Terry Funk - The Rise Of A Madman: NWA Champion, WWF Outlaw & Territory Legend - Episode 113

Terry Funk - The Rise Of A Madman: NWA Champion, WWF Outlaw & Territory Legend - Episode 113

From 10 Bell Pod by 10 Bell Pod

February 26, 2026 · 1h 47m

About this episode

This episode explores the legacy and impact of Terry Funk in professional wrestling across different eras.

Welcome to the season 5 MAIN EVENT - Part 1. What is greatness in pro wrestling? Is it money? Is it belts? Is it star ratings? Influence, risk, reinvention? Because by any metric, it's Terry Funk. This episode isn’t about Chainsaw Charlie. It’s not about the crazy old man swinging chairs in ECW. It’s about the through line of professional wrestling itself, and the man who quietly bled through every era of it. Before the barbed wire. Before the empty arena. Before the “forever” retirement. There was a kid who grew up inside the business, learned it from the source, and then spent five decades reshaping it without ever chasing credit. From territorial greatness to All Japan’s rise, from NWA world champion to Hollywood detours, from classic wrestling to controlled chaos, Terry Funk wasn’t just present, he was connective tissue. When wrestling changed, he changed with it. When it stagnated, he shocked it awake. This is the story of a magician. A madman. A craftsman. Before hardcore was a genre, before nostalgia was a marketing strategy, before the industry fractured and rebranded itself a dozen times over there was Terry Funk. IMPORTANT LINKS: Instagram…

Topics covered

  • Terry Funk
  • professional wrestling
  • NWA
  • WWF
  • territory wrestling
  • hardcore wrestling

Keywords

  • greatness
  • influence
  • reinvention
  • wrestling history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: MAIN EVENT

Places: Hollywood, Amarillo, Missouri, Japan, Florida

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