Graham Cawthon sent along the following:
Terry Funk talks 1989: Flair, Sting, Pillman, Eddie, more
Hardcore Legend gives his thoughts on 20th anniversary of Flair feud
It was 1988. The NWA was hurting. They had lost several of their top stars and the Four Horsemen were no more.
But things changed in 1989 and wrestling fans and historians alike consider it a golden year for the company. Ricky Steamboat made his return, bringing with him a trilogy of matches against Ric Flair that some say are the most technically sound of all time.
Then Terry Funk arrived.
In a brand new exclusive interview conducted by The History of WWE’s (http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com) Graham Cawthon, the "Hardcore Legend" shares his candid thoughts on what brought him to the NWA 20 years ago, his 6 months as the company’s top heel, and the behind-the-scenes work that went into making Funk/Flair one of the hottest feuds of that generation.
Included in the hour-long conversation:
– The piledriver on the table that put Flair out of action for 60 days
– Funk wrestling a young Eddie Guerrero on World Championship Wrestling
– Funk’s mini-feud with Sting and whether Funk thought it was a good idea
– Wrestling a young Brian Pillman, which tangents off into a discussion of the struggle pro wrestlers have to keep their in-ring personas and real life personas seperate
– The plastic bag incident that might have led to the premature ending of the Flair/Funk feud
– Why Funk didn’t like the Halloween Havoc match pitting he and the Great Muta against Flair and Sting
– Whose idea it was for the I Quit match and the WWE referencing that match even today
Funk also discusses working with the likes of Jim Herd, Chris Cruise, and Dick Murdoch, the frustration of working on the booking committee, the WWE’s current competition, and why he came out of retirement so many times.
The hour-long interview is available for download free of charge at The History of WWE. Visit The History of WWE (http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com) for more and enter this week’s contest to win a free DVD shoot interview!
Meet Funk in person
Be sure to see Funk Oct. 23 as he is roasted by the likes of Mick Foley, Bill Apter, Missy Hyatt, and Superstar Billy Graham. Visit http://www.ringroasts.com/ for more information.
And check out Funk Nov. 6 in the main event of IWA East Coast’s anniversary show. Also on the card: Eugene, Tracy Smothers, Zach Gowen, Yuko Miyamoto, and more. Visit http://www.iwaeastcoast.com/ for more information.
