My Take
Terry Funk is one of those rare wrestlers where the word "legend" actually feels like an understatement. The guy from Hammond, Indiana — who learned the craft at West Texas A&M before spending over five decades bleeding and brawling across every corner of the globe — basically invented what we now call hardcore wrestling in his later years, and he did it with a reckless, almost beautiful abandon that nobody his age had any business pulling off. He retired and unretired so many times it became its own storyline, and yet every single comeback felt genuine, because Terry just couldn't stay away from the fight. His WWE and Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame inductions were long overdue recognitions of a career that influenced practically every tough-guy brawler who came after him. He passed in August 2023, and the wrestling world genuinely felt quieter for it.
Overview
Terrance Dee Funk (June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an American professional wrestler and actor. Funk is known for the length of his career, which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements. He is also known for his influential hardcore wrestling style he pioneered in the latter part of his career.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Terry Funk
- Name (Japanese)
- テリー・ファンク
- Reading
- てりー・ふぁんく
- Born
- June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Monkey
- Origin
- Hammond, Indiana, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 185 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- professional wrestler / actor / television actor / film actor / stunt performer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- West Texas A&M University
Awards & achievements
- WWE Hall of Fame
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.