The following contest is a second round match in the Houston Region. This match takes place in the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California. #11 Great Muta Vs. #6 Terry Funk This contest is one fall with a 20 minute time limit. The match will take place in a 16 x 16 ring with no ramp leading to it. Any traditional managers for either competitor will be allowed at ringside. As for voting, vote for who you think would win this match based on the criteria you choose. Some suggestions would be (not limited to): in ring ability, overall skill, their level of influence at the highest point in their career, ability to connect with the crowd, experience in major matches or simply personal preference etc. The most votes in the voting period wins and in the case of a tie, the most written votes wins. There is one written vote per user, meaning if a poster make ten posts saying Bret should win that will count as a single vote. In the event of a second tie, both men are ELIMINATED, no questions asked. Only winners advance. Voting is open for four days and all posts must be non-spam.
Both men have been in the most brutal matches that mankind can come up with. But my vote would go to Terry Funk due to the fact that I haven't seen many matches with Great Muta in it. Funk is a legend and in his prime very skillful in the ring, so he should match up with Great Muta easily, and take him down.
Interestingly enough, Muta and Funk were buddies for a while in NWA and had a match with Flair and Sting. Now I admittedly don't know much about Japanese wrestling, but I do know that Terry Funk is one of the all time greatest to ever step in the squared circle. Can the same be said about Muta? I doubt it. Funk beat legends before they had achieved that status. Funk helped make men famous around the world. He has been an inspiration to hundreds of professional wrestlers, including such legends as Mick Foley. I'm sure Muta has inspired his fair share of young men as well, but his legend does not match the legend of Terry Funk. I'm voting Funk. I don't anticipate anyone being able to convince me otherwise.
There's no denying Muta was an innovator, and he even had successes in the United States, but that pales into insignificance when compared to Funk. Funk had a long and successful traditional career where he stepped out of his brother's shadow, and then arguably surpassed him, before going on to compete in some of the most brutal, violent matches of all time. Funk would win this one, in what would be an interesting and hard fought bout.
Funk for me in this one. Not only is he a hardcore icon, he was a damm good wrestler too. He has been the inspiration for so many wrestlers over the years, and is regarded as one of thw NWA's greatest world champions. Funk has one of the highest pain threshholds I have ever seen. I cannot see anything that Muta could throw at him that could keep Funk down if he was in his prime. Texas Piledriver for the 1-2-3 for Terry Funk
I vote Funk here on the basis of his long and storied career, his skill as a traditional pro wrestler, his brutal battles in haardcore matches, and for being one of the greats to hold the NWA champuionship. Muta was(and may still be for all I know) an awesome in ring performer, but his fame and legacy are still largely a product of the Japenese wrestling audience. Funk, on the other hand, was over both in Japan, and the USA. I may be wrong, but I think Funk deserves to go over Muta here. For now.
BLOOD. BATH. New levels of the Muta scale would come to exist when the dust settled and the smoke cleared. And it would be a damn solid match too. When all is said and done I think inwhat Americans would surely consideran "upset" victory, Muta would get the 123 (or perhaps a match stoppage due to blood loss/injury in his favor, lulz). I say this simply becuase of the sheer brutality and viciousness of the match and Muta's repertoire of high(er) impact power moves that would just take more of a toll and be the eventual deciding factor.
I think Muta is being underrated and I'm even saying this for someone who doesn't know much about him but knows briefly about what hes done and gives him respect. The Great Muta is one of th epioneers of Hardcore Wrestling. he's been said to have arguably the bloodiest match in professional wrestling history. Seriously though, Great Muta was the Hulk Hogan of Japan. He paved the way for Japanese Wrestlers. We wouldn't see guys like Kenta, Tajiri, Okada, Kyoshi if itwasn't for this man. He had a gimmick that was consistent with him and has loads of championship reigns. He made the Muta Lock famous a devstating submission manuever, think he invented it hence the name He held his own in the Americas, and is still going on to this day. Where is Terry Funk now? Retired. Sure he paved the way for guys like Mick Foley but honestly before he innovated Hardcore wrestling he was still just managaing to make it, and may've not made it much past the mid-card. Muta gets my vote.