opponent. Same thing when Rick Flair had the strap. But Harley was
also like that. Harley was kind of like a guy that came through and
it was like, oh, geez, here comes you know, the perennial
champ that nobody can really round third on with his ye you know, hard
nosed, you know, bring it down to its base, brass tack style.
And maybe this guy that we fell in love with locally will be the
guy. You know, we saw the vonner X do it against Harley before,
we saw them Chase Flair on the Lamentable Tragedy and that's electric shit.
And Harley's a guy, you know, he can get a good promo,
but he's not I mean, for I think for Dorry it was kind of
just like, but he comes a cross tough he does, you know,
like Harley comes across much more later on, not necessarily his first title run.
Okay, all right, lizard. Yeah, as we'll get to he
was really a beneficiary of circumstance. He really won the championship for the first
time because of the animosity and the tension and the politics between the Funk family
and the brisco family. Wow, and how difficult it was. Apparently brisco
is one of the fucking biggest duds I've ever seen in my life. Who's
the biggest duds, Jack Briscoe? Yeah, well, yeah, incredible draw
though I know It's just it's so fascinating because he's like, like he he
I'd be about as excited watching him wrestle as a I don't know, a
rabbit just hopping. Well, that's kind of what it was. And in
a territory in Florida, you know, you think of Kevin Sullivan, you
think of Dusty's wild angles, you think of blood angles and over the top
personalities and crazy shit, And I mean they wanted nothing more than in Florida
than a world champion that defended with dignity and grace and somebody that went there
at a showcase, you know, actual hold for hold pin a guy beat
a guy. And yeah, as we discovered in some of the Al Japan
matches we watched quickly when he first came in and was working in Noki and
was kind of a heel dory funk, Junior knew how to slip in,
especially with the help of his brother Ringside. Those little spots that subtenly positioned
him as a heel right suddenly positioned him as willing to be a little bit
sneaky if it was getting too hairy in there and he was losing a grip
on the championship, Now, that didn't mean he came in ostentatiously proclaiming himself
a heel like Gorgeous George. But it also didn't mean that Dory Funk couldn't
reach into his bag of tricks and kind of portray more than just the white
bread babyface. If the guy he was defending the championship against what was much
more of a babyface than he was. So there was some complexity there,
there was some depth. Yeah, all right, give Dorry that. But
it was an era clearly where wrestling fans said, unless you look technically dazzling
in the ring, we don't take you seriously as a top guy. We
may come out enthusiaststically to support you at the local arenas, and you might,
you know, get the most requests for autographs, but it doesn't feel
like a big time, classy night out like it does when the world champion
comes here to go hold for hold and show us kind of a higher level
of wrestling. They came ready to see exchanges, they came ready to see
counters, and they came ready to see matches. Envious submission you heard there
that in fact, Dory Funk Junior Majen Kiniski submit. Yep, they look
they're looking for uh, you know, they're looking for men who know how
to jockey for position. Yep, to look how to uh to to work
a limb in order to post and uh and and create uh, you know,
dynamic in ring possibilities. Well, while Dorry certainly got the nod,
it's not like it was foretold that of the two Funk brothers, it absolutely
had to be Dorry Junior to be the first to reign his world heavyweight champion.
I mean, while Dorry did have a slight jump in his brother in
terms of entering seasoning, it wasn't so much so that, you know,
Terry was significantly behind Dorry in terms of enring ability. However, as Dory
talks about here in an excerpt from a shoot interview he did with our video,
it was pretty much Terry who when the question came up of which of
the two should get the run, pointed the finger and said it should be
him. Sixty nine techs and I I won the end of the world Heavyweight
Championship against Gene Kiniski. It's a night that will never leave me. And
even though it took place what thirty five years ago in the match was about
fifteen minutes. My father was in my corner. There was a lot of
preparation into this and the fact that I could even take you back three months
before the match and my father had a meeting with Terry and myself. He
says, I think I can give one of again as prepared to become world
champion. He says, but we can't put all of the effort in both
of you guys. We're gonna have to concentrate on one. And about the
time he finished saying that, Terry looked at him and said, let's go
with Toy and it. Uh, it just really shocked me at the moment,
and I'll never forget it. But from that moment on, we spent
three months in for preparation and training and getting ready for the World Heavyweight title
Max with Knessy. So it's Terry, let's go with Dory. Oh you
know, I just think maybe, yeah, what yeah? I went ahead
and uh and said, put the put the put the title on him.
Why is that? Why do you think that's the move? Terry? Uh?
You know, Uh, I don't know. I just thought, you
know, better him than me, had something he would say, better him
than me? You know, I want to head and wan a had and
got some hat and fell in my head. I want ahead and and and
and ate some bread and and sat on a on a couch instead on a
couch instead and said, damn it, I'm gonna I'm horny for some had
So yeah, that's why he wasn't the pick. He's trying to get sucked
off. Still hadn't recovered from the beeh so WW came out with a DVD
series about you know, wrestling's most famous families, legacy families, and they
had a pretty good little bit of it on the Funk set. Have you
ever seen this one? No? I never saw that one. So here's
a couple of pieces of sound about kind of the backdrop of what Dorry was
just talking about, where it became clear that the Funks had you know,
enough sway enough influence, and Dorry Senior had enough credibility in terms of his
ability to train his sons to be ready for the rigorous of championship runs that
it was going to be one of the two that it looked like, you
know, Dorry had positioned himself sufficiently at the NWA Board of Directors to get
votes for one of his kids, but they had to make one pick.
And so here's a couple of bits of sound that kind of spell out nicely
the dynamics that Dory Senior would have been observing at the time in terms of
what made his one of his boys contrast from the other, what the difference
was between the two, and how that might have factored into the decision.
I think the greatest wrestling family in history of the business would be the Funks.
Funks I mean Doriy Terry Dorry Senior. I mean, my gosh,
the only two brothers to ever both be world heavyweight champions. Doriy Fonk and
Terry Fonk are completely opposite. Terry was a wild, crazy guy. Dorry
was the more calculated, the more serious. Dory Sr. Was a wild
crazy man, but he was also a very astudient businessman. They were brought
up by the old man. Again, was a tough old guy. He
was tough on those kids, and they learned a hard way. I've always
tried to listen to my father, unlike Terry. Now I have a brother
that I really admire, and I think he's a great athlete, a tremendous
wrestler, and I've always kind of envied him a little bit because Terry kind
of went his own way when I was a pouring seement and working hard on
a job, where Terry was out having a good time. And this is
carried over to his attitude in his professional wrestling. He still was the same
way he defies his father. I'm not saying that there's no love between them,
because there is. There's a very sincere understanding. It's just a little
bit the way I differ from Terry. My father expected excellence. He was
so hard on me that the other wrestlers kind of cat behind me and said,
hey, the kid's doing pretty good. Dorri Jr. Watches and he
thinks every minute. He's got his eye on his opponent. He knows what
he's doing. Terry is just as great a wrestler. Don't get me wrong.
He it's mad. He's going to blow his top Gordon. He's gonna
go wild. He's going to say the heck with the referees, heck with
the fans, the people, Let's go yeah, and he'll take wild,
crazy chances. Where Dorry Junior would never do anything like that. I would
have to say it was more fun to wrestle with my brother than anybody.
Not necessarily easier because you never know what Terry is going to do. I
remember one time my father told me he should if a fellow beats you,
if a fellow what's you, you better go back there the next day,
and the next day and the next day in a day after that. If
somebody don't pay attention to you, won't smack him, And by golly,
he'll pay attention to you. Then I can usually walk away from the wrestling
match and into the dressing room and cool down, you know. And he
doesn't cool down fast. If he comes in a dressing room, he's very
likely to punch about three or four locker doors and throw a few chairs and
then settling self down. When you go into a wrestling match with Terry Funk
as your partner, you never know for sure what's gonna happen. So yeah,
I'd say a contrast just a little bit. Terry is a mad man.
I mean you heard he's Yeah, he's nuts. If a guy pay
attention, you just smack him in the face. That's what Daddy taught him.
That's not a bad idea, oh inherit that what I didn't I've never
taken an idea from anybody. She used to love one of those w W
docs used to have like the driving music under everyone. Oh, I know,
I know, it's always this fucking like that there was that there needed
to be constant stimulation all the time. Yeah, they didn't ever trust a
voice to be compelling enough to just or a story to be compelling enough.
Right, No, nat, sound just flood this with music that tells you
how to file right, And in the mood they went there was lighthearted.
But yeah, interestingly that they just talked to Dorry Junior. I mean,
Terry is an interviewed in the piece, and he's talked about more than Dory
is. But that's neither here nor there. I mean, Dorry did maintain
a bit of a tighter bond with WWF opening the Funking Conservatory and trading a
ton of wrestlers in the mid nineties for them opening up the school, working
with Edge and Angle and others, So that might have been sort of why
he was more considered more in the family for sitting for a documentary. But
I thought that did a nice job and sound we haven't heard from Dory funk
Senior there. Yeah, right, describing the contrast for the world to hear
on national wrestling television or at least on wrestling television, the difference between the
two brothers. So this isn't something that was just understood by people who knew
Dory and Terry personally. This is something that was very much broadcast to the
wrestling fan, hold to the wrestling fan to think of these two in contrasting
in different ways, and it seemed like a shoot. It really did seem
like they're The difference between the two since boyhood, as we've talked about here
on collapsed Funk and that would come in tremendous handy and creating a money dynamic.
After Dori Funk Junior wins the championship and younger rascal brother Terry goes into
the territory first to try to defeat the person that's biting and nipping at Dory
Funk's heels his next challenger, and we're going to send the madman in,
the crazy younger brother to handle business. And so here's another piece of sound
from that ww documentary, further elaborating on the dynamic between the two brothers and
talking about how Terry really was so crazy in the eyes of what Dory Funk
Senior was willing to tell the people that he was never going to be World
Heavyweight Champion. According to his own pop, Terry has a forgotten man in
wrestling because he can never be the world champions because Dory Junior, his brother,
has developed. Right. I'd like to pay special thanks to some of
the people that helped me get just built. I'd like to thank my father.
I like to think my brother because they worked out with me for the
past six months and they prepared me for the match. I believe when I
went in that ring, I was really ready for him. It wasn't expected
that Terry was going to become NWA World Champion. I was the MWA World
Champion first, but then he fought his way up to become NWA World champions
and Terry got the world title after my father passed away. And it's one
of the things I would think my father would be extremely proud of to know
that my brother also became NWA World Champion. I'm very proud of what he
did. You know. It's with great pleasure and pride that I wear this
World's Heavyweight Championship around my waists because it means that I am the best in
my profession. To today's fans who may be watching, they don't realize that
there was a very fairly clean cut Terry Funk who was the NWA World Champion
back in the late seventies. They just know that Terry Funk who reinvented himself
wrestling and barbed wire flaming death matches in Japan and then became a hardcore legend
in ECW. Terry Funk has entertained generations of wrestling fans and when called upon
to do so, can still deliver that outstanding entertaining match. I mean,
hm hm. The idea that Dorriy Funk Junior puts forward that his father would
have been, you know, tickled pink and so proud to see Terry win
the title contrasts directly with the first bit of sound in that bit where Dory
Funk Senior says he'll never win the title right because Dory Junior has it,
And so that tells you that Funk Senior didn't really see a path in which
there would ever be a reason for the second son, the one who wasn't
chosen to step up to this responsibility in nineteen sixty nine, to get the
championship. He probably just saw if a Funk's going to have it, Dory
Funk Junior is going to have it, and whenever comes time for him to
lose it, that means the titles out of the family. And in some
ways that was the larger design. It wasn't like there was a slow burning
movement to transition from Dorry to Terry. Terry was just in some ways right
place, right time. As we'll get to as the dynamic gets kind of
sticky between the Funks and the Briscoes early and often, so let's turn out
a Dory Funk's book to get acquainted with what's that? Brother? I said,
all right, the Flying Mayor Ranch, of course, is the territory
if you will, of Dory Funk Senior, Flying Mayor Ranch, from Boys
Ranch to Flying Mayor Ranch. That's right to double cross ranch. It's time
to talk about a pickup truck accident. Boss. It's time to talk about
why when the time came for Doriy Funk Senior to drop the strap to Jack
brisco Funk Junior just couldn't make the town. Ah oh boy. This is
from Dory Funk's book, Pickup Truck Accident on the Flying Mayor Ranch. MMM
for the record, A quote from the Wrestling observers Dave Meltzer Dory Wrights.
In nineteen seventy three, Dory Funk claimed a ranch accident and a shoulder separation
a few days before he was scheduled to drop the NWA World title to Jack
Briscoe on March second in Houston. He was out of action for two months,
which bought time to get the board to change its mind, although ultimately
the beneficiary of that was Race, who got the title as a shooter from
Funk to pass on to Briscoe about a week after Funk returned. I guess
we'll understand why Dorry felt compelled to include that in this chapter of the book
as we go through this narrative here m HM. The only wrestling match Dory
Rights I ever missed in my career, which spans forty years and over seven
thousand wrestling matches, was March third, nineteen seventy three, in Houston,
Texas, on a Friday night at the Sam Houston Coliseum. My opponent that
night was scheduled to be Jack Briscoe and the match was to be for the
NWA World Championship from The Wrestler Magazine, July issue, nineteen seventy three.
Look what Happened to Dorry Funk Junior? Sports history is full of stories about
athletes who had their careers wrecked by freak accidents. Some of them never make
it back that the challenge Dory Funk Junior now faces. Bill Beach, a
close personal friend of the Funk family, visited Dorry Junior in Neblett Hospital in
Canyon, Texas, shortly after the accident. Although he had trouble talking,
Dory gave Bill his version of what happened. I was running a cattle in
our ranch. Nowadays we use a pickup truck to do that. I was
concentrating on nabbing a stray calf. You know, like you do right.
What's wrong with that? First world problems. I was concentrating on nabbing a
stray calf and didn't see the creek. I ran the truck off a six
foot creek. Bank has has Kevin Nash, You ever had a stray calf?
So we've had a straight paycheck stray calf. I know, I know
he's I know he's had a torn quat. Wasn't your We had a stray
calf as well. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital.
The hospital confirmed serious injuries to dory shoulder inside, as well as multiple
asceirations of the face and scalp. Telling by the way that Dory Funk Junior
chooses in his own book to recollect this incident, not from her first person
perspective, but just to republish and retransmit the coverage of the day. It
will get more into how he puts it in his own words in just a
bit. In addition, he suffered a concussion, but doctors hope there will
be no after effects. Fortunately for Dory, he was wearing a seat belt.
Had he not been wearing one, he might have been thrown out of
the truck and had it roll over on him as it rolled down the creek.
Bed hmm. Doctor said it will probably be at least six weeks before
Dorry can wrestle again. Oddly enough, considering all the punishment he's taken in
as many bouts, this is the most serious injury the champion has ever suffered.
Almost as soon as word got out about the accident, calls, cards
and telegrams began to flood the hospital. Among the first to notify Dorry was
Jack Briscoe, the number one challenger for his title, who offered to take
all the matches Dory had scheduled. Among the first to reach Dorry's bedside,
where his father, Dorry Senior, and his brother Terry. My boys got
guts, Dory Senior said, and he'll whip this thing, just like he's
whipped all the men who's tried to take his title. Although I hate to
see this, Terry kni a little bit, didn't it. I think we're
starting to realize that Fritz just copied Dorry Senior's playbook. Yeah, except the
problem was he didn't have boys who were raised with the constitution of the Funks,
you know, they just I think we're about when the iron clock comes
out, it'll all come flooding back. I'm sure all the differences in contrast
to the Funk Boys, but I think I really think Fritz saw this as
a brass ring worth reaching for because he saw Dorry do it with Dorry Jr.
And thought he could replicate that. Well, maybe he's good. You
look at that fucking that goddamn dog or a man, Nori Funk Jr.
He looks like an asshole. If we have a good looking boys. If
he can do that and he looks like an asshole, If he can do
that and he looks like an asshole, why can't I do it with a
bunch of good looking boys. Right fucking ladies left and right named after Nazis.
And they're still pounding. Yeah, they're still propping up you know,
fryday night lights. Pussy. I've never seen so much pussy in my life.
That's exactly right, Fritz. Let him know. It's a very simple
thing. I've drippen wet boom dang. I've also never seen as many placid
ls in my life. Although I hate to see this, Terry confided the
rest should do him good. He was just burning himself out with that crazy
schedule he has. He hasn't had a vacation in a couple of years.
This isn't any vacation. But now maybe he'll relax a bit. The small
amount of time that's not occupied by wrestling or traveling, dor usually spends working
on the ranch. I wonder if he's perfected the recipe at Boss. There
seems a little doubt that Dory will wrestle again. The question is will he
be as good there are scores of cases and athletes having accidents unrelated to their
sport and never being the same afterwards. A famous example spread Sox pitcher Jim
Lonborg, who never regained the heights he reached after an offseason skiing accident.
Himself is optimistic. In fact, he assured his family that he's really okay.
He asked to Bill Beach to make sure to tell all of his fans
not to worry. I'll be back. Dorry assured everyone. The question is
will he be the same Dorriyfunk Junior as before? Thirty years after the fact.
The pickup truck accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in the Flying Mare Ranch just
south of Umbarger, Texas, owned by my father, Dorry Funk Senior.
We were moving cattle from the plateau down to the government lease valley below.
Terry and my father were on foot and I was in the pickup truck man
from Verne to the Flying Mare Ranch. What is it with wrestler dynasty families
buying property adjacent to government lease land. I know Government's always coming for wrestling
promoters fiefdoms there, you're fucking yourselves in the ass. The herd broke towards
Sierra Blanca Creek and the truck. I pursued watching the cattle. With my
eyes on the cattle, I plunged down a six foot drop off into the
creek. An ambulance was called and I was pulled from the icy waters and
taken an Neblett Hospital in Canyon, Texas. It was early spring, but
I remember a thin coat of ice in the water. On Friday, March
the third, nineteen seventy three, my father Dory Funk Senior received calls from
Fritz von Eric and Sam much Nick to see if there was some way I
could walk in the ring and complete the performance. That's right, hellow is
dey Funk Jr? Give it to him? Wait? Who's that? Who
is idiom? This is Fritz trying to convince him, even though he crashed
into the creek, if he just walk into the ring and drop the strap.
This is like Vince Senior calling Bruno with a broken eye in the hospital
and dorns it's it's old French down. Call me by my government name.
Fritz, you're not my father, Well I might as well be, are
you listenuber I I'm here calling you because I think that that it's time for
you to to maybe, you know, take things down the Dallas love one
of the boys think up the mantle. Okay, wait a minute. He's
calling because he knows Dory just got hurt and the ranch accident, and he
wants on behalf of the NWA and Sam Muchnick to convince Dorry, even if
he can barely move, to at least go in the ring and switch the
belt so the world title can still be about making money. And that's what
Sam Muchnick thought Fritz was gonna call him try to convince story to do.
But as Sam stands there with his arms folded, watching Fritz work the phones,
he starts to realize that Fritz starts talking about bringing it down to Dwells.
How do you mean bring it down to Dallas, Fritz? Well,
here's the best way to go about it is is you know, you get
you. I don't want him into works and you and I aren man.
Are we understanding exactly what goes on? By the way, I want you
to know something. Whenever I do Fritz, I have to have my eyes
closed. Oh really, that's fast. For some reason, it has to
that's the way it works. Like the way my face has to get all
right, he had his fucking eyes closed when he didn't just have his eyes
wide open. A past judgment and how Mike von Eric doesn't have enough muscula
Sure. Now, I'm gonna tell you something, A real man, no
matter what kind of injuries, gets his ass out of bed and brings the
belt with him and lays down in the middle of the ring. Well,
Fritz, I mean I would love to I'd love to make sure that the
NWA continues humming along in my stead. But I really can't lift this arm.
I've got a really bad shoulder. Well that's the idea. The idea
is, you don't have a you don't have to lift your arm, you
don't have to raise your shoulder. You get pinned in the middle of the
ring to one of my boys. Now, in ten minutes, Dor,
you're going to take it a little. I'll tell you what. Right now,
I'll convinced Sam much or anything, and I'll tell you what what we
can do right here, If you can pinion in the hospital, didn't even
have to be in a ring. You'll see a film crew begin setting up
in about five minutes. I've already got cameras, i got microphones, I
got Bill Mercer out there. He's gonna announce a damn match, guy who
just covered the Kennedy assassination. Hey, it's a good personal, long time
friend of mine. Now I'm just saying this is best for business. I
know the NWA, I know Dallas. Like the first one, I get
that he has to say that. The second one not only does it stand
to reason, it's irrelevant and more important. I know Texas, and I'm
telling you right now, Texas is the new home of the NWA, and
it's with Levon Erics. What do you hear? Do you propose on sending
in here, Fritz to take the belt off me? I was thinking,
Now I'll get old David Old. Isn't he like six? Doesn't matter?
The thing is he's already lived thirty five years. Oh, I can't think
a better way in that than that. All the plans of Jack Brisco,
Sam Mentioned, Nikketty Graham, Fritz Van Eric, Paul Bosch, and the
board of directors in the NBA were upset. Nobody even bothered to ask how
was I doing? Stry? I got a question, Fritz, I haven't
talked to you since the accident. Do you want to know what happened.
I just wanted to say, we got to get the built off you right
to business. He hangs up on him's like, I can't believe that asshole.
He didn't even ask me how I was doing. Hello, where's a
belt? Britz has like a jean shirt on with an a with a cinnaret
in the ash tray. Absolutely absolutely, And it's like, you know,
the the top three buttons are un buttoned because he's working the phones right right,
and uh you know, imagine you know again like a like a denim
shirt tucked in big fucking Texas belt around pans all right, he's wearing like
really really tight khakis. He's just he's fucking ready. He's ready to transact
on the world. Right, that's right Nowose days there was no medical insurance
available to professional wrestlers, and naturally no workers benefits in the wrestling business.
Oh, I don't know about that, Dory. Worker's got plenty of benefits
in the business. Just as the above mentioned had reason to be upset because
it interfered with their plans to make money, I was also upset, suffering
two months loss of work and medical expenses costing our family business, and Maylia
territory and myself lots of money, not to mention the loss of my father's
pickup truck. It is the wrestling business that is a work. The accident
was real. There is a saying in the wrestling business nobody pays to see
cripples. And the day and time that this happened, and for many years
after, the code of the business was keep the business to yourself. I
did not talk smart about anything in the wrestling business. Over time's change,
and now the time has come to speak up for myself and family. So
again, this book is a lot of compilations of essays that he posted on
his website too over the year. So apparently this was the first time that
he put pen to paper explaining exactly what happened from his perspective on the ranch
and the pickup truck accident that derailed an opportunity for Jack Briscoe to become world
champion. The date was booked in Houston, it was set to go down,
the belt was due to switch, but again it didn't happen. Here's
some sound from the aforementioned a shoot interview that Dory Funk did with RIF video
where he talks as well about this episode, there was a real build up
for Jack Brisco for the title, and yet you lost the belt to Harley
Race. Tell us why Race got the title over Brisco. It was on
my father's ranch. He said, let's move some cattle. Call carry out
got him on the phone. And you have to understand what my father's ranch
was like. He had an upper plateau and also there was a lower part
where a creek ran through the bottom country and we were going to bring the
cattle up from the bottom to the top, and we had to pick up
truck and I was driving the pickup truck. My father and my brother were
on foot and we were chasing cattle and we took off after a calf and
watching a calf. Our pickup truck ran over a six six foot embankment.
That's not far, but when you run a pickup truck off an embankment like
that and you hit the water and the ice, it messed me up pretty
good. And I really know it was a winter time for sure. I
don't know what the day was. Maybe you guys will know because you know
when the manage was scheduled for Jack in Houston. But there was about an
inch of ice on top of the water and it all came in the front
of the dark. In that pickup truck accident, I received a separated shoulder,
among other things including facial and head lacerations. So that's the only match
I missed in my career. And I could not make it to Houston for
the match with Jack Briscoe, and they even it was the next day.
I think my accident was on a Wednesday and Houston was on a Friday,
And it may have been on a Thursday and Houston was on a Friday.
But they called and they begged. My father said, can't you just get
him to come down to Houston and walk in and rent and I had one
shoulder that would that I couldn't raise and there was no way I spot.
I was in the hospital for three days. So they were very very upset
that I didn't make the man, that I didn't make Houston, and I
had never missed a match in my life and haven't missed the match since.
So was there any heat from brisco time I gathered there's heat from brisco not
at the time, no way at the time, you know, and I've
just heard a few things through the internet. I don't know maybe you guys
know more than I know. But yeah, I've heard brisco accuse me of
something, screwing him out of the world, kind of screw him out of
the world title. Maybe that's what it was, something like that. I
don't know exactly because I haven't really read his words or it maybe on an
audio interview or something, so I don't really know exactly what he said,
but I know, excuse me of a courting an interview. I did come
back, and I came back wrestling, maybe a little bit soon, at
the request and the pressure of Fritz Van Eric Sam Mushnik had a Graham for
that matter, wanted me back in the ring wrestling for the world title.
And I did, and I came out, probably came back too early,
and went in the ring against Charley Race in Kansas City, and in a
disputed decision, Race walked away with the World Heavyweight championship. And I did
have Race down before before the finish of that match for a three camp,
but he did walk out of the ring world heavyweight champion. It worked out
well because from Race the belt went to Briscoe. Now Briscoe was champion,
had never beat me for the World heavyweight championship and made an ideal rematch at
least for Florida and for Texas in any other place. So it worked out
much better for Jack anyhow. So I really don't understand why he would complain.
If he did complain, I haven't heard it directly from him anyhow.
He's got a book coming out, so I guess I guess we'll find out.
I got the book. Yes, indeed, just take a look.
This is the article that Dorry was excerpting in his book that they ran in
the Wrestling Review magazine to try to, you know, get sympathy on him
for the wrestling public as to the injury suffered in this horrific pickup truck accident
on the ranch. Whoa, I mean, looks like he bladed his eyebrow
to me, But seriously, I don't think he actually got hurt, separated
his shoulder. I don't know why there's a game mark over his right eyebrow.
If you will ever be the same again, I mean, this is
just can you see if you're Jack Brisco sitting back ready to take the champ
off, the guy that tell the straps in sixty nine and took it off,
you know a generational name like Kiniski holding the strap that Bees held,
and the day it's about to go down, all of a sudden he carry
to show up. Of course, now what Dorry says and Terry says later
isn't wrong, and that it worked out beautifully in that the Dory Funk Jack
Briscoe series defined pro wrestling in America in the seventies. It was just a
tremendous series of matches between two tacticians the likes of which the business really hadn't
seen. I mean, fast paced, technical wrestling, hour long battles,
hyper technical stuff. That was just a smashed success wherever they took it.
And it was no small part because of the tension that this bit of subterfuge
that Jack Briscoe was never really bashful about calling it as much. So I
don't know why Dorry keeps going on about how he's never heard Jack and his
words talk about it, because it was sort of like it was the subtext
of the time even but just can you imagine him sitting back watching these articles
come out, and yes, communication such as it was in the seventies,
you couldn't you know, you couldn't see video, you couldn't see X rays,
you couldn't facts and email records you could you know what I mean?
It was just like, okay, buddy, you can't make the town,
got it? And I just I am personally obsessed with thinking of Dory Funk's
face, Dori Funk Junior's face, yeap, and how like Milk Coast he
looks, and how out of it he looks, and how spaced out he
looks, and how just like Blah he looks. But he's a master manipulator,
oh for sure. On a level. Terry Funk, with his id
just spelling all over himself, wearing his heart on his sleeve, never could
be even if he wanted to be. I know, Dorry sits there,
he observes, and he manipulates circumstances to his advantage. I'm I mean,
there's no reason to believe that I that I but I, uh, you
know that I did this on purpose. There's no reason to believe that I.
I crashed the car and I wasn't even in it and then I went
to the scene and damage my shoulder on purpose. All right, all right,
all right, Tory, just look what I need you to do.
Now. I'm gonna go ahead and send the truck into the ditch, you
know, and once the truck hits the ditch, we're gonna work together.
What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna toss you down the motherfucking creek like a
flight of stairs, all right, like the scene of the Wire with it.
You think they think that's just gonna fuck with Jack, Priscott Terry.
We need a way to get out of this, well, I got not
you. We're gonna go ahead and go out into the ranch. And what
we're gonna do is make sure we're plenty distant, like we're chasing Calf's all
right, No one's gonna know the difference. We could be chasing cash,
we could be chasing buffalo, you know. But ahead, and it was
wonderful. And what we're gonna do is go ahead and throw your head first
down and go ahead. Well wait, wait, how many heads do I
have? I'm gonna find out? All right, now, go ahead,
activate the neutral on that there thing, and let's watch you go down the
creek, all right, all right? And upon impact, what I'm gonna
do so I'm gonna grab you by the fucking scruff of your neck, and
I'm gonna throw you down this creek. A lot safer having you in the
actual vehicle, But I think it'll it'll chieve what we're looking to do,
you know, Terry, I was up, he's out of a bitch.
It's on its way down. I understand. I was just thinking maybe a
better idea would be if I faked the injury. Come here, hurry up.
What the damn flakes, come on, you, son of a bitch.
Dory fun making this noise go and losing that fucking n w A championship
to know, bitch ass like Jack Briscoe. And Dorry goes tumbling at just
like a fucking frenetic pace down this creek. And he gets back up and
he doests himself off and and Terry goes down there and goes, all right,
Dory go, it seems like we did what we came to do.
And Dory's like, ter Lawrence, did you We did it? We did
it, Powell. We're gonna need some proof, you know. We went
ahead and did it. Went ahead and had a doctor from Canyon Hospital,
the same one that's failed to save Dad's life. He came here and he's
gonna take a look at you and he's gonna deliver anything but a clean bill
of health from what I've been told. So let's go up up to the
to the ranch house or whatever you call it, and let's have him take
a look, oh with the boys ranch. Ten minutes later, interior,
you know, late spring, Dory Funk sitting on the couch. Well,
he's got like the stethoscope on his he's like the doctor in elf. You
know. Oh, he's your son. He comes walking into Terry's the room
Terry's and Terry got some bad news. Oh he didn't really get hurt.
No, I mean, as far as I can't find a single fracture on
the guy, I don't. I don't understand how you could throw him down
a creek like that and he comes out looking looking so fresh and so clean.
Well, dig I just want you to know something, Okay, I
don't have a knife to your back. Well, I mean, do gummet.
It's pretty amazing, Dory, that you could survive that. Uh.
I'm grateful you you're okay, But I'm not going to kill anybody. But
I'm looking here to clean bill of health and some clean X rays and you
know what that means. Dory twenty minutes later, they're standing at the edge
of the creek again. How I'm gonna work this thing this time? Um
um, mom, we can't let too much Tom pass. It's gonna the
police narrative is gonna be thrown off when we call them cops. They're gonna
know that too much Tom passed between the truck crashing and you're coming up injured.
Oh, I think maybe we should do it this way. And he
pushes Terry off. Terry Moon Saltz gets right back up, you dog,
come, son of a pitch. Fucking Dory turns to scummy Dorry just turns
and runs. Carry's chasing him all around the flying there. Go back here,
you son of a bitch. Oh no, good, son of a
bitch. You know that door. I'm gonna go ahead. I'm gonna get
this lasso and I'm gonna last myself a phone, all right, kill it.
And then he gets him in the lasso. He pulls him ten feet
across the ranch, and Terry Funk proceeds like a fucking sling shot to send
his brother as if shot out of a crossbow, like out of a cannon.
Death. No, no, we gotta do it. We gotta keep
the title in the family. No, no, no, he goes three
two one for the ride, Go Dorry the business. You know the beginning,
you said like Daniel Stern stepping on the nail, right, I totally
did, yes. So that's how it happens. The dumb ass Dory bare
at least sentient, Dorry goes for the ride second, this time running away.
He came up with a broken shoulder. Praise Praise be to God.
So Dory was like, maybe I'll have a book someday, thinking he'll never
come out with a book, but he did. Jack Briscoe did come out
with a book, and it's a damn good one. And I've emailed to
you boss the relevant excerpts here. It's time for us boy to get intimately
acquainted with Jack Briscoe's history with the Funk family, which dates right way back
before this particular controversy, and because it does, probably tells us a lot
about why Jack Briscow would have been so very skeptical when Dori Funk Junior came
up injured when it was time to pass the torch to him. So I
do wish you could regale us with Jack Briscoe's retailing of his history with the
Funks. When I arrived at Amarilla, I had almost two years experience in
the ring. Amarilla wasn't much more than a cow town back then, the
likes of which I had seen on TV Western. Let's go Jack. My
first impression was that there was sand everywhere. Uh do you know, well,
you know he doesn't live in the Middle East, right, I don't
know. I'm just how does Jack Briscow sound't even know how he sounds.
I forget how he sounds. I don't even just do gerald. It's pretty
much the same thing. Well, there seems like sand, mister Macmaya.
There seems like sand everywhere. It still sounds like fucking Jimmy Barnett. Uh,
I see sand. Hmmm, this is Amarilla. I guess sand.
Oh yeah, Jack, take a look and sand. I've never seen someone
so much sand before. You can't go wrong just doing that like slow,
like he almost has like a delayed speech. Wow, hmmm, yep,
you're getting there. You know, I think I think things are dry here.
Look how he did that, Ladies and gentlemen, no clue. And
now he's pretty much perfect. And I said two things, And that's a
well trained large language model. There we go. It seemed like there was
a sandstorm almost every afternoon at five o'clock. It would come in and leave
a half inch of sand in hotel, lobbies, stores, houses everywhere.
It's amazing, it really, really is. I want you to watch a
clip of him later, and all right, marvel at what you're doing.
Tennessee had been the pits, but my two runs in Oklahoma were great,
so I was feeling pretty good about my future on the mat when I pulled
into Texas. Prior to my arrival, old Man Funk showed tapes of my
matches on his TV show and was proclaiming everywhere he could he could about my
arrival into the territory. He really played it up in the newspapers, on
the radio, and on television, and in the programs he sold at the
arenas where he and his boys wrestled. Funk played up my amateur background and
the fact that I had won the n c a A national Championship. I
couldn't believe what a push he gave me, even before I set foot in
a Texas ring. However, it didn't take long for me to discover the
reason why and to give me a ringside seat to some of the sordid realities
of the wrestling business. For the first couple of weeks, the old man
booked me with his oldest son, Dorry Junior. Little did I realize then
what importance the funks would play throughout my career, but that realization would come
much later. Junior learned the wrestling business of his father's knee, as did
Terry. Dorry started wrestling as a kid at the boys Ranch with his father.
He earned a spot on the West Texas State University Buffalo's football team as
an offensive and defensive tackle, mostly offensive. Incidentally, to my knowledge,
West Texas State has spawned more professional wrestlers than any other college. Not only
are Dory and Terry counted as alumni, but so are Tully Blanchard, Stan
Hansen, Bruiser, Brody, Bobby Duncan, tedd Biassi, Barry Wyndham,
among others. Junior senior year also saw him play in the Sun Bowl with
the Buffaloes when the Buffaloes defeated Ohio University. After graduating from West Texas State,
Junior moved right into the ring and learned from the likes of Paddaconnor Gene
Kiniski, Verne, Gagney and Sonny Myers. They were great wrestlers and most
certainly some of the finest tutors available. Schooled as he was in professional wrestling,
Dorry was not that strong as an amateur. Let's go, and that's
where I came into the picture. As I stated before, Dorry Senior put
on quite a publicity campaign on my behalf. You'd think he was promoting world
champion Lou Fez, not some kid who was pretty much unknown outside of the
amateur ranks and the rings of the Oklahoma territory. With such build up,
it was natural for everyone to have the highest expectations of me. The old
man was no exception, but his expectations came from a different direction. And
our first few matches working together, his father had me lose to Dorry in
about two minutes. Night after night we faced each other, and night after
night he would pin me in two minutes to demonstrate what a great amateur wrestler
he was. Thanks to Dory Senor, there wasn't a wrestling fan in West
Texas who didn't know of my amateur accomplishments, and now thanks to him,
there wasn't a fan paying the price of admission or turning on their TV said
who didn't think his son was better? Its fucking go I need your rum
Well how they say it, clout Jack, I just Jack. I want
you to know that we here at the Flying Mayor Ranch are very excited to
have you come in and show off your wrestling skills, like to do all
about your accomplishments in the NCAA. I think it'd be very I think it
would be very beneficial for you too, to have these things publicly put out
there in all of Amarillo, all of Texas, even to show what a
great athlete and what a great get you are, to show that you are
one of the best amateur wrestlers in the country. I really do not mind
this, funk, Senior. I really think this is how you should do
it instead of like a Twain. Yeah, you know, he sounds like
a friendly superintendent and a boys ranch. Do you trust me, Jack brisco
Oh, you sound so trustworthy, sir. It's just hard for me to
well. I can, to be quite honest, Sarah, I certainly can't
deny the fact that you have dulcet tones. Why are you so intento one
promoted my my world class accomplishments do you as a guy that's never been in
the area before. I'm and don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the
the the the the opportunity to come to come down and and and you know,
do my best for you, sir, And I do, uh,
I do. I do appreciate the publicity and and and putting me out there.
But I mean, is there something else going on? Do you have
a reason behind all these you know, this this thing I mean? Or
is it just a just a You're just a good old fashioned American? Okay,
hold on, do you have a reason for this thing? Or are
you just a good old fashioned American? Because if you are, it explains
it all. Well, Jack, I like to think of myself as a
good old fashioned American. That's what I thought. I trust you completely like
I trust my grandmother and take long. So what what will I be doing
tonight to put these skills on display that you seem so keen on telling?
I am very excited to come down and work for you. And you know,
I hope to come down and and and and and show show the people
of Amarilla what I'm what I'm capable of. So what uh you know,
what exactly do you have in mind for me coming down and having my first
match. Well, it's interesting that you that you would ask that, because
actually what I want you to do, Jack is I want you to come
down here, and I want you to go right to the top. Okay,
I want you to face my son Dornce Jr. Wow. Well that's
that's mary h. That's mighty encouraging of you, sir. And I find
it so amazing because I didn't know until just this very moment, sir,
that Dorry was short for Dornce, which I found amazing because Jack is short
for Jackets and my brother Jerry is short for Jarence, you know, as
in I n G Jaren's and you know, before we change the name to
Briscoe, it was Briskin's gravy. I got Terry Gordon's attention. Or he's
like pulling his face away from the receiver with his eyes closed, like shaking
his head like this fucking bras well. I I think I want you to
come down and again I would like you to take on Dorance. I would
like you to to wrestle him. And uh and this is good. No,
I have no. I don't want you to feel like I'm undermining you
in any way. But given that you are a newcomer, given that this
is your first time in Amarillo, given that we have a tradition in my
territory that newcomers, no matter how much we built them up, don't win
their first match because they're new and they don't know the ropes. Just the
way we do things, it doesn't have any you know, that is the
reason why we built you up, because we knew that this would be the
way we start things off, and that way you can be built back up
as a significant individual. I have to confess, it does really sound like
you want me to come in there and really just forego all the positive things
I've built up in the positive reputation that I've developed on the amateur match.
Watch that go up and smoke right out of the gate. I understand.
I totally understand that. I hear you, Jack, You're that concern,
and you have every right to be concerned, because that would certainly be a
very very insincere act for me to pull. But I want you to think
long and hard, why would I do that? Why would I want to
bury you when we have the opportunity you me Durrance, Terrence cal Farley,
cal Callents, Wrestling Boys in the Dark. We have an opportunity to make
a ton of money, a ton of money, and I simply I can't
risk that. There's no reason if I constantly devalue you after building you up
so much, no one's making money. Do you like money? It feels
like it's a trick. I love how we can't just hang up the phone.
By the way, Jack, I guess I do. I know I
do too, and we're gonna make a lot of money. But to do
that, to do it right, we have to get over this hurdle.
That's all it is. It's just a little hurdle. Okay, one match,
one loss, that's it. Well, m I guess one loss can
hurt too bad. And with that we proceed with our reading from Bristow's autobiography.
Night after night we face each other, and not after night he'd pinned
me in two minutes to demonstrate what a great amateur wrestler he was. Fucking
Thanks to Dory Senior, there wasn't a wrestling fen in West Texas who didn't
know of my amateur compliments accomplishments, and now thanks to him, there wasn't
a fan paying the price of admission or turning on the television set who didn't
think his son was better. Senior not only gave Junior a leg up in
his professional career, but made him an amateur champion, all without Dory ever
stepping on the amateur matt The only purpose the man, the old Man had
for me was as an example to show everyone what a great amateur Junior was.
He gave me a huge build up going in only to put put Junior
over as being better than me. I was the ncw I was an NCWABA
amateur champion, and Junior, to my knowledge, had never wrestled amateur in
his life NCWA. That's where Dory funk. Junior wasn't all American Now,
Seniors made sure I was well compensated for taking care of his boys. How
far was that He paid me the healthy sum of twenty five dollars a night.
It made Goulas seem like the most generous man in the world. That's
Memphis promoter Nick Goulis. After a few weeks a job into Junior every night
it was Terry's turn. After all, Junior and I had gone around the
territory and everyone knew I was no match for him. I was one of
the only times in my career when I seriously thought about quitting wrestling. Tennessee
had been bad, but all I wanted to do was get out of the
state, not the sport. I had only a few hours up to my
college degree get left to get my college degree. The more I thought about
it, the better it seemed to me. I was ready to go home,
dust off the history books, finished my degree, and begin to look
for a different career. Terry was about three years younger than Junior and got
into wrestling about the time I did. It was old. He also who
had attended West Texas State University and was eager to follow in his dad's and
brothers footsteps in the family business. He was totally different from his brother Junior.
Was quiet and pretty much kept to himself, and through the years and
in the hundreds of matches we had, I had never really got to know
him all that well. He was smooth and methodical in the ring. Even
during his early days, Terry showed another side of the Funk family. He
had such an outgoing personality. He was full of life and he seemed determined
to live every minute of it to the hilt. His style in the ring
was more like his old man scientific wrestling mixed with as much brawling as he
could get away with. Most nights, it seemed like he did much more
brawling than wrestling, and in West Texas rings that was quite a bit.
Served him well because the fans loved it. I liked both the Funk boys,
especially Terry. This may sound strange, but in the ring it was
just business. Their dad was the boss, and we all had to work
in the ring as he directed, no matter what we thought. But Junior
and Terry were probably happier about the outcome of the matches than I was.
Terry and I worked together for the next couple of weeks with the same result.
Terry was beating me in the same as his brother in two minutes or
less. I had never been pinned in my life, and now I was
being butchered down by the youngest of the Funk clan, who didn't know what
he was doing as far as amateur rest sling was concerned. Once again,
Senior accomplished what he had set out to do. He showed the fans of
West Texas wrestling that Terry was as good as his older brother, and that
the young punk brisco was no match for either of them. But I wouldn't
give to see tape in those matches as they aren't on television seriously to hear
the commentary and all the announcers were stressing about brisco being overmatched. Yeah,
this guy, Jerry Brisk Jack Briscoe is one of the greatest amateur wrestlers and
in the area, and he is getting schooled by the by the Funk brothers.
Well, I bet it's not even nearly as bad as Jack were remembers.
He's probably just oh yeah, projecting because of this. It's always it's
it's always bad, you know, it's always a lot. It's it's worse
for the guys who went through it because they have ego involved, right,
and they know how it ends up. So now, of course in retrospect
everything makes sense. But what you do is you overweight how much you know
conspiratorial you know material there was in the air, knowing that you're about to
go on a collision course with the guy. I'm not saying Dory Funk Senor
was a bad man. I'm just saying he was a piece of shit.
That's not in the book. By the way, No, it's not the
book, not the bunk. Terry had another record that none of the boys
wanted to top or even tie. He is the only wrestler I know of
who crashed two cars in one day. We were booked to wrestle in San
Angelo, which was about a four to five hour drive from Amarillo. Terry
wanted me to ride with him, but he was running late as usual,
so I decided, you know, damn well, Terry Funk is never on
time for anything. Oh, he's always barreling in. I'm sorry, I
just you know, I just lost track of time. I don't have a
clock in the house. Any other great excuses, Terry, I never saw
the sunset. Oh do you mean, like in this instance or ever in
your life? Ever? And what does that have to do with you being
late right now? I can't tell time? Is it time? It's time?
Terry. Oh, it's a response, you better believe it. That's
how I'll respond to if it was the December nineteen ninety six in your house?
Uh, what the fuck is? But he's friendly you, So I
decided to ride with one of the other boys. Terry lived in a canyon
just outside of Amarillo, and having gotten a late start, he took off
like a bat out of the hole to make by the way he lived in
canyon. He did live in a canyon. He lived in a canyon.
Hello, Oh, anybody here? Who better than a canyon? I don't
know where I am and I don't know how to get out the Terry Funk
story that will never get old. Ah shit, Uh. Iheadn't driven more
than a few miles down the road when he uh when he drove off the
road and nearly totalled his car. Not missing a beat, Terry ran home
and called his father in law. He talked him into letting him borrow his
car for the trip, and arrived at the arena in just enough time to
walk to the ring. San Angelo wasn't one of my favorite towns. Such
a long trip from Mamarillo, and with matches not ending until eleven o'clock at
night or later, it was always three or four o'clock in the morning before
we got home home after the matches. On that particular night, Terry asked
me if I would ride back to Amarilla with him and help him keep awake.
I agreed, and we headed out from the Arena to his borrowed car.
San Angelo was located in a dry county, and that meant we couldn't
buy beer. Terry turned to me and said, hey, Jack, I
know a little store in the next county that stays open all night. We
could pick up some beer there. I was all for that, so I
said, sounds great, let's go. Nos. I'm realizing something, you
know what it is. But you know, some journeys are characterized by boisterous
voices that are always comically overwrought and exaggerated and bouncing off the walls grating.
Amarilla is a kind of territory. It's not only a wa where people are
just quietly insane, and they're almost there's such a drawl to them that you
almost feel like everybody is somehow insane in slow motion. That is the lapstung
insane in slow motion. Yes, yes, you know. But by the
time they reached their crazy, it's bedtime, exactly right. No, sooner
do we turned the corner of the auditorium towards the car when Terry's old man
stepped out and told us, I want you guys to get straight back to
Amarillo, don't stop for beer. So here's the other perspective on the story
which we've heard Terry tail earlier in the journey. Terry knew exactly how to
reply to his dad. Sure, Dad, Jock and iwell had straight back,
don't worry. Twenty minutes later we were loading the case of beer in
the car. The back roads of Texas in the small hours of the morning
are about as deserted as they could get, which usually lent itself to wrestlers
trying to turn their cars or in this case, their father in law's car
into guided missiles along the narrow roads that led the countless that tied the countless
small towns together in the mid mid sixties. We drove for a couple hours
and shared the case of beer. As the miles flew by, Terry's foot
became heavier on the accelerator until we were going about seventy miles an hour,
just about dozed off when we came to a try in a tea intersection in
the road. I guess the combination of speed, darkness, beer, and
fatigue helped Terry miss the turn. We went airborne at seventy miles an hour
for about twenty five yards. Some riding partner Jack is by the way,
Terry. No, right, hey, Jack, could you keep me awake?
Sure? A thing? Partner? Jack brings a blanky. He's like,
I don't really know if you're if you're committed to this thing, Jack?
Oh nothing, No, I'll tell you I'm as committed as as I
am to suck in my thumb right now, Terry, Terry, after we
stop from for Beeter, can we get some warm milk as well? Do
you have a heat blanket? Terry? God damn it, I had nothing
like that. What are you some goofy bastard. I don't have a heat
blanket. What does that even mean? I blanket the town with heat?
Is what I do? I come into town, I go ahead and I
get heat. I don't need heat. Oh do you have a little radiator?
I like to get all warm and cozy at this time and night.
Well that I do have. Here's my little radiator. It plugs into the
fucking uh lighter thing. Is that how he sleeve? He kissing something?
Oh, suck at his thumb? Track. I just want I wondered if
you could ride with me and help keep me awake for the drive. Sure,
Terry, I can do that. They get in the car, Terry
buckles in, and then suddenly Jack starts unzipping Terry's pants. Oh Jesus Christ,
Jack, I didn't mean that. Oh I didn't. I wasn't sure.
I'm mighty glad you didn't want me to do that, Terry, I
mean you, I guess. Yeah, I'm misunderstood. But I can still
do it if you want. Oh, goofy bastard. Yeah, well,
I'm gonna I'm gonna have to tell Terry Garvin about this. I'm about his
I'm gonna have to tell it to him again and again and again until he
gets the chance to write it all down. I write it down. And
hell, if he needs a help in hand, here, I am Jack
Brisco's in town. Literally, if if he needs a help in hand,
Jack Briscoes in town. That's a great thing for Jack Briscoe to say himself,
not somebody else. I am here for Jack Briscoe referring to himself in
the first person, for its out. Oh damn it, Jack, don't
you know? Well, No, Terry, she died before I was born,
but my great grammar is still alive. Ironically, I would tend to
disagree with that. Jack. Hey, Jack, would you can you Hey,
Jack, what the hell is wrong with you? Anyway? Nothing wrong
with Jack Briscoe. Oh ship, come back on that. Oh, by
the way, nothing wrong with Jack Briscoe. The unauthorized autobiography nothing as it
of course. No, no, that's even better he has because he hasn't
he wrote his own book, but he even authorize it for pography, who's
authorized with the Georgia Championship Office Southwest Sports. What. I wrote my own
unauthorized autobiography, And then I sat down in my chair and looked outside for
about four hours. The whole book, the whole book is just this droll
retelling of his, you know, kind of quaint life in wrestling in the
seventies. Yeah, and it's just all this stuff in the book for some
reason, is titled Contemplating Suicide, And never in the book does he once
talk about having suicidal ideations or anything like that. Contemplates contemplating suicide and other
thoughts of a madman. And then it's the most plain, vanilla thoughts you
could ever have, the most banal details. Let's say, on average,
I woke up every morning about eight am, went downstairs. By eight fifteen,
I'd made coffee. Uh, I don't know if I necessarily expected this.
I guess if I sat and thought about it for fifteen minutes, it
would occurred to me what we launched the lapsed Funk I didn't expect. You
know, there's all in any journey, in any t left journey, there's
always these ancillary players that just emerge without prediction, and strong ladies and gentlemen.
Jack Briscoe describing for three and a half pages how to pour syrup perfectly
in a stack of pancakes might be that guy. The thing about pancakes is
you gotta let the You gotta let the mixture settle for a while. Can
you do me a favor while you're doing this pose? Can you just google
a picture of Jack brisco nineteen seventies in his face. I think that it
might go a long way to what you seeking to achieve here on the lapsed
funk. Huh. What I like to I like to sea looks like you
just popped out of a Jack in the box, twisty things like fucking like,
what's a fucking idiot? Uh? You know? Then? I like
sometimes I like to sit and watch the batter as it kind of caramelizes in
the bowl. Every now and again, I feel the urge to maybe grab
my band Joe and play about two little strings at a time. After about
forty five minutes of staring at the batter, it's about time too. The
thing about making pancakes is sometimes sometimes I forget who I am. A well.
I'm writing it down literally, Oh I'm so ready. And now I'm
gonna take a picture of what you just said, of my writing down what
you just said, and I'm going to send it to you. Oh God,
right underneath this fucking picture, so you look at his face. I
mean, what a goof fucking idiot? What do you see? Just go
ahead, just describe on he's got he's got this fucking helmet of hair,
you know, and just got the the dumbest smile. Like it's like it's
like he just, for some reason like thought of of like his high school
sweetheart naked. Mmm, I remember that. What do you remember, Jack
Well? I remember feeling significantly sweaty in Nether regions. The Jack Briscos story
significantly sweaty in Nether regions. So you'll have to forgive my handwriting. But
this hadn't been memorialized. Oh my god, this is what I did when
you said that, why don't you read it to me? You can read
my handwriting. I'm thinking about making pan The thing about making pancakes is sometimes
I forget who I am. So consider the god lit laid down your coach.
Here is hereby request solar system. I mean of a picture of Jack
Briscoe's smiling, honky face in nineteen seventies, with the text over at white
letters. The thing about making pancakes is sometimes I forget who I am.
Let's go viral. You ever spend an hour walking around in circles just to
see where you're runned up. I'll do that about once a week, and
somehow I always end up where I started. Somehow I always end up home.
I felt like something, there's something profound in that. It's the darnest
thing. I mean, all right, fine, this can't continue without a
story that I think just completely epitomizes. Because what you're doing, like always
happens, is you're talking about a Jack Briscoe that is not too far from
his you know, people that would sort of mock him, like, you
know, in a very subtle way, like Dori Funk Junior does in the
book. You're pretty much painting the exact picture he would want to create subtly
without changing his facial expression of Jack Briscoe. I want to read to you
a chapter from his book that tells the whole story. Okay. In the
fall of nineteen seventy three, Jack Briscoe is NWA Champion. He won the
title from Harley Race July twentieth, six weeks earlier, Harley had won a
disputed decision over me in Kansas City when I was forced back into the ring
early after suffering a separate shoulder and a pickup truck accident on my father's ranch.
These conditions were great for business in the Emerald Territory. Brisco's champion of
Grabbing, chased me for four and a half years, and yet he never
beat me for the belt. Harley Race actually beat me for the NWA world
title in nineteen seventy three, a funk first brisco match in the Emerald Territory
was in natural to do great business in the EMERYLA Wrestling office. Terry Funcus
on the phone with Albuquerque Pardon Me, Albilene wrestling promoter Don slattin aka the
law Man. We talked a bit about the man yep YEP World Class.
The law Man is upset. Abilene runs on Friday nights. The Emerilla booking
office had dates on the NWA champion, Jack Briscoe. The champion would appear
in Albuquerque on Sunday, al Passo on Monday, Adess on Tuesday, Lubbock
on Wednesday, a Mailla on Thursday, and on Friday. Jack Briscoe is
scheduled to fly to Saint Louis for a title defense and keel Auditorium. Abilene,
the law Man's town didn't have the champion. The law man knew the
world champion in his town would draw him money, especially in a brisco Funk
return match for the NWA world title. The NWA President Sam Muchnick received a
salary of three percent of the gate and all appearances of the champion. President
Muchnik would rather book the champion in Saint Louis with a guaranteed gate of twelve
thousand people than Abilene, where attendants could not compare with Saint Louis. More
money from mister Muchnick. Conversation between Terry and the Lawman centers around securing Jack
Briscoe for Abilene, Texas. It won't happen on this Friday, but they
might secure a future date Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe, and I repeat that please.
Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe carries the same family name as the NWA champion,
Jack Briscoe. Terry and the Lawman decide they will entice Jack to come to
Abilene. The enticement is that the Governor of Texas, Dolph Briscoe, wants
to meet his namesake, Jack Briscoe. It would make for great publicity with
Champion brisco meeting Governor Briscoe when he arrived in Abilene. Great idea. A
call ghost to NWA President Sam Muchniki confirms that Jack Briscoe will appear in Abilene
for one match the week following a Saint Louis booking. The law Man is
satisfied. He schedules a return championship match Dorrifunk Junior versus Jack Briscoe. A
sellout is assured. With six weeks to promote the show, the law man
assumed Terry would contact the Governor's office. Terry Funk assumed the law man would
contact the governor's um. Besides that nobody really cared if they had a governor.
The important thing to a promoter is a rear end for every eighteen inches
of seat space in the building. A Funk brisco World title match would accomplish
that. Three days before the show, a call comes from Sam Muchnick's office
that they wanted pictures of Jack Briscoe meeting the governor of Texas. Good publicity
for the NWA World Champion. Furthermore, Jack is going to make a speech
to the Governor and present him with a brisco Brothers T shirt. To say
the least, the Lawman is up a creek with three days to show time.
The lot to showtime, the law Man has no Governor Dolph Briscoe.
Jack Briscoe is not someone to be messing with. The law Man must come
up with the Governor. The history the law Man is infamous as a master
river, most noteworthy for the time he induced Ambrylla promoter Jerry Kozak to drive
all the way to Abilene and arrive at six am for a deer hunting trip
with the Lawman. Gozak wound up pumping twelve rounds of ammunition into an old
dead deer, stiffened with Briga mortis and tied to a tree. The story
is Jerry Kozakh kept shooting the deer that law man had already killed and put
up on a tree. He kept telling him he was missing, even though
he was nailing him. Oh my god, with him, that's hilarious.
Set up. The law man persuades his old buddy, Martin Pryor, a
Ford car salesman in Abilene, to go get a bright red Lincoln Limo from
the company. He also has one of his clean up boys from the wrestling
matches dressed up like a chaffeur. The objective they must keep Jack away from
the local people in Abilene, because any idiot in Texas would know the old
pachy sly talking Martin Pryor isn't the governor of the state of Texas, Dolf
Briscoe, Oh my god, small problem. Wrestling strongman Avan Putsky is also
scheduled into Abilene on the eleven AM Trans Texas flight from Dallas. Ivan is
from San Antonio, and it would surely know what the Governor of Texas looked
like. They must keep Ivan from telling off on the Governor. The sting
first off the plane is Ivan Putsky. The law man quickly shakes Ivan's hand
and says quietly, Ivan, we are going to put a little joke here
on Jack, so just go along with whatever you see take place. Following
Ivan Putsky off the plane is Jack Briscoe, n w WA World champion,
dressed in a suit and tie. Jack seldom ever wears a suit and tie.
Jack is carrying a brisco Brother's T shirt to present to the governor.
The law man shakes Jack's hand, looks right at him and says, Jacket,
I'm sorry. I have to tell you that the Governor Briscoe isn't going
to be able to meet you today. He had to go down to Mexico,
you know where they had that earthquake. Jack is terribly disappointed that he
isn't going to meet Governor Dolph Briscoe. As they walk to the terminal,
they saw a twin engine aircraft with propelling propellers. Turning, the law man
said Jacket, I believe that is his plane over there warming up right now.
But now Jack was really depressed. He never really wanted to come to
this town in the first place. The four law man, Jack Briscow,
Ivan Putsky in another one of the law man's helper wanna be wrestler's law man
Junior leave the airport together into the law man's old Ford station wagon, and
those days from the airport into town was a good distance on a country road.
As they left the airport and made the first turn into town, the
law man was the first to speak, Well, my gully, that looks
like I believe it is. It's him, It's Governor Briscoe. It's him.
The law Man slams on the brakes and the red limousine does the same.
A cloud of dust flies up the air as the two cars come to
stop. The law man gets out of the car and says, my gosh,
Governor, we thought for sure we were going to miss you. Jack
Briscoe was out of the car and the introduction takes place. Jack Briscoe thinks
he is meeting the governor of Texas, Dolphin Brice. He does, Yes,
he does. The rest of the story. Jack Briscoe can't compared to
meet the governor give a speech. I've never met a governor before present.
The governor with the Briscoe Brothers T shirt, come hell or high water,
he was going to do just that right there on a lonely, dusty road
in Abilene, Texas. Jack began his speech. No one there It was
something about long ago. The two families were from Oklahoma, they split up
and their names were spelled different but sounded the same. As quick as he
got started, he forgot his speech. While Jack was stammering and trying to
remember what he was going to say, the old governor just laughed and said,
now, Jack, I want you to know those funk boys are pretty
tough. Ombrace Jack exactly. Oh. Jack didn't really hear a word for
the Governor was saying as he raced the car, as in the excitement he'd
forgotten Brisco Brother's T shirt. He was actually fumbling with the latch and the
law man's old Ford station wagon to get the Brisco Brothers T shirt before the
Governor left. Jack finally got the door open and the T shirt out and
made the presentation to the governor. Verification if this event is recorded. An
old eight little Leater movie film for posterity in the wrestling business. The film
was taken by Lowman Jr. And features Jack and the Governor aka Martin Pryor
conversing at the T shirt presentation. Periodically, you can see I'm in Tutsky
walk into view with an old polaroid taking snapshots of the presentation. Oh my
god, time was shortened. See the law man reminded the Governor about his
plane warming up for the trip to Mexico. Mister, I found this T
shirt. I thought you might have it. I found it, not presenting
it to you. I found it. The Governor apologized, but wished Jack
good luck and said he had to get going. You know, Jack,
I've just got to get down to Mexico and help those people. The Governor
got in the red limousine and in a cloud of dust, was gone the
finish Now all was quiet, The Governor was gone. The law man Jack
Putsky and Lawman Jr. When the old station wagon. The first to speak
was Jack, law Man, I just got to tell you that rib you
pulled on Jerry Kozak when he shot that old dead deer was one of the
funniest ribs I've ever heard of. And finally, for the next six months,
our office in Amarilla received many calls from the Saint Louis office requesting pictures
of Jack Briscoe meeting Governor Dolph Briscoe. We had the pictures, but couldn't
send pictures of Jack and the potchy old car salesman Martin Pryor anybody would know
that wasn't Governor Dolph brisco My god, that is fucking amazing. And as
you would know, everyone in the wrestling business knew the story of Jack Briscoe
meeting the governor of Texas, but everyone was afraid to tell Jackie had been
had. At least six months went by without anyone telling Jackie didn't meet the
governor of Texas. Prior to one of our matches in Orlando at any Graham
Sports Stadium, Jack told me what a nice person the governor of Texas was.
He said, our governor was just like any ordinary person. In the
end, only Hartley Race had the guts to tell Jackie has had. I
don't recommend that anyone mentioned this story in person to Jack Briscoe. You know
you're a dumb son of a bitch. Jack Briscoe, Oh he was such
a nice guy. Harley, I don't understand what the I'll tell you,
have you ever been governed? Hold on pen's back out, I'll tell ya,
have you ever then governed before? I mean, holy shit, what
a fucking dumb ass thing to say. It's just the way it sounds.
We're here look, okay, we've been here going on ten years, to
say, to see what it feels like. And when we sound things out,
you know, what would that for gown dyke? You know that whole
what would that bound bike? What would that sound on? Dyke? You
know the whole thing. That's what we do. We say shit, and
then we let it hang in the air, and then we fucking rejoice in
the fact that it was said. And among the things that count in that
category is I'll tell you, have you ever been governed before? Jack Brisco
the lapsed funk. We're rolling thanks to Jack Baby. Oh my god,
you imagine him thinking he took a picture with the governor. Yes, but
an idiot you's gonna give him a speech in a remote dirt road. There's
not even like press there anyway. Back to Jack. Yeah, uh we
won h I guess the combination of speed, darkness, beer, and fatigue
helped Terry miss the turn. We went airborne at seventy miles an hour for
about twenty five yards. I woke up when we were in the air and
had enough whist about me to turn my back to the dashboard. When we
hit the ground, the car literally fell apart. Like that scene, and
they the movie National Lampoon's Vacation. When Chevy Chase launched his car over the
bluff in the desert, car landed flat as if someone had dropped it from
a ten story building. We connected to the ground with such force that all
four wheels popped off the chases and all the doors flew open. My position
in the car helped as I got out with only a few bruises. As
I crawled out the passenger side, I heard Terry screaming, oh God,
oh God, Oh my God. From the way he was crying, I
thought he was hurt badly, so I ran around to the other side of
the car. As I rounded the corner, I saw him standing about ten
feet away, looking at his father in law's car, or what was left
of it. Terry, Terry, are you all right? I yelled at
the top of my lungs. We could hear me over his own anguish screams,
Jack, oh God, look at this car. My father's gonna kill
me. Terry wasn't worried about me or the car he had barred from his
wife's father. All he could think about was what his father was going to
do to him. That was Terry, and knowing his dad, I couldn't
blame him. If Dori Funk Senior was anything, he was tough, and
he demanded that his boys do what he asked. Terry had not only wrecked
another car, but he disobeyed his father. He was in for it and
he knew it. Not only that, but he had to hike five miles
to the nearest gas station so we could call his wife and have her come
get us. If Tory, if Tory, if Terry wasn't worried about my
well being, his old man certainly was. After the accident, he was
a little bit nicer to me, and he and some of his lieutenants followed
me around for days to make sure I was okay. I think they were
worried about me suing them. His concern didn't extend the to the to the
ring. However, I was still getting beaten record time by every Senior had
me by everyone. Senior had me face so much for Dory Senior's concern.
Beyond that, Senior barely spoke to me before I left the Amarilla Territory.
Senior did mention one thing to help damage my one more thing to help damage
my career, not to mention what was left of my ego about After weeks
of doing squash jobs for his boys and anyone else he put in the ring
with me, he booked me as a referee. I wanted to be a
wrestler, not a referee, so I asked him why I had taken me
out of the ring. I told him I had no intention of being in
the ring as an official. True to his style, he told me,
kid, it'll be good for you. Besides, I had a lot of
guys here who need matches. I'm just trying to help you out and give
you some experience. I thanked him, but told him that wasn't the type
of experience I needed. I hung around a couple more weeks, got back
into my car, and headed back to Oklahoma. I never did confront the
old man about the way he treated me. The reason was evident, and
I figured it wouldn't do any good anyway. I always tried to look beyond
and the unkindness directed at me. When it was all said and done,
I was just glad to get out of Amarillo. Our paths would cross again
and again, with Senior doing everything in his power to keep me from winning
in the world Heavyweight Championship. Fucking hell. So flash forward and he was
talking about Eddie Graham and the Florida Territory and Eddie's influence over the championship,
and he writes, under Ready's direction, the Florida Territory was the hottest thing
going in the country. And this is as Jack Briscoe develops in a star
in his own right after Amarillo, and there are plenty of wrestlers who wanted
to be part of it. Business continued to boom. Dick Murdoch and I
arrested each other three weeks in a row in Tampa and sold out the Armory
all three nights. This wasn't heaven. It had to be close. As
the Florida Heavyweight Champion, which he became, I was considered to be the
number one contender for the NWA World Heavyweight title. So yet, let's not
forget that that's an important point. The Florida Heavyweight Champion, kind of like
the Missouri title used to be, came to be known as the champion that
the championship that when you won at the fans started buzzing about you as a
potential world champion. Wow. So Eddie Graham had positioned that championship and built
it up well enough and had enough power at the NWA and sway at the
NWA. You heard Dory Funk Junior in that interview he did with Gordon Soley
after winning the title in nineteen sixty nine, shout out Florida promoter Cowboy Latrell.
Calboy Latrell was the predecessor to Eddie Graham. Eddigraham took the territory over
from Cowboy. So this is like the generation of the guys that took over
their territories Eddie Graham, Fritz Fan Eric, Dory Funk Senior, and the
base of power in the NBA is shifting to Florida and all that championship represented.
So Jack goes down there, gets over as sort of a boyish,
highly technical babyface, which the Florida fans loved, and becomes Florida Heavyweight Champion.
I was considered to be then everyone contender for the NWWA World Heavyweight title.
To keep me up, to keep me over and make me look like
Dorry Junior was avoiding me, Eddie brought in Dory's brother Terry for a few
months, So this is hmm, this is that magic formula we were talking
about. He came in under a mask. Did Terry Funk as the tech
Sin. So when you see alter egos that Terry Funk has wrestled under the
few and far between, one of them is the Texan. Yes, indeed,
and that was psychology down in Florida, where people kind of knew it
was Terry Funk. But he didn't want to be his bald faced about coming
there just to try to knock off a challenger to his brother, So he
the Coward would mask himself and go as the Texan. But it was one
of those situations where the fans were well aware of the identity of the person
under the mask. In less than one week, he was wrestling without the
mask. I hadn't seen Terry since I'd left the Ambillo territory. He was
as wild and as likable as ever. Now that his brother was the champion,
Terry's career took off because he had a new role to play. Being
the younger brother of the champion didn't put him into the driver's seat that was
reserved for the man with the crown, but it didn't allow him to ride
shotgun. It looked like I was getting too close to lifting that belt if
it, Oh, pardon me. It looked like I was getting too close
to lift in the belt from Dory, So the funks put a price on
my head, offering five thousand dollars to anyone who could put me out of
wrestling, just like we read in the stories from the Old West. When
no wrestler was able to accomplish that feat, the funks would go after me
themselves. Terry would come in for the express purpose of either defeating me,
thus putting me out of championship contention, or to injure me so I couldn't
wrestle Junior for the title. The program with Terry went surprisingly well. Working
with Terry was different during this go around. Florida was my stomping grounds,
so I had the most clout. He was into territory where I was the
champion. It may have been only a regional title, but to the good
folks in Florida it was just as important as the one Dory wore around his
waist. It wasn't Texas, so Terry was putting me over as I had
done for him a few years earlier in Amarilla, but there was a distinct
difference in the matches we had, they lasted a lot longer. I gave
Terry a hard time about it by reminding him of our early years together when
I was working for his father. Now he was putting me over, but
not in two minutes. I enjoyed working with Terry this time around. We
laughed and reminisced about the day he totaled the two cars. It was a
lot funnier now that so much time had passed, but I still refused to
ride with him. So full circle, Dorry, pardon me. Jack has
been selected by Eddie Graham as somebody that he wants to lean into and to
promote. And I think we're fortunate, Boss, and that I'm pretty sure
among the footage we were able to obtain or at least get our hands on
for the lapsed Funk. A match that fits into the category of Terry Funk
coming into Florida trying to knock off Jack Briscoe as the rising yes Florida heavyweight
champion looking for the world title birth and Dorifunk Junior's strap takes place. This
match is from seventy three, so that kind of orientss Terry Funk would win
the world title in seventy five So what we're about to see this is silent
film footage, so no sound. But if you can find Jack brisco Vers
Terry Funk silent film footage from nineteen seventy three, I think it is out
there on YouTube. This is the match we're looking at. So as we
watch this, Boss, just imagine that wonderful storyline playing out that the fans
are watching this m thinking Terry Funk is here to stop Jack Briscoe from achieving
his destiny. They put the title up j. Brisco vt. Funk on
the film. It's like a title card. Yeah, and here comes Jack
Briscoe. Look at him. Look at that buffoon, the flowing locks,
the it's kind of like what Terry had in that NBA match we watched,
the Japan match we watched where he had like the flowered child kind of looked
to his head. Oh wow, look at Terry, Now, what do
you see? Lets people know, I mean, he's all fucking full on
Texas, wearing the chaps and the vest and the cowboy hat, looking like,
you know, he's gonna fucking take care of some cattle. And he's
jaw jacking before the bell, and he's pointing and he's screaming, and he's
acting out all over the place and generally appearing to be chaotic. He has
a title in his own right on his waist. Not sure what that one
is, and I'll say, what is that belt? He's got probably a
Texas title. So they exchange a handshake, bell sounds in their circlings.
This is Jack Briscoe in action, the one that captured the hearts of the
people in Florida, the point they wanted to see him be world champion.
So let's see what git Terry. Very technical top rist lock there, yeah,
yeah, So Terry's still coming to a territory looking to exchange holes here
in seventy three. Certainly a wild side to him, but he's here to,
you know, get five minutes or six minutes out of a top rist
lock. Let's be clear about that. Jack, nice baby face selling and
I'm looking at me. He's trying to He's trying to figure out some strategy
to get out of the top rist lock. They stand, and it's a
test of the power of the top brist lock. Brisco slowly shift that leverage
as any great baby face does. But Terry tapped. He tapped. That
was before that counted. That was a handful of hair there from Terry Funk.
White ropes, white buckling, like no one gave a shit about the
esthetics of the ring back now at all. Think it's different every time.
No one even notices, no one cares. It's like whatever ropes they have
in the fucking back. Right, Funk steps through the ropes looking for a
break, referee, looking to get the five. We flash forward in the
match now to a double knucklock sequence Funk work in the left arm of Brisco
with a series of armbringers. I mean, and this is so of the
period called dark the background new I know you can't see a soul push off
monkey flip by Brisco sends Terry fly and now Terry's doing Terry things right now,
Yeah, sailing all over, multiple arm drags, big body slam,
just hell on with him taking it all. Couple slams there again, this
is a Terry Funk scents a mercenary to stop someone from challenging his brother,
Ruffrey laying in the count as Funk took a powder back end collar and elbow
side headlock by Brisco. It's almost like highlight foot, you know, like
a highlight reel on YouTube. Yeah, yeah, totally only films select moments
during matches when it was film cameras. I'm trying to get out of the
headlock with the back suplex and brisco rolls through with the headlock takeover, maintaining
that vice like grip. It's kind of funny. Briscoe's got way more like
energy in the ring, and then he does when he speaks hot a fire.
That hair is bobbing around and he's cranking headlocks. Yeah, he's just
like an ultimate baby face. Like Jack, Briscoe is a guy that could
never be a great heel the way he's cranking that headlock. He's looking at
Win with the headlock like Strangler Lewis. For Christ's sakes, he ain't letting
go on. Funk keeps guiding him too the corner and smashing his head into
the buckling, and he still doesn't relinquish the headlock. Almost a bulldog there.
I didn't go into the matches and this is what you observe back in
the day, and this was like primo stuff. Man bake slam and Funk
misses a knee drop. I guess back to the back to the fucking side
headlock. Jesus Christ Briscoe get a new hold, pal over and over.
Funk keeps trying to back suplex out and keeps getting headlock taken. Jesus,
it's the longest side headlock of all time. I think I know it's right
out of that headlock Takeover as a finisher book we always talk about. I
know it really is. Finally Funk gets loose, Nope, back into it.
He's so loose on his legs. Oh there we go. Now did
Brisky's well, does I guess that hurt? Yeah? Like backsuit flexed him
across the top rope and he sprung up. It served to break the hold,
but Briscoe sold it like a hurt, which was kind of strange.
A clubbing forearm to the small to back by Terry. This is what it
looked like. This is what the highest levels looked like. And US wrestling
in the early seventies, snapmar and two knees to the side by Funk throwing
Briscoe violently. Now we see some people. There we go. That's how
dirty that floor was. Oh god, fucking rat piss and ship all over
it. Zero hygiene standards. Yeah, no one cleaned the floor. Between
shows. I'm not cleaning that shit. Fuck that, Oh another big left.
Since Brisco violently through the ropes to the floor, they don't fucking pay
me enough to do my job. Like Vince Senior's head in the foreground,
I know it isn't it does. Risco climbs back up to the apron and
Funk brings him in violently the snapmare. Now a head butt drops brisco at
Funk standing menacingly over the fallen foe, and another head butt. Brisco's playing
dead right now, and I'm sure these people are going absolutely insane. There's
not even a version of this with like a fake crowd track, because right,
you bring a film camera to the building, you just wouldn't have sound.
You can't. You can't have sound. No film film does not capture
sound. Now both attacking their respective leg locks violently. Now it's Terry Funk,
multiple revolutions on the spinning toe hold after Briscoe was working the leg looking
for the figure four. That's why films have the clapper, you know,
right, just sync up the sound right on. Finally, Jack Briscoe,
like so many great champions before him, Buddy Rogers and others, Buddy Rogers,
in particular, locks out the fire. Your four flare was given the
figure four sort of by Buddy Rogers by George Scott, who observed Rogers use
it, but Funk a part of me. Brisco also used it. Big
atomic drop drops Brisco, but Terry Funk appeared to damage the knee that was
compromised by the figure four leg lock in the process. Look the hobble.
Look at Funk's cell. It's just a fucking spectacles. He's he's superior.
Had luck push off. Funk hits the ropes, Brisco charges, they Bunk
heads, Funk spills violently to the floor. You know, you know,
you know what's great about Funk too is that he does what he can to
not land safely. Right explain you know, like right there, he goes
through the ropes. Now, what you'd normally see is someone go over the
ropes, put their hand on the on the apron and then find a way
to land on their feet and then collapse the ground. Terry Funk almost looks
like he tries. If he ends up doing what looks safe, he tries
to move around so you can land on his head, right, you know,
you know, And the last thing he wants is to make it look
like he's going through like a planned safe bump, Like you look, how
you look if you looked earlier. How how Jack Briscoe went through the ropes
and how Terry Funk went through the ropes, They're completely different. Terry Jack
Brisco went through the fun went through the ropes as clean as a sheet.
It looks like Terry just succeeded. Yeah, I think he won. Risco
bissed a charge in the corner. Mister knee drop fell clutching his knee,
Terry Funk bitch locked on the spinning toe hold. Brisco is grabbing the referee
shirt and the referee call for the bell. So in this instance, at
least in this match that survives, Terry Funk was successful in knocking Jack Brisco
down a peg in his quest to become champion. What a bitch? And
Jack is ailing on the canvas holding his leg like Terry was after Abbey stabbed
him in All Japan. In the leg after math is Risco starts walking around
the ring to get the feeling back, certainly drawing some sympathy from the crowd.
But that's that so just overall impressions you've seen Jack Briscow in the moment,
You've seen the Jack Briscoe that's about to become champion there against Terry.
What do you think, Uh, you know, I mean he's he's he's
cut. Yeah, I mean he's he's baby face material. I see that.
I get that. Sounds like there was more fire there than you expected
to see. Perhaps there definitely was. I definitely expected them to be a
little bit more of a Bland technical wrestler, like Bob Backland type, but
there was a lot more fire, but all at the same time, all
he did was fucking do is side headlock for three hours? And I have
to take it back. That was Saint Louis, not Tampa nineteen seventy three.
So perhaps that was Sam Muchnick there in the foreground. I was going
to guess that with the thick rimmed glasses, but thinking it was Florida didn't
make sense. So that was Saint Louis. So that's kind of a different
story being told there. That's not necessarily Terry Funk coming into Jack Briscoe's home
turf and putting him down a peg, but certainly the fans of Saint Louis,
which of course was the heartbeat of the NWA, and no one's going
to become champion without proving they can headline Saint Louis before Sam much Nick would
also get the flavor that this is what Terry Funk is doing to protect the
champion Dorry. So I'm sure the atmosphere in the building was much the same.
But those white ropes and that that hold Millieu, we just observed that
was I was Saint Louis. So back to Jack Briscoe's recollections on working Dorry
in this area in his book, Dorry and I met in the ring more
times than I can remember. I'm sure it was more than one hundred.
Having a babyface champion work a program with the babyface challenger was a different slant
on the way things had always been done. The fans loved it, and
so did we. If given a choice, I would have worked with Dorry
every night. The matches were so smooth and mostly scientific. There were times
when Dorry would purposely get disqualified in order to keep his title. A title
couldn't change hands on a disqualification, or I would hit the referee at a
frustration when Dorry constantly got away with questionable tactics. At other times we would
both get disqualified after forty five minutes of going toe to toe and matching whole
for hold. As Junior's title run progressed, we would work sixty or ninety
minute draws. Ninety minute draws, Holy shit, Jesus. If things began
to lack of it in the program, I would pin him in a non
title match and we would be off and running again. By nineteen seventy two,
however, Dorry was tired and he wanted to spend more time with his
family, so he was ready to drop the title. Senior also had said
he was going to turn over the Amarilla territory to his sons when Junior lost
the title, so Junior wanted the opportunity to work more closely with his father
and brother in their promotion. By name, Brisco Writes wasn't the only one
in contention for the title. The Funks, of course wanted Terry and right
away, but that would have been difficult to sell and to orchestrate. It
just wouldn't have been plausible to have Terry beat his brother Bob. Geigel wanted
the belt around the waist of Harley Race, who had been his top Star
in Kansas City. For many years, Harley had been a big draw for
the Midwest and held the Central State's heavyweight title for a long time. Less
than a month after the promoter's convention, Harley also won the newly created Missouri
state heavyweight title in Saint Louis by defeating Pok Song in the finals of a
tournament. On Fairy twenty eight, I was just getting out of the shower
after wrestling Ronstar in Miami when Eddie Eddie Graham walked into the dressing room and
informed me that he had just received a call from Dorry Funk Senior. My
plans had been to fly to Houston the next day and take the title from
Junior the following night. Senior told Eddie that Junior and Senior had both been
injured in an accident on their ranch. Supposedly, they had been rounding up
cattle and rolled the truck, dislocating Junior's right shoulder and the process. Eddie
went to explain that due to his accident, Dorry wouldn't be defending his title
against me in Houston. In other words, all bets were off and I
wouldn't be getting the belt. Not on that Friday, night anyway, and
perhaps not at all. I couldn't believe anyhow, all my training and all
the jobs I had done to put over other wrestlers had boiled down to nothing.
That's right. So we've got characterizations of the accident from Dorry thus far
that were sort of told in retrospect. But here's some contemporaneous clippings from newspapers
that covered the story in early March of nineteen seventy three. This from the
Tyler, Texas Morning Telegraph boss carrying an Associated Press story about the injury.
Why don't you tell these people? Dorry Funk Junior, the National Wrestling Alliance's
World heavyweight champion, was injured in a freak accident Wednesday while herding cattle on
his father's ranch at Ambarger Hamburger in the Panhandle. Funk was trying to head
off a cow with a pickup when the animal swerved, causing him to jerk
the wheel and overturn the vehicle into a creek. His father, Dory Funk
Senior, who also was a wrestler, managed to lift the pick up enough
to pull him clear. The younger man in Canyon Hospital with a distcleted shoulder,
will be out of wrestling for six weeks to two months. Doctor said,
there it is. That's the little bit that people would have heard pretty
consistent. A cow as opposed to a calf. I guess the vehicle overturned
into a creek. Um, I guess that pretty much checks out. Amarillo
Globe Times, March first, seventy three. Wrestling champ is satisfactory. Dory
Funk, Junior of Vamarillo World Heavyweight wrestling champion, was reported in satisfactory condition
today at Neblitt Memorial Hospital in Canyon with a dislocated shoulder suffered in a truck
accident. His father, Dorriyfunk Senior, a professional wrestler here for more than
twenty years, said his son probably would not be able to wrestle for six
weeks. Funk, who suffered lacerations in the accident Wednesday, said he and
his son had been driving diverting rather no actually does a driving cattle with a
pickup truck at about ten thirty am on Texas One's sixty eight near the Buffalo
Lake Dam. When the mishap occurred. The senior Funk said a cow turned
and his son swerved to avoid hitting the animal. He also swerved another Way's
boss if you asked Jack Briscoe. In that particular change, the vehicle went
into Tierra Blanco Creek. The elder Funk freed his son from the vehicle and
both then were taken to the hospital in Canyon. The senior Funk was treated
and released. The champion was to wrestle Ciclone Negro in the main event tonight
at the Amerillo Sports Arena. His father will take his place in the wrestling
card. So how about that? M This is just months before Dory Funk
Senior passed away of a heart attack in the summer of nineteen seventy three.
He takes Dorry Junior's place in one of his last matches, Wow March seventh,
nineteen seventy three. This ran in the Emerald Globe Times last week's Siclo
Negro didn't get his chance at dorrif Funk Junior's World Heavyweight matt title. Instead,
he got Dory Senior in a handful. Doriy Junior was in the hospital
with a dissocated shoulder from an auto accident, and Senior Senior that'd be fucking
great. See Dori Funk Signior at Negro nearly we're in jail after turning Emerald
Sports Arena into a disaster area. Okay, so that's how they made sure
that people got their money's worth. From a technical Dory Junior title defense to
fucking Dory Senior coming in and turning the building upside down like it's the the
death matches against Mike d Biassi. The match was sort of a draw,
or to put it another way, Emmylo police departed in one Negro and Funk
zero. In other words, the police shut it down due to chaos and
curfew. At any rate, Negro will face another Funk for their title.
Thursday ed to the Sports Arena Terry the Western States Champion, so that was
probably the belt we saw him wear their boss. Oh yeah, that makes
sensetern Stage Championship. The bout will be part of a double main event in
the other half blah blah blah. So that was kind of how it played
out contemporaneously how it read in the papers. Not a lot of coverage,
but there was some and their details seemed pretty consistent. So that's in Dorry's
favor in terms of the story. But this is this is pretty much Jack
Briscoes. Let's say sardonic and cynical take on it. This is this is
now further from Jack Brisco's book. Go ahead, Mmm, you have to
admire our funk. Senior played up the truck incident. The newspapers covered the
story, and the Wrestler magazine did a five page cover story with pictures of
Dory in the hospital, claiming the truck accident did what his opponents couldn't do,
but Junior in the hospital. I have to be honest, I didn't
believe that story for a minute. I had enough dealings with the junior's old
man to know that any time he was involved, there was some game being
played. When it came down to who the best professional wrestler in the world
was, it all came down to politics. Dory Senior was bound to determine
that his son was not going to drop his world title to me. I'm
not sure if it was because he just didn't like me, the fact that
Junior beat me so many times in two minutes or less, my amateur background,
or the fact that they were Texans and I was from Oklahoma. I
do know he didn't want Junior to lose to a babyface. Losing to a
babyface would mean Junior lost to a better wrestler, So Senior wanted him to
lose to a heel who would screw Junior out of the championship. Frisco sees
it, yet there was a need for one. Yes. That way he
could claim that even though he no longer held the bell, Junior didn't lose
it fairly. And he told me. Senior was adamant about that and had
been raising hell with all the promoters, telling them that the only way Junior
would lose the title was if he dropped it to Harley Race. As the
fans anxiously waited for the world champion to walk out into the arena, Paul
crawled through the ropes with the microphone in his hand. He announced the crowd
that Dorry had injured his shoulder on his Flying Mayor ranch. Before Paul could
finish, the fans began to cat call in jeers, us, who do
you think you call when you have to replace a Dory Funk world title match
on your card in Houston? Who can fill in to bring the pain against
Jack Briscoe? Well, I think I could do that, My God?
That just Dane, however, turned to cheers, where he announced that Fritz
von Eric had agreed to substitute for Dorry. That was a smart move on
Paul's part. Even though Fritz was only wrestling part time by then, this
wrestling fans saw him as a superstar. Even though Fritz was revered in Texas,
a large portion of the audience wanted their money back. However, if
it had been anyone other than Fritz, the rest of the fans would have
asked for their money back. Really, that's that's such a he just said
the same. He ended both sentences the same way as he did. Whether
or not Boss for funded the ticket price to those who asks is anyone's guess.
My guess would be probably not so. The night that Dory Funk Junior
was to drop the title of Jack Briscoe in Houston, it ends up being
ultimately Jack Briscoe and Fritzvan Eric one on one as Dory rehabilitates this. If
you ask Jack Briscoe supposed shoulder injury, Boss, it just it just lines
up too coincidentally for old Briscoe to buy into, you know, mm hmm.
He He's just not born to be susceptible of those kinds of misrepresentations,
I understand. I understand now, I usually would call this one a fifty
to fifty in terms of, you know, the evidence on both sides.
Yeah, but when I heard how defensive Terry Funk was about it on his
KFA commentaries back to the Territory's conversation, uh huh with Jim Cornett, I
just couldn't shake the feeling that there was a there there. Yes, because
that's the difference between Terry and Dorry. Dorry, will you know, keep
the same face and countenance in a lie and in the truth. Terry,
I don't know. Terry gets a little preemptively defensive here in a way that
he's he seems a bit concerned that the conversation is going to be going down
this road. Let's listen. Here's here's another true or false for while we're
telling stories. Okay, explain the origin of the brisco Funk family heat stems
for from the fact that Dory had been scheduled to drop the n w A
title at one point to Jack Briscoe, but he had a pickup truck accident
on the ranch and Amillo and and legitimate and legitimate accident. Jack didn't see
it that way at one point. He never has he never did. He
never did see it. Neither did Gerald. Both of them. Both of
them did well. Not Jack Jack Jack passed away, but Gerald, Uh,
and what a great guy, and what a great performer in the ring,
what a great amateur, what a great person. But I love Jack
Briscoe, and uh yeah, it's uh he passed away, and Gerald is
uh you know, to this day, they they think they thought that we
had done something in but that's really the truth. Well, my brother's injury,
Dory Funk Junior and Jack Briscoe n w A. Are you are you
going to be uh what's his name? From England? The uh? What's
the hell is a guy's name? Sherlock Holmes. Oh, well, I'm
trying to get to the bottom of this because the inquiring minds want to know,
like Sherlock Holmes. But Terry, just let the talks, don't don't
stand up. I'll have to run. But the Briscoe sunk match for the
world title for four years was the match in the n w A. It
was the standard. It was the flare steamboat of its day, or and
do you think it was it was it Eddie Graham who was upset maybe and
gotten Jack's ear Did Jack come up with this on his on his own the
thought that he was somehow getting pushed back, not getting he got it eventually.
Uh where do where do you think it came from? That he just
he wouldn't have believed it. Well, they just thought that, uh,
that the Funks were trying to hang on to the belt for a matter of
more time. Did it in the long run? Did it probably help your
guys because your guys angle and your because the Brisco Funk tag match was just
as big around the country as the Brisco Funk title match. Yeah, that
little extra kind of ribbon on the square, a little real emotion. Did
that helped the proceedings? When people believe the guys hated each other Texas,
Oklahoma, Yeah, well they do hate us, Yeah, but in a
loving way. Jack and Gerald do hate hate us. No, Jack is
a great guy and so with Jeryld, both of the great athletes do.
It brought out the best in both of us, in all you gots,
and I think it helped. It certainly helped. It didn't hurt a damn
thing, did it didn't hurt anything. Everybody still got there. Yeah,
and that was it. Everybody still got there. That's what it was.
I don't know, boss, what do you think? Well? I went
ahead and uh, I said, but you know, we didn't. You
know, I don't. I don't hate them. I never did. They
don't you know. They they hate us, but I love them, and
I just I wish he would die. That's it, exactly. That's the
Terry Funk's bad libs. I mean, that's He's so amazing because there are
so many people Jack Briscoe, Blackjack Mulligan, Tino Santana to some degree that
that talk about the Funks, and they all love Terry, and they all
remember Terry being warm and genuine and you know, personable to them and memorable
to work with. And they all have negative opinions of not all, but
they have equally negative opinions the ones that praise Funk, like that for Dory
and for Dory Senior, or at least just Dory Senr. In some cases
alone, as opposed Toy Jr. And it's just it's just remarkable to me,
how you know, perhaps this whole on screen, or let's say in
ring notion that Terry Funk was there to be the bad cop to Dorry's good
cop. Perhaps in real life, it was the opposite, perhaps in interpersonal
affairs and political dealings and holding onto power and influence. The Funks deployed Terry
Funk as the good cop and Dory Funk as I suppose, not so much
the bad cop, but the silent cop, with the true bad cop and
the patriarch Dory Funk senior puppeteering in the very, very deep background. It's
just there's too many of these, There's too many people that fall along the
same fault line. If Terry was great, but I bet Dory was a
piece of shit. And here's Terry going through all the motions of saying positive
things about somebody before saying they hate us, you know. And he's the
same with Dusty, does the same with Blair. He said and did these
things to really get under these guy's skin when he was feuding with them,
Jerry Lawler. But you know, it sort of chalks it all up in
retrospect, just you know, the business. But at the same time,
Terry Funk was always very intentional about saying, Look, if I'm going to
make money with my promos, I've got to say things about the other guy
that I know he really wouldn't want me to say about him before a national
audience or on television, because I have to get that sort of rage out
of him about being called out like Flare's nose or other things people might be
self conscious about, other sort of peccadillos a Jerry Lawler might have for adolescence.
He'll just say it. You know, Dusty's weight constantly badgered him his
whole life about it, and one thinks, you know, that's just Terry
Funk having fun screaming you fat egg sucking dog when he sees Dusty in public.
But I'm not sure I can tell the difference between Terry Funk enjoying to
do that because it makes money in pro wrestling and enjoying to do it because
he knows he's going to get a kick out of it and then make up
later by saying positive and effusive praise things about somebody. I kind of think
there's one way to read Terry Funk as an asshole, and I do like
that very much. Yes, so there's a I believe that's one of his
personality traits. I believe that it's there. It's there, and he's so
strategic yep, and knowing when he's about to be perceived that way, and
just throwing in a little bit of something to throw you off the scent that
he has heat with anybody. You know, he has heat with everybody,
but his heat with nobody's that's Terry Funk apparently, or at least his family
has heat with everybody, and he, Terry Funk, has no heat with
anybody. You tell me how that's possible unless it's by design in so many,
so many instances. But that's that's the story from all points in terms
of the fateful drama between doriyf Funk Junior and Jack Briscoe, who again went
into the ring and defined pro wrestling in this country in the seventies. It's
not like they, you know, were Brett and Sean and couldn't work together
and were worlds apart from each other. They made magic. And that's ultimately
the point Terry Funk just made in that clip we just played, is it
worked out for everybody, and that when Jack did get the strap, it
was that much more impactful and the feud with was that much more charged because
of the controversial circumstances about the first matchup Harley Race, proving the convenient foil
the transitional champion in the mix, but you know, it eventually became time
or Terry Funk to get the NOD and for Terry Funk to ascend to the
top as NWA World Heavyweight Champion again. It was Dorry ultimately returning and losing
the championship to Harley Race, which I believe was a title change. It
was either Hardly beating Dory that wasn't on tape, or Jack beating Hardley that
wasn't on tape. I think it was Jack beating Harley. I don't think
no. Jack Bresco's first world title win was not on tape, and he
actually kind of was conspiratorial about that as well in his book Jack Brisco,
in terms of like why wasn't their cameras there? It was kind of hastily
arranged and the date wasn't necessarily set out with a ton of advanced notice.
So there's reasons for it. But that's that's really curious to me. And
I just love to think of the power dynamics. I love to think of
Eddie Graham trying to push Jack Brisco for the strap and Dory Funk Senior trying
to keep the balance of power at his family right and making sure his sons
are never too far from the title. You heard there the reference that Briscoe
made to the fact that Dorry seemed to Dorry Senior. Then after Doris Junior
burned out a bit as champion, switched right around and now it's Terry's turn.
It wasn't like Dorry was permanently shut out from the idea of Terry being
champion. But the precondition was if Dorry can't do it, now we'll talk
about Terry. Now. Suddenly Terry's ready. Now, Suddenly Terry gets the
nod. And of course, as it always did back then, it comes
down to a vote of the NWA Board of Directors as to who the next
champion is going to be. And as Dory Funk Junior tells it in his
book, it turned out to be a fortuitous set of circumstances for Terry Funk.
But it wasn't unanimous, and it wasn't like everybody as great as Terry
Funk was felt that the right move for the alliance was to put the strap
on the Funker. Chapter is called Selecting a Champion. Friday, October twenty
third, nineteen seventy five in Abilene Texas. I had just finished my match
with Super Destroyer, a Texas deathmatch as the third and a three match program.
I showered and was dressed and waiting for the promoter, Donna lah Man
Slatin to come back with the cash from the house that I would take back
home to the Ambilla office. This is Dory again. Writing in conversation,
the law man said I might have been a little too hard on Terry and
Lubbock. The other night. He asked me how much money I'd saved up
as the promoter in Abilene. I told him I wasn't sure, but I
thought I'd saved about one hundred thousand dollars. I know Terry has just gone
through a divorce, he has broken and things maybe pretty hard on him.
I shouldn't have said a thing. I'm afraid it might have hurt his feelings,
and I'm sorry. Saturday, October twenty fifth, in Pueblo, Colorado,
at the Fairgrounds, Terry Funk was in the main event wrestling Carl von
Steiger. It was typical Terry Funk match. It was violent, bloody,
and emotional. Terry returned to the dressing room still bleeding. Terry has not
come down easily upon entering a dressing room. His work is emotional. Himself
is an emotional person. I've seen him at times enter the dressing room with
the fans in a frenzy outside. He sometimes has shattered around the dressing room
in front of only the wrestlers and punched out a few lockers before Shadow boxed
rather around the dressing room in front of only the wrestlers and punched out a
few lockers before settling down. This process sometimes takes about ten minutes. On
this particular night in Pueblo, I could feel the emotion as he entered the
dressing room. However, there was no locker room to punch out. Fortunately,
he has never taken out his pent out emotion on me. The promoter
walked in to let us know the box office figures. Terry asked if he
would book him in an airline reservation to go on to Albuquerque. He was
just too tired to make the trip in a car. The promoter looked at
Terry and said, hell, book your own reservation. I've got three hundred
and fifty miles to drive tonight. Terry entered the shower and was standing under
the lukewarm water. The blood was quaggulated in his hair. Tears came to
his eyes. I knew his emotions were off the wall. He looked at
me and said, the fucking law man down in Abilene has one hundred thousand
dollars and I haven't got a nickel while marriage is shattered. And I told
her to take everything. I believe she did. However, she left Terry
the house, beautiful place on tier Blanca Creek. He broke into tears.
Meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Wrestling Alliance Dallas Fort Worth International
Airport at the Marriott Hotel Saturday, November first, nineteen seventy five, only
one week after Terry's complete breakdown in Pueblo, Colorado. Members present Dorry Funk
Junior representing the Umberilla Territory, Jim Crockett Junior representing the mid Atlantic Territory,
Bob Geigel representing Central States Wrestling, Frank Tunney representing the Toronto Territory, Eddie
Graham representing Championship Wrestling from Florida. Mike LaBelle, who represented the Los Angeles
territory, was not present at the meeting. Fritz von Eric, representing the
Dallas Territory, was the president of the National Wrestling Alliance. Do you remember
Boss in the lamentable Tragedy, how Fritz took over from Sam mat Yes,
how drastic and seismic of a shift that was and was seen to be Fritz
kind of putting a credit in the bank to get his boys the belts.
Shortly after he became champion, suddenly David and Kevin are going to Saint Louis
and giving Harley Race a run for his money. Fritz did not have a
vote on matters decided by the Board of Directors unless there was a tie vote,
and in that case, Fritz, the President, would have the cast
the tie breaking vote. Jack Briscoe, the current NWA World Champion, had
let it be known that he was tired of the schedule of the champion.
Among other reasons, he wanted out of the responsibilities of the NWA World Champion.
This meeting of the Board of Directors was specifically to select the new NWA
World Champion, who had replace Jack Briscoe. I came to the meeting hoping
against all odds, that there may be a chance to get the NWA World
Championship for my brother Terry Funk. I had not forgotten his words when our
father spoke to the two of us now six years earlier, just before a
meeting of the National Wrestling Alliance in September of nineteen sixty eight, Dad said,
I believe I can get the world championship for one of you. Terry,
you look more like a world champion. Dorry, your work is more
like that of a world champion. Before Dad could say anymore, Terry said,
Let's go with Dory. As I understood, for all practical reasons,
there wasn't a chance in hell that they were going to vote for Terry to
be the new NWA World Champion. Here is what I had been told.
Harley Race had been the booker for Eddie Graham and the Florida Territory. On
the inference from Eddy Graham that he would get the world title, Race had
left Florida, turning the territory over to someone else's booker. Eddie was committed,
and even though he was a very good personal friend of mine and Dori
Funk Senior, Eddie was going to stand his ground and vote for Harley.
Bob Geigel was a partner of Harley Race in the Kansas City Territory. They
were in business together and committed to each other. Bob Geigel was a very
good friend of my father from his days working for my father in nineteen forty
nine at Texas Boys Ranch and in the Amarillo Territory prior to buying part of
the Kansas City territory from Gus Carras. Even though the friendship existed, Geigel
had professed he was going to vote for Harley Race. Jim Crockett Junior was
undecided and would make his decision at the meeting. Just prior to the meeting,
however, rumor was that he was going to vote for Harley. George
Scott, the booker for Jim Crockett Promotions, came to me and said,
who would you like to have his NWA champion. I let him know my
feelings about Terry and that I thought he would make a good champion for the
NWA. I spoke to Frank Tunny and he was a lock for Harley Race
and could not be swayed. I cannot say why, but there was no
changing his mind. Dorriy Funk Senior, Dory Funk Junior, pardon me.
I had a vote, and more than anything, I wanted to get the
NWA title for my brother. It had been a little more than a year
since Dory Funk Senior had passed away wherever he was, and whatever happened when
we pass on, I believe it would be what he would have wanted for
his second son. Hmmm. Mike LaBelle was not at the meeting. Remember,
Fritz had no vote except in the case of a tie. There was
a discussion, and I was not going to give up. There was talk
for Eddie and Bob Geigel about what a great worker Harley was and that he'd
done a good job for the six weeks that he had held the championship between
myself and Jack Briscoe. Yeah, so I forget Boss that that first Harley
run was six weeks only. That's crazy. And you know when they had
short reigns back then, that makes me nervous. Yeah, I know.
It's like, even though I know, like there's a tradition you know,
of giving it to like a you know, a heel in between babyface champions,
that still makes me nervous. Yeah, because they were apparently too nervous
about negotiating a babyface losing to a babyface, because if you do that,
then that tells the fans that Dorry Funk Junior is yesterday's news, right,
Jack Bresco is today's news. But if you lose to a heel in between,
both guys have equal claim to still being the the wrestler du jour.
There was discussion, and I was not going to give up. There was
talk for Meddie and Bob Geigel about what a great worker Harley was and that
he had done a good job for the six weeks that he held the championship.
Between me and Jack Briscoe, Terry was up for conversation. However,
the majority liked the idea of Harley Race, and Terry was young and there
would come another chance for him. It was my turn to speak. My
comments were on the good work of both men. They were both qualified in
every way, and I spoke about the good qualities of Hartley in Terry.
In closing, I talked about the credibility of the n w A champion and
the wrestlers who had come before me, who had built the credibility of the
n w WA themselves, leaving a legacy that I could continue with as n
w WA World Champion. In closing, I mentioned that both men would offer
credibility to the national Wrestling Alliance, and I felt that both would draw money.
I did let it be known that I was in favor of Terry Funk
as the next selection for n w A World heavyweight champion. The vote what
much is expected? Four votes for Harley and three votes for Terry. I
suggested to Fritz that he gave Micha Labella call, as of is only fair
that he have the opportunity to vote. Every member had the right to vote,
whether he was in attendance or not. Fritz made the call. I
could hear the phone ringing he would be lucky to even catch Mike at home
in the middle of the day. Ike ganswered and Fritz explained the situation to
Mike and asked who he wanted to vote for. I waited seconds seemed to
be minutes. The next words I heard were from Fritz, as you bail
it out. Thank you for putting me on the spot, you son of
a bitch. Wow. Fritz looked toward the rest of the members of the
NWA Board of Directors and said, without hesitation, I vote for Terry Brother.
It's time for Terry Funk to become world champion. Boss Mike Labell gets
the phone call that's right. Hey, Mike, it's Terry Funk. How
you ben good? Huh good, Terry? How are you? I'm trying
to keep this promotion afloat without Fred Blassie and Jean LaBelle. I'm trying to
I'm trying to keep my dick out of the water. Listen. Are you
going to be near your phone in a half hour? Yeah? I don't
know. I mean, I can I do anything, Mike to guarantee you'll
be by your phone in a half hour? You know? Uh, well,
you could get me a hooker. What if I want ahead and got
you some head? Would you be there for me? Yep, i'd I
want you to be there. I'll tell you what, Terry, Terry,
I want you to know something that it is. It is actually required by
myself that I sit by the phone when I'm getting a blowjob, mean the
world to me. If you were there, I want you to be there.
You got it? You got it? Pal? Are you booked?
I'm not booked. I really want you to be there. Would be the
world to make you a bout a phone. But I'm not booked, Terry.
I can't you know I'm not booked. So how did this whole thing
turn sour. You just said yes to the deal. Put it in my
calendar, Terry. I just I want you to know I'm not booked,
so I don't know how I can be of any help to you if I'm
not booked. I'm not booked, Mike. What if you were to be
booked. I'm telling you, I really want you to be there in the
world. I mean, I'm walking away from you. How can you How
can you book me if you haven't booked me? It doesn't make any sense,
Terry. Mike, Now, I got plans. My time is coming
soon for the nw A World's Championship, and I know you're not going to
make the Board of director's meeting. But irypposal, Terry, I got planned
tonight. What if I cut you in on two percent of my five percent
every time I defended the title? Would you vote for me, but I'm
not booked for that? Would you vote for me? What if I gave
you two percent amount five percent? Would you vote for me two and a
half. All right, I'm gonna go ahead and let them know. Expect
to call in a half hour. Okay, the family really appreciate your support.
I'll do what I can and the rest is history that piece yet so
that's quite a meeting. Man like that. That must have pissed Eddie Graham
off that they wanted Harley and and another funk gets the title. I am
obsessed with nineteen seventies world title politics. Fuck did you have these fiefdoms?
You have? You know? Everybody kind of thinking if this guy's that,
I can make so much more money because I know the family better and I
can get better dates on them. And meanwhile, Dorri gave up the title
due to exhaustion, but also due to the fact that after his father's passing,
the Amarilla territory needed to be run by somebody. Certainly the brothers stepped
up and took care of that as well. So it was a challenging time
for the Funks because they were trying to manage what the territory looked like after
their father's passing and also try to keep somewhat of a grip on the world
title and not completely fade from that position of influence. And certainly it made
a huge difference if a funk had the title coming through Amarillo and drawing bigger
houses that for that. So it's a very sly game being played here where
it's like Funk has to Dorry has to mind the shop, mind the home
front, and so he can't be the champion, and so Terry is.
And so now with the Senior gone, the West Texas promotion is in the
hands of Junior and Terry, and they ran that promotion through nineteen seventy eight
through the nineteen seventy five Terry Funk World title. When we're about to talk
about okay, and Meltzer said, you know, basically, Terry Funk became
obsessed with running his father's business after his passing and ignored his family. And
it was at this point that Terry Funk's childhood sweetheart, the cheerleader when he
was on the football team that we talked about ages ago. It seems now
at the very beginning in the onset of the Laps, Funk Vicki filed for
divorce. It's just too much to take over dad's territory and still try to
campaign to be the top man in the business's world champion. It was a
recipe for disaster, thus resulting in the scene Dory Funk recounted where Terry is
just crying and coaculated blood in the shower and what does he do about it?
He goes forward and tries to become world champion. Mm hmm. Terry
was despondent, Meltzer wrote, and felt he had nothing but wrestling, but
following on his brother's success as world champion, he was one of the biggest
stars in the world. The site to be Miami for the title change for
Terry Funk to become World's Heavyweight Champion of the National Wrestling Alliance, And Boss,
I want you to look at a poster from that night that I just
sent to you and tell me if you've seen it. Curious honestly, World's
Title Jack Briscover story from Junior Florida Championship King Curtis Versus Bill. You didn't
see anything curious there. Wednesday, December tenth was the date that Terry Funk
won the title. Oh shit, Wow. It was promoted Andy Brisco Ry
story that night. Wow. So not only did people not expect Terry Funk
to win the title, they didn't even know he would challenge for it.
Oh my god. When they arrived at the Miami Beach Convention Hall on December
tenth, nineteen seventy five, Miami meant something to Terry Funk because he said
quickly in his book, I also had some on in Florida. We used
to run right ring side tickets six dollars. Do you imagine ring side tickets
six dollars and six dollars and see an NWA world title change? Thank you
that you didn't even expect to see walking in the door. It's a Wednesday
night title change. I mean, how does the world title change on a
Wednesday night? Also? How does the how does it play Sunday channel six
at seven pm but play Sunday channel twenty three at three thirty pm. It's
on two different channels. What do you mean it's at two different times as
well? Yeah, why does that have to be at the same time?
It's also taking place at eight thirty pm? No, No, that's Sunday.
The show is on a Wednesday. Oh oh oh oh, I see,
well, what the fuck's happening Sunday? That's probably just their syndicated television
show. I mean that's they don't say. Yeah. I think what they
would do is they would run an ad to come by tickets to see a
live show, and in that ad they would also plug their regular weekly television
time doesn't say that though, It just says Sunday Channel six, Sunday Channel
twenty three. I would not be surprised if they thought that when people saw
that that they could see the match on TV that was being advertised. But
they could. They might see highlights of it, But it wasn't like a
live arena. Shows of this caliber were made into you know, television shows,
front to back, match after match. That's just not how wrestling was
done back then, and not how wrestling television was put together. But yeah,
Miami had some significance to Terry. He recalls in his book. We
used to run Miami on Wednesday nights back then, in the same building Jackie
Gleeson used for his TV shows. They never locked Leason's dressing room, So
every Wednesday night I'd go in there and piss on the toilet's seat, And
every week when I watched his show on TV, I would have a laugh
to myself because I knew that at some point that day he had been sitting
on my piss. Oh that was my big his claim to fame at that
time. So Miami is a big deal for Terry Funk. I think it
is one way to look at that hilarious, and so we're gonna watch it
all right, not only gonna watch Terry Funk become world's heavyweight champion, but
also, much like we heard from his brother, he engages in a little
you know, postmatch interview to explain the significance of what just happened and what
it all means to him. So, just as as we cue this up,
your thoughts on the Funk we saw hunking in Japan and the Funk we
see here in the United States, or at least mostly here about we've seen
a bit about to see even more. It's also much. It's so much
to consider. Yes, there's there's just he's a chameleon. Yeah, you
know, he just he and I know, I know that people do,
but he's a chameleon. You know, You like Hogan, who fucking puts
on his working boots when he's in Japan. But Hogan looks weird when he
does some of the weird removes that he does, yes, you know,
and he is fucking rolling arm bars and shit like he just he looks weird
doing that, whereas Funk just looks natural doing He's like a Philip Seymour Hoffman
type of wrestler where you look at him and you're like, oh, this
is what he always does, you know what I mean? Yeah, he
can he can appear to make his style defined by whatever he's trying to pull
off. He makes everything look natural, right, and and you just kind
of, you know, you think you're watching, Oh yeah, this is
this is what Terry Funk always does. And it's like, no, he
does a million different things, and he knows how to adapt to his to
his surroundings like no other. And a testament to that, perhaps is what
we're about to witness. This is from December tenth, nineteen seventy five,
Terry Funk versus Jack Briscoe, Miami Beach Convention Hall. Here on the lapsed
Funk. It's time to witness Terry Funk realize the dream that his father had
for his boys, or just one of them at least. But I'm sure
even in his wildest dreams, Doroy Funk Senior did not expect that both of
his sons, who made so much tribute to him upon his death and so
many promises as to what they would do in his memory, actually achieve world
title stat stature. So here's the match. It's out there WW twenty four
seven. I think uniquely surfaced it when they got their hands on a lot
of the Florida territory stuff put it together into the version we're about to watch.
Here. It is Jack Briscoe versus Terry Funk for the world title.
It's got the world heavyweight chat you now with a good high knee lift on
Terry Funk the challenger. Yes, indeed the match now, Risco closing in
on Terry Funk again. Inside out, goes Funk, boss. Yes,
what are you watching? They're both wearing blue. They're both wearing Look at
that fucking boot by Brisco. Funks seated on the middle rope while Brisco hauls
off on him left hand. Oh, then they're both fucking fall down.
That was kind of a funny cut. They flash forward really good h quality
video here it is FilmOn film. Oh, Funk rises up and flare flops
before a flare flop was a thing, Thank you very much, Cinema.
Indeed, black ropes. Here in the Miami Beach Convention Center, Jack Briscoe
snatches as the leg into a pinning perdicament, only gets one on Terry Funk.
Look at Terry, look at the paradise allly Funk, look at him,
Terry get Jack Brisk hustles and of the doubles shifts to the back slide.
Funk shoulders down. That's a fucking slow ass count of I ever saw
one, Jesus not exactly twenty four frames a second and tight. Now Funk
snatches the shin breaker, driving Jack Briscoe shin across his kne and yeah,
look at that slow motion. How epic continues. Wow, here's Jack Brisk
rills that knee in agony as Terry Funk targets that left leg. As Gordon
solely is pointing out on the call, these people have no idea history.
As Terry Funk steps up at the last and he's lucking out the spinning toe
hold over and over again. Look at Prisco brother to break it up?
What is he doing? Founding and pounding brother solely making reference to longtime feud
is mentioned being the Briscoes and the Funks and brisco rakes the leg. Oh
I love that slow mo yep, and Funk back flips head over heels when
Jack Briscoe grabs the leg and leaps forward to wrench it out, trying to
set up that face. Funny me have it's funny me have one camera doing
slow motion. It's kind of wacky. Brisco going for the figure four.
Funk kicks him off and Brisco hits shoulder first into the corner buckling. No,
it's not coming up slowly. It's just the slow motion there to get
Yeah, you never know the difference, Gordo. Both men slow to rise
after their feet. Terry doing the stagger bit, hauls off of the wild
left. Yes, it's ducked by Briscoe who lifts and dumps Funk with the
backs of Boom the challenger. This young man. Look at Terry convulsing,
look at the leg shakes out effectively. But brisco is going to figure four.
Yep, you step over. He did it differently. Would have been
Funk grabs an inside off the figure four. Shoulders are down one two,
No champion. Wow, look at him go nuts in the front row.
That's crazy. People are like standing like they can't believe it just happen.
To look at that guy in the blue shirt, he's he's fucking freaking out.
I mean, Brisco is still the uber babyface in Florida. And to
see him lose the championship, so unexpectedly for Terry Funk, who came in
and announced that night that he was going to be replacing his brother Dory.
As we replay the finish, classic finish here boss, oh yeah it we
have explained the pope small package from a from a figure four attempt. It's
you know, it's a picture perfect ending, the kind of ending that adds
about a star and a half to a match. Those were the kind of
finishes you would do when the world title switched, even if it was from
a baby face like Jack Briscoe to a heel Eastern Florida like Terry Funk.
You did it clean at this there you see it? Look at that suit.
I think now, just now becoming aware of what has happened to it,
Terry is Terry Funk announces the new champion. Ring announcer with joy as
he is achieved the Funk slapping the belt, pumping his fists World Heavyweight Championship
here in the dressing room at Miami Beach. Yeah. Now, the new
NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Terry Funk, the man who lives in years,
has finally achieved that pinnacle the world heavyweight wrestling championship. I may I just
say congratulations, thank you very much, and his proudest day of my life.
Naturals, I might just say this, of course, that Jack Briscoe
and the NWA, when they agreed to allow Terry Funk to substitute for his
brother Dorry Funk Jr. Jack Briscoe also had a return clause in the contract,
saying that in the event he lost, you would meet him this coming
Tuesday in Tampa at the Armory. Now wait one second. I was under
the assumption I was gonna go ahead and have the return at match in Amrilla,
Texas. No, the champion stated in the contract itself that he had
his choice of locations in Tampa. I've got to wrestle the man in a
remanch in Tampa. That is exactly correct, not Amarilla, No, sir,
wow. I'll tell you one thing is I like the people of Florida.
I love the people of Florida. But I'm countryfied and I'm Texas's pride
and first country fine finness belt for my mother, my mother State of Texas,
and I'll come down her and I'll wrestle a man in Tampa, and
I'll you what I intend on being something that Jack Briscoe never was, and
that's an offensive champion, not a defensive champion, not the kind of champion
and continues to run to the ropes constantly during the match like brisco has done.
I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to take the fight to this
man and prove to you people that I will be the finest champion at this
world has ever seen in professional wrestling. Well, of course, at one
point in the match, when the referee was injured, he did have you
penned for it easily a five count. I don't recall that at all.
I don't wow. Thank you so very much. There you have at the
new NWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, Terry Funk. I want to take a
moment right now to talk to the there he is and I really hesitate to
say this, but the former World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, fucking idiot and Jack.
All I can say is it looks like a monkey a tremendous battle,
and hopefully after Tuesday night you will have that title back. Well, I
certainly plan on having it back. Gordon made a foolish mistake and it cost
me the match, and it cost me the World Championship. The thing was
unnerving about the whole thing of courses I had trained, and I had studied
course films and of everything of Dory Funk Junior, and then at the last
minute to get here and find out that Junior was unable to make it and
Terry was substituting for it. So in order for me to put the line
the belt on the line against Terry, I made him agree that within ten
days that I would get a return match and I would get to select the
site that it was it's going to be held, And of course I wanted
to be in Tampa, where I felt like it was my home for quite
a while, where I got a lot of support from a lot of people,
and I feel pa Tampa on the rematch, I feel that there's just
no way I'm gonna make a mistake like that again. I'm gonna get that
belt back well, Jack. Of course, the referee was injured at one
point in the match, and at that point you did have Terry Funk pen.
That's true. I'd caught Terry in a soup lex and I'd head him
down for quite a while, and I didn't realize the referee it was even
injured, and I looked around, I saw him hobble around on his leg.
But I just made a mistake, Gordon, and it cost me the
world's championship. Well, I'm sure that I'm joining thousands of other people who
are hopeful that this coming Tuesday night, once again we'll be calling Jack Briscoe
the world heavyweight wrestling Champion, and Jack, good luck to you. Thank
you, Gordon. In retrospect, Orry, are there any changes in your
feelings. Let's be as realistic about this thing as we possibly can. Let's
go Terry. Yep. Jack brisco is on the down heel side of his
professional wrestling career. Yes, from becoming a champion, he has becoming pretty
short seconds. Instead of making history, he has become past history. There's
no more, Uh, there's no more problem as to who's the most predominant
family and professional wrestling. The Funks of the brisco If they ever do a
Jack brisco movie, they should have Adam Driver play him. This title it
be success. What do you think? I love it? I think that's
crazy. I think that's so that's like wild fun, wild fun. What
is on Terry Funk's face when they tell him because he's smiling. This is
masterful work. Yes, this is the kind of heel. This is the
only kind of heel you could afford to be at the top level world title
and still maintain world title credibility in the seventies. You had to basically not
be outwardly heelish, not not really outwardly apparently braggadocious. He starts with this
fake smile as Gordon Soley introduces, and this sort of like you know,
just this, you know, general affable. Yeah, and then as soon
as he says you got to defend the title in Tampa and not Ambarillo,
his face goes what he's horrified, He goes like, he goes like,
uh pale, It's like the Yeah, it's like the color drains out of
his face. And it's masterful, it is. I mean, you're not
going to get acting range like that out of many pro wrestlers at that time,
not at all, not at all. I mean we saw when do
you think of Jack Briscow you saw god ye ye uh well I had a
title one time and I lost it and I hope I get it again.
Thanks for thanks Jack. We can't wait to support you in that that rousing
mission. I really don't know much more that I can say, apparently not.
Uh you know, maybe the time has come for humanity to step down
the Jack Briscoe story. I mean, that's that's that's who Terry Funk had
become by nineteen seventy five in American wrestling at least. And I for wal
So how I mean, I'm looking at Gordon sole in that in that fucking
in those interviews, how much fucking pussy after those show it was just three
ways like they like in Clockwork Orange, you know, yeah, or I
actually you know what I think of him more as Jack Nicholson in the department
really yeah, you know, like he's as like like when he's got that
scene with the two with the two wearing the handful of cocaine in the bed,
Want some coke? Go get it? Orton fucked in the seventies.
I mean, it's it's not more complicated than yes. I mean again,
he always had a fucking entourage, right yea posse, you know, marching
down into a fucking club. He never had a fucking If there was ever
any trouble with Gordon solely getting into a club, one of his boys would
handle it. No one ever fucking talked to Gordon. Gordon was untouchable.
He gives you a fucking look and you thought you were gonna die. That's
Gordon solely, that's power. He just fucking picks. He picks what he
wants, He gets what he wants, and as I've said before, doesn't
get a fucking wink of sleep, all right, because he's just he's pounding,
he's drinking, he's drugging, all right, he's doing all the fucking
sheep's yes, type a motherfucker like he he is. He is like a
type a addict, all right. He's gonna fucking do all the shit.
He's gonna fuck, he's gonna drink, he's gonna do whatever fucking drug he
wants, and he's still gonna get to work on time the next fucking day
and do his job like he got ten hours of sleep. That's exactly right,
And that's what's key about that's Gordon. So that's what's Keith to understanding,
is like he did all this, and everyone knew he did all this,
and he never was worse the wear for it. That's what makes one
legend. That's what makes the pinky ring a symbol of just pimpitude. Don't
fuck with this guys. No, and he's not afraid to have someone killed
either. Yep. You know, if you've nailed it. I mean I
can't say much more than that you've nailed it. But I mean, what
is how many levels is Terry Funk operating on here? This is? This
is interesting? I mean, he's he's proving himself to be one of the
real greatest of all time. Why what are you seeing here in your own
just I'm just seeing somebody who who is able to Again, to me,
it's the ability to blend in and feel like you belong everywhere. Yes,
and that nothing seems out of the box for him. He makes everything seem.
Like I said, he's like a Phillip seymour Hoffen where it's like,
oh, yeah, that's what he always fucking does. Wow. But it's
not what he always fucking does. He's just that good at blending in.
Because now you've seen him in Japan, and now you've seen him on top
of America, and you've seen him you've seen people fawning over him in Japan
to the point that they're like screaming his name and shaking palm palms and he's
crying back at them. And then you get this guy who like decides I'm
gonna be the sniveling little fuck who comes in and finds a way to you
know, yeah, to confuse and pull the rugout from under the ultimate sportsman
and Jack Briscoe. And he's just as good at that, like he was
born to do that. Yep, you're not gonna find many I can do
both an equal measure with that kind of subtlety, and it's all. It's
all there, Funker calls in his book. A couple of weeks after that,
December tenth, it was my night. The match was in Miami,
the scheduled match with Jack Briscoe defending the NAA World title against Stry Funk Junior.
That night it was announced that Dory couldn't make it and I was his
replacement. It was great booking because when I won, it created a situation
where fans felt like Dad gummet. Jack didn't know it was going to be
Terry. He thought it was going to be Dorry the whole time. The
Funk screwed him again in for a night's program because it set him up as
the challenger looking for revenge. It also made Jerry Briscoe an automatic contender since
he'd be looking to avenge his brother's loss. I was a healer in the
match, but as soon as the referee counted three and the title change was
official, I became the de facto babyface. For a few seconds. The
crowd just exploded because it was so rare to actually see a world title change
that it was like they were there for history. Even though they were sure
Briscoe's fans during the match, the week before and the week after, when
that moment took place right in front of them, they couldn't believe it and
they were elated. I always enjoyed coming back to Florida to defend the belt.
It was always a hot territory because there was alway an iss you with
Justty Rhodess or Jack Briscow that would pop the territory. Another favorite of mind
was Houston because promoter Paul Bosch always treated me great, and the money there
was always top Dotch. Same thing with Sam Muchnick in Saint Louis. So
Terry's on his way now as the world heavyweight champion Boss, and it's a
beautiful thing. Indeed it is. Let's quickly turn now as we try to
try to grapple with what this means for our conception of Terry Funk. This
deep here into the Lapsed Funk, that he's now the top man in the
industry, and that his brother has kind of stepped back from the spotlight,
never to regain the world title again. By the way, So Dorry's definitive
run is over now, and it's kind of like the Bruno era ending.
It's kind of like when Bruno dropped the strap to Superstar Billy Graham. It's
not gonna happen again, right, It is over. And we've spent some
time on the Lapsed Funk talking about how the wrestling magazines of the sixties and
seventies covered Dorry Funk Senior's presence of the business, the degree to which he
was a giant, and how wrestlings came to learn about his involvement with things
like the cal Farles Boys Ranch and the wild and Crazy Texas death match style
brawls he would have, and of course the way they covered his untimely death
of a heart attack in nineteen seventy three, and how it's set up for
his sons to go off into the wrestling World and achieve glory in tribute to
their father. Terry Funk would go on to evoke his father's memory throughout the
course of his career, even after becoming a national sensation, even as late
as WCW run against Rick Flair as as we've talked about. But now that
Terry Funk has been anointed world champion, the first time ever the two brothers
held the world's heavyweight championship, it's back to the presses for the wrestling magazines,
and I'd ask for you to bring us out with a relaying of the
article I sent you a bit earlier from Let's See What is It Wrestling Review
Magazine, same magazine that the Dory Senior and Junior took to to spread photographs
of his tractor trailer accident on the on the ranch Fucking Wild. Now is
going to let us know the significant and the full scope of what it means
that Terry Funk has just become World heavyweight Champion. Dorri Funk Senior has to
be smiling in Valhalla as Terry upsets Brisco if the Almighty permits the residence of
Valhalla to view the highs and lows. Having from the strife and turmoil of
the known world. Dorry Funk Senior would be smiling today. The transplanted Hoosier
who stuck his roots deep in the heart of Texas, was removed from this
earth three years ago a heart attack victim at the age of fifty three.
But in his passing he left a wrestling legacy which has been fulfilled twofold by
his superstar sons, Dorry Junior and Terry Funk. The senior Funk always dreamed
of winning the world's heavyweight championship, but it was not to be his destiny.
Although he faced and defeated some of the top names in the sport.
Yet the ultimate reward for his patients and thorough indoctrination of his sons and all
aspects of Professor wrestling soared beyond as wild as dreams. What father, dead
or alive has sired two sons who have gone off to become heavyweight champion of
the world, none except Dory Funk Senior. The saga of two champions and
the same family became a realization last December when Terry went up against Jack Briscoe,
the handsome and universally popular National Wrestling Alliance heavyweight Champion in the Miami Beach
Convention Center. Despite a powerful two hundred and fifty two pounds that six foot
one inch Terry was the underdog against the man who had successfully defended his title
all over the world since winning it from Harley Race on July twenty ninth,
nineteen seventy three in Houston. The outcome was a surprise to the ringsiders,
but certainly not to the Funk family. Earlier last year, Dorry Junior had
told the world that Terry is a sinch to win the championship if he gets
a shot at Briscoe before I do well, the younger Funk he'll be thirty
one. On June thirtieth got the chance, and true to the prediction of
his brother, Terry came up with the performance of his life. It was
a match blending skill, power and stamina, as both Briscoe and his challenger
each took turns forcing the other to the abyss of defeat. Jack An NCAA
Matt champion three straight years while attending Oklahoma State was even sharper that ninth than
July twenty ninth, nineteen seventy three, when he lifted the crown from Harley
Race. In Houston. Briscoe made Race's reign one of the shortest in the
annals of the mat, the latter having taken the championship from Dori Funk Junior
the previous May twenty fourth in Kansas City. Since that debacle, the Funks
plus Race have been chasing Briscoe for a return showdown. The Florida clash was
a one hour time limit to one fall affair, and as the tide rose
and fell around both superstars, Funk made Briscoe and the crowd realized the great
Champion was in for a long night. Terry repeatedly trapped Briscoe with a spinning
toe hold, which his late father made famous, and the maneuver Dorr Junior
used to beat Gene Kiniski for the dietem in Tampa, Florida, on February
eleventh, nineteen sixty nine. Every time it appeared Funk was ready to set
up brisco for the coup de gras and his emergence as the new champion,
Jack reached back for an assortment of offensive and defensive tactics which showed the screaming,
frenzied crowd why he after why he is considered one of the great champions
of all time. After twenty eight minutes of the most intense, ferocious dramas
ever seen in a Sunshine State arena, Terry managed to pin Briscoe for the
three count for the quote three count okay with an inside cradle, and the
Convention Center exploded in what many experts considered one of the major upsets in the
history of the sport. In some areas, the NWA title cannot change hands
in a one fall match, but it obviously doesn't apply to Florida, However,
Funk Will However, funk willingly gave Briscoe a return match and Atlanta,
Atlanta, It's different than Tampa, very different, under the promotional aegis of
Paul Jones, the master mind of Georgia Championship Wrestling Incorporated. This time it
was the best two out of three falls, but it was virtually a carbon
copy of the Funk brisco thriller in Miami Beach. Terry managed to win the
deciding fall and retain the championship in his first defense of nineteen seventy six,
but only after coming back time and time again from the brink of defeat.
When Terry first upset Briscoe, for the title. He was in near tears
as he savored the greatest mon in his young career. I can't tell you
what it means to me to have this title, but the only thing missing
is my dad. Dorry and me. Oh everything we have to him.
If he hadn't taken all the time he did with when we were youngsters,
we never would have made it. Dad taught us everything about wrestling from the
ground up, and he would never accept less than ten percent. Terry and
Dorry Junior were born in Hammond, Indiana, where the elder Funk started his
wrestling career in high school and ultimately won a football wrestling scholarship to the University
of Indiana. Dorry Senior won the AAU Championship. After serving in the US
Navy, Papa Funk found his way to Texas, debuting in Amarillo in nineteen
forty nine and immediately fell in love with the sprawling, lone star state.
Funk Senior became the scourge of the Panhandle, defeating every name rival the promoters
could muster. His popularity grew, and one day he was invited out to
the Texas Boys Ranch, which was founded by Cal Farley, a close friend
of Dorry's since nineteen thirty nine. One day, when a bunch of unruly
youngsters gamed up and threw Farley in the river, he knew it was time
to bring in some muscle, hence the arrival of Funk. When the senior
Funk arrived on the scene, he immediately took the youngsters down to the gym.
It was amazing the way tranquility suddenly replaced potential vandalism, wait replaced,
oh, potential vandalism, until it was like, replace potential, that's not
very good. Actually. Dorry told Farley he would stay for three months and
wound up staying for three years, coaching wrestling in football. The heart spared
a determination to win was one of many qualities Dorry Senior passed on to his
sons, Amarillo Matt. Fans will never forget that night in nine Ueen sixty
two when Funk faced Fritz van Eric. It was a blood bath from beginning
to end, with Von Eric punishing Funk with his dreaded claw hold. But
Dory was not to be denied, and Real and rallied for the victory.
Although looking much like the loser, Where does it go? Where does it
go? After that? It's an incomplete file. Oh wait, you know
what. No, I think, I know what. Wait a minute,
Oh yeah, no, I'm missing a page, I think. Oh sorry,
I'll close the gap. What's the first thing you see on your page?
There, Terry, I'm missing page I'm I'm yeah, okay, yeah,
yeah, I'm missing pages ten and eleven. Early in their career,
Funk team of Dori Junior and Terry in tag matches throughout the Southwest, not
only showing his pupils their mistakes, but also holding his own with some of
the top stars in the business. Shortly before his death, a close friend
asked Stry Senior why he didn't give fans in other sections of the country a
chance to see him in action. While I love Texas and it's a kind
of hard to stay away from a loved one for so long. When Dorry
groomed his Offsprings for a potential matt career, the regimen was one of long
hours, strict training and discipline, and of course learning the holds, counter
holds, and all the tricks which enable a wrestler to escape defeat when his
back is against the wall. Man how they used to write about wrestling in
nineteen seventy six, Jesus the Senior. Funk's epic moment came that night in
Tampa when Dorry Junior stepped into the ring to face Gene Kiniski for the latter's
World's Heavyweight Championship. Kiniski was a powerful former pro footballer who won the world
crown on January seventh, nineteen sixty six, by ending the six time reign
of the incomparable luth as In the latter's native Saint Louis. Gene was just
beginning his fourth year as the heavyweight monarch when Funk Junior exploded onto the scene.
Kinisky started fast and almost overwhelmed the younger, less experienced Funk from the
outset. The champion slammed Dory into the mat with body slams, monkey flips,
and punished him with painful arm bars and headlocks. But there was much
as father and the youngster and the Challenger kept coming back, But there was
much of his father in the Youngster, and the Challenger kept coming back,
giving as good as he received. Funk began to turn the tide in the
third and deciding fall. Now it was Kiniski who was on the defensive.
Dorry Stunjying with body slams and repeatedly threw him unto the rope's turn buckles.
Sensing victory was at hand, the younger Funk finally caught Kiniski with his father's
fame spinning toe hold, and there was no escape. The Canadian was defeated
and a new name was etched alongside such immortals as Scotch Hackenschmidt, Ed Strangler
Lewis, Jim Londis, Broncho Agersky Luthez, and Buddy Rogers, among others.
Dorry Funk Junior was now the world's heavyweight champion. Dorry, along with
his father, were involved in an automobile accident in Indiana while he held the
title. That Funk Junior never used his injuries as an alibi for losing the
crown to race little more than four years after he won it. It was
not in Indiana. Terry is a worthy successor to a long line of great
champions dating back to the nineteen five two nineteen oh five when Frank Gotch defeated
George Hackenschmidt. The new king Pin refers to his late father as his best
friend, trainer, adviser, and best critic. When he watched me wrestle.
When he was pleased, he was silent, But when he did not
like the match, and here's where you pick up us, he became very
vocal. Terry was only three and one half years old when the Funks moved
to Texas. After Dory Senior finished his work at the Farley's Boys Ranch,
he bought a ranch at Canyon, Texas, where the boys finished high school.
Terry weighed only one hundred and fifty five pounds, but he played football
and made the wrestling squad. The youngest funk'n' rolled in Cisco Junior College,
where he made All Texas's alignment, and then finished his education at West
Texas State, where he played offensive guard under coach Joe Kerbel. In his
senior year, he was voted team captain and became a close friend of a
sophomore phenom, Eugene Mercury Morris, now an outstanding star of the Miami Dolphins.
Terry was offered a tryout with the Kansas City Chiefs, but opted for
pro wrestling, which has always been his first love. Both he and Dorry
Junr. Went on to win many regional titles before climbing to the World Championship.
Terry's trophy room includes championships of the Western States, Florida State, and
the United States. Aren't the Western States and Florida State in the United States?
I believe? So? Okay, just checking out, I wasn't sure.
I think that's as first title as it was and now at Atlantic.
Yeah. In his first year as a pro in nineteen sixty five, Funk
won the Big Springs Texas Crown. Unlike his brother, who has often been
called mister Cool. Okay, that really depends what you mean by cool.
Yeah, right, right, Terry is prone to be unorthodox, and his
assault on the opposition the new champion is the type of wrestler who is quick
to fight fire with fire. However, Terry is well rounded in the scientific
aspects of the sport and tosses the rule book out the window only when his
opponents resort to illegals funks. Offensive repertoire include such moves as the top body
scissors, the Oklahoma ride, inside cradle. Yes, it's one of the
most offensive of the offensive repertoire, the inside cradle, the airplane spin and
spinning toe hold. Terry's colorful style and rugged determination make him a box office
natural, and there is nothing in his makeup or performance that would ever make
fans tab him as a quote cheese chance you wait, yeah right, extra
cheese champion? About that, The newest heavyweight champion is an all around sportsman
away from the ring Terry outside. Terry's outside interests include hunting, fishing,
skin diving What skin diving? I have no idea what that is? And
working cattle as well as fans on horseback on his Texas he had. He
had a lot of common with Vince. He's working cattle right funks. Female
admirers are numerous wherever he wrestles, but he is in no hurry for Mary.
I guess he'd already been divorced right now. He wants to concentrate on
being a busy and winning world heavyweight champion. Anyone reading this, any female
fan reading this, to know that he's available and willing to absolutely obliterate them.
I'm willing to fuck. I'm just not willing to commit what happens to
Dory's title as aspirations now that his younger brother is top dog, would Terry
ever put the title on the line against the man who once held it?
Funk Is noncommittal on that issue. He just gives you a wry smile and
quietly walks away. Okay, yes, and before we go on we're talking
about women. Did you fucking look at the other pages of this that's so
ultimately shit. Imagine being such a great lover women can see in your eyes.
Here is a book that can turn you into such an exciting lover.
Women will sense your sexual powers the instant you walk into a room. The
book is called How to Make Love to a Single Girl, and it's guaranteed
to turn you into the kind of lover women just can't wait to go to
bed with. The book is called to make how to Make Love to a
Single Girl called Contains. The book is called The Thing About Making Pancakes Is
Sometimes I Forget You. The book is called The Book Is. The book
is called Governed Before. The book is called Where did You Go? And
What am I wearing? That was like all these magazines back then were just
full of like borderline porn and those like you know, multi level marketing hustles
like you know, work from home, Buy this, sell this, Where
to Touch a Girl First, How to make a woman let herself go.
I wonder if he had a the aphrodisiac touch. Yes, the positions girls
like best, how to get a girl out of her clothes, what's special
about a single girl? How to excite a girl with just words, how
to give a woman multiple orgasms, how to caress her breast so she'll want
desperately to sleep with you, how to arouse her with a single kiss,
how to help her fantasize having sex with you, and hundreds of other fantastic
techniques, most of them illustrated with exciting photographs. And then down below there
is another one, how to pick up girls. So it's fitting. These
are the things that how to pick Up Girls will show you more than one
hundred sure fire techniques, including how to make shyness work for you, why
a man doesn't have to be good looking, why girls get horny, fifty
great opening lines, world's greatest pickup technique, how to get women to pick
you up, how to succeed in singles bars. This is the fucking Oh
my god, there's an album here too. Oh yeah, it's a record
album. How to pick up girls automatically, and so it's fitting, Oh
my god, fitting, yes, because just as the wrestling press is picking
up in the fact that Terry Funk is now world's heavyweight champion. Back on
the private life side, he's also apparently willing to broadcast the fact that he
is eligible and on the market, though not interested in anything very serious.
It all combines in a gut check moment for Terry Funk. He's got everything
he wanted. He's world heavyweight champion of the National Wrestling Alliance, he owns
and is running as part owner of his father's territory. He's one of the
absolute tip top names in the wrestling business. He's raking in dollars and he's
in a position to really set himself up for life. But the problem is
it was at the expense of his high school sweetheart. The problem is it
was at the expense of a rather tranquil and enjoyable, by all accounts,
domestic life that he had also built for him self in parallel. And as
we know about the wrestling business, whether it's the nineteen seventies in Texas,
Florida, nineteen eighties in Japan, Puerto Rico, New York, whatever it
might be, the wrestling business says, no, you can't have it all.
You can't have a functioning family. You can't have a satisfied and happy
wife and be the top man in professional wrestling. And just when it seemed
to Terry Funk like he had everything he could want professionally despite the personal sacrifices
it involved, the moments began to really sink in with him. Where what
being the World heavyweight Champion of wrestling actually what it actually came down to,
well back then, I mean there is no comparison. Back then it's wrestled
three hundred and ten times when the RAS champion are over three hundred times in
one year, you know, and you just go from one town to the
next, and there is no home life. There was nothing, you know,
and it was a very tough sct go and Jack Bristol was there for
I think it was three years and a halfter three years, right, and
Jack was just worn to a frazzle at the end of it. You know,
my brother did the longest run of anybody with like four years, and
uh, it was it was difficult, you know when you go into the
last match. And the funny part about it was is that all of the
all of the boys, all the you know, all it would be left
in the arena and whenever you walk back to the dressing room so many nights
that you can't imagine. I asked my brother if the same way with him,
and he said, yeah, you know. And you come back the
dressing room and there's an empty dressing room there, you know. And after
you go ahead, you know, you take your shower and you wash up
and soap up and wash off, and there's nobody there. And you walk
out of the streets and there's nobody out there, and you look for a
taxi and flag down at taxia how about a ride? You know. That's
the way it was back then, you know, and it was a little
bit of a lonely situation. Is this what the Funker wanted? Next time?
On The Lapsed Funk we get into the title reign of Terry Funk and
the Crossroads, the double crossroads it presented to him, you know, good
for nothing, egg sucking dumb. We did it our way because we love
it that way. We love it that way. And I have this wonderful
gun feeling that I've had it all my life. When it's time to go,
I think it's now there's time to go. M hmmmm. There was
this a CD preceding announcement as a t J DeSantis production, its contents is
intended for private use only.