Mick Foley Puts Terry Funk At The Top Of Pro Wrestling Mount Rushmore

Mick Foley explained why Terry Funk belongs in the conversation as best of all time.

On August 23rd, the wrestling world was saddened to learn of the passing of WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk at the age of 79. Funk’s longtime friend and former tag team partner Mick Foley was among the first to pay tribute to the legend on social media, writing:

“Terry Funk is gone. I just talked to Terry’s daughter, Brandee, who gave me the awful news. He was my mentor, my idol, and one of my closest friends. He was the greatest wrestler I ever saw.

If you get the chance, look up a Terry Funk match or a Terry Funk promo, and give thanks that this incredible man gave so much, for so long, to so many. There will never be another like him. May God bless Terry, his friends, family and all who loved him. RIP my dear friend – it was an honor to know you. #RIPTerryFunk

I will be writing much more about Terry in the next few days.”

“He Always Gave You The Best Match He Could” – Mick Foley On Terry Funk

Speaking about his friend’s legacy on Busted Open Radio, Foley said that Funk always put full effort into his matches and made it easy for fans to suspend their disbelief watching him, which is why Foley places him at the top of his Mount Rushmore of wrestling.

“[Terry] wasn’t going through the motions. He could have. No one would have thought less of him if he had gone through the motions, and he never went through the motions. He always gave you the best match he could.

“And the reason I explained in the foreword I wrote for his book, why I would put him above anyone else, at the very top of my Mount Rushmore is that he made it so easy to suspend disbelief. It sounds to me, he was a little upset with me after I set him on fire in ECW, but he was working the other time[s]. He was working to try to generate interest and heat and he suspended disbelief.” (h/t WrestlingInc)

After news of Funk’s passing, stars from across the world of wrestling paid tribute to the man who inspired so many in his career. WWE put together a beautiful video tribute to Funk in the wake of his passing.

Everyone at TJR Wrestling continues to send our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Terry Funk.