Mick Foley realized the secret behind the incredible punches of Terry Funk, but only when he set foot in the ring with him for the first time.
Both men are WWE Hall of Famers and legends of the ring, with many considering them two of the greatest wrestlers of all time. With Funk’s recent death, fans and wrestlers alike have begun to look back at the incredible life of the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
Funk in particular transcended generations, and possessed a skill that nobody else in the wrestling world could ever possess – or so Mick Foley thought. The pair fought many wars in multiple promotions, most famously in their Death Matches in FMW in Japan.
Writing in his first book ‘Have a Nice Day’, Mick Foley wrote about being in awe of Funk’s incredible punches.
Foley was always jealous of Terry Funk’s real looking punches. He never knew how Funk could make his worked punches look so real without hurting his opponents. This was a skill very few wrestlers possessed, and was a trait most commonly associated with the likes of Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett in Memphis.
However, once he stepped into the ring with The Funker, he came to the realization that Funk was not that good – he just punched his opponents for real!
That realization caused Funk to remark “Oh, Mick, all this time you thought I was good”. This became a famous line Funk said, having successfully pulled the wool over the eyes of Foley for all those years.
“No matter what mannerisms I ‘borrowed,’ I knew that I would never throw a punch like Terry’s, which was truly a thing of beauty. Many people, including me, considered the Funker’s big left hand to be the nicest punch in the business.
A few minutes into the big match, Terry took me into the corner, and I saw him rear back with the big left. This was going to be great. Here it comes.
Thwack.
I felt like I did when I was eight and my mother came clean about Santa Claus. I had just learned the hidden “secret” of the great Funk left hand. It was so simple–I’d been a fool for not knowing the whole time. Terry Funk had just punched me as hard as he could in the forehead.”
The Funker’s response: “Oh, Mick, all this time you thought I was good.”
Mick Foley and Terry Funk had some legendary battles in Japan, revolutionizing the death match in some iconic matches.
They also did battle in ECW, as well as working as a tag team in WWE – Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie teamed together in a series of matches against the New Age Outlaws, culminating in the legendary Dumster Match.
Terry Funk was just 79 when he died. This is young for the general population, but a good innings for a pro wrestler with the mileage Funk had in his career.
Funk wrestled his last ever match in 2017, when he was 73-years of age. This makes him one of the oldest wrestlers of all time, although he missed out on beating Mae Young’s record – one that may never be broken.
Funk teamed with two WWE Hall of Famers in a six-man tag team match. His opponents included the legendary Jerry “The King” Lawler, his son Brian Christopher and Eddie Gilbert.