First time I ever saw the great Terry Funk was during his 1985-1986 run in the WWF. I know a lot of folks bag on that part of Terry’s career, but I loved it. He had a great Saturday Night’s Main Event bout with Hulk Hogan that I love going back to rewatch. There was also tag match with he and his brother Dory taking on my favorite team at the time, The British Bulldogs. And of course there was that brief period where he apparently hated Rick Springfield.
Yes, that Rick Springfield. Good looking guy, soap opera hunk, rock star. Can’t blame him.
I present this reminder in the form of a SQUASH of the week featuring THIS MAN, Gary Starr. Yep, he was such a hero that he needed TWO r’s in his last name!
Terry comes to the ring escorted by his manager, “The Mouth of the South”, Jimmy Hart. And blaring over the arena speakers would be his legendary first WWF entrance music, “Eat Your Heart Out Rick Springfield”! Like you could have possibly forgotten this??
So Terry gets in and starts immediately roughhousing his doughy opponent. A great lock up, followed by an elbow right to the top of the noggin, and then tosses him outside like the week’s garbage.
Gary decides to play funny guy and races around the ring like a pudgy sixth grader trying out for the basketball team knowing he’ll never make it. Ah yes, I know that pain well.
Terry catches him back inside the ring, giving him a mighty body slam but missing an elbow drop, allowing Starr to escape outside the ring. Funk chases him but Starr is TOO FAST. And you can tell it’s just ticking our favorite Texan off to no end.
Funk gets back in the ring but unfortunately blows his knee out. He begs off but Starr goes right for the wounded leg. Funk then proceeds to beat the ever living life out of him for his complete lack of sportsmanship. You deserve this beating, ya geek.
Terry then clamps on a sleeper hold and puts Gary right out. I didn’t recall the Funker using a sleeper during this run, but then again, I always felt like Terry just used whatever hold he felt like at any given time as a finisher. When you’re as great as Terry Funk, you’re allowed to do that.
Oh man, I had tried to block this from my memory. Ok, so Terry would “brand” his opponents with his branding iron. This always looked so dumb because it was just some sloppy paint at the end of the iron and it would always smear all over the place. Terry deserved better. At least one time he really should have lit that thing up and seared somebody. And you know who would have been the ideal victim?
Yep. He would have totally deserved it!