Round 3, Match 25: #1 Bret Hart vs. #16 Terry Funk

[Shocky]

#1 Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. #16 Terry Funk​

The following match takes place in Calgary, AL under normal WCW Rules. Debate and follow the rules, no spamming please.

1. Not a popularity contest.
2. Will rules of a region come into play (Remember, this is old school WCW, so the ring entrance and the ring are on the same level.)
3. Will crowd be a factor.
4. This is the last round for non gimmick matches.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I've seen this match. And it was crap.

I'd go for Funk before his days as the Hardcore Legend. But I've said it before, the fact he's still wrestling today make him lose points for me. Bret was great. But this could possibly be the most boring match to discuss in the whole tournament.

 

[Agrex]

Bret Hart, hands down. Terry Funk only knows how to throw himself through barbed wire. Since this is not a harcore match, this match favours Hart beyond belief. Sure Funk can totally wreck his body in a harcore match, but it's not one. I see this ending in 5 minutes with the Sharpshooter, and favouring Bret Hart.

 

[klunderbunker]

Hart wins this one. I've seen some of funk's stuff before he was hardcore, and he was average at best. Hitman is about as close to perfect in the ring as it gets, so it's hard to not go with him. Hart in a predictable 10 minute match.

 

[X]

Hart wins this one. I've seen some of funk's stuff before he was hardcore, and he was average at best. Hitman is about as close to perfect in the ring as it gets, so it's hard to not go with him. Hart in a predictable 10 minute match.

Bret Hart, hands down. Terry Funk only knows how to throw himself through barbed wire. Since this is not a harcore match, this match favours Hart beyond belief. Sure Funk can totally wreck his body in a harcore match, but it's not one. I see this ending in 5 minutes with the Sharpshooter, and favouring Bret Hart.

Neither of you should be allowed to be called wrestling fans.

Terry Funk only knows how to throw himself through barbed wire huh? Clearly, you're unaware of any type of wrestling whatsoever in the 70s and 80s outside of Hulk Hogan and the Macho Man. Terry Funk is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever live, and if people would just shut the fuck up about his ECW and "Chainsaw Charlie" days and remember his NWA and territory days, they'd realize how ridiculiously fuckin' good this guy was. Seriously, unless you've seen the following Terry Funk matches, shut the hell up because you're just completely uneducated on the subject.

Terry Funk vs. Jack Brisco (June 1975)
Terry Funk vs. Harley Race (August 1976)
Terry Funk vs. Dusty Rhodes "Barbed Wire Fence" Match (July 1979)
Terry Funk vs. Jerry "the King" Lawler "Empty Arena" Match (1981)
Terry Funk vs. Ricky Steamboat (June 1989)
Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair (Great American Bash 1989)
Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair "I Quit" Match (Clash of Champions IX Nov. 1989)
Terry Funk & The Great Muta vs. Ric Flair & Sting (Thunderdome 1989)

Those matches right there are perfect examples of Terry Funk's early work. Not to mention all of his ECW work, which, if you actually sat down and watched other matches besides the Sabu-Funk barbed wire one, you'd realize were for the most part pretty good.

Funk is facing Bret Hart here though. And I know the Bret Hart marks will come out in full force. Bret Hart is a legend. But he was only worth a shit from 1992-1997 and everybody knows that. Terry Funk was one of the greatest wrestlers on the face of the planet for a solid 15 years before he even entered ECW as an old man. And that, IMO, puts him ahead of Hart.

But Hart will win this one, because the internet loves him to death. I voted Funk, and I'd stick by that vote like I've said before on just about every occasion unless the opponents name was something along the lines of Flair.

 

[klunderbunker]

I have seen a lot of those matches and I still stand by what I voted. Funk is better than a lot of wrestlers and probably most active wrestlers today for that matter. To hold the NWA title as long as he did puts him in great company. But to say he would be able to beat Bret Hart is just too much. Funk should go farther in this tournament than he will, but Hart is a number 1 seed for a reason: He's one of the best ever.

 

[greer44644]

The two of the greatest in wrestling . The Canadian crowd gives Brett Hatt the advantage over funk. Plus Funk is used to wrestling hardcore(though a great wrestler in normal Back in the 80's) Hart would take Funk to the ground and beat him technacly probly with the sharpshooter. But if funk is playing a heel role i see an dirty finish with funk going hardcore on him to try to take hart out for good. BUt Hart has the ruels advantage and crowd so i think hart goes over Funk with the sharpshooter . Should be an intresting match .

 

[Mighty NorCal]

awww Xfear, he was only worth a shit from 92 to 97??? I belive 85 was when the Hart foundation was started, and he was excellent then too. so 85' through 97 sounds more accurate to me.

And I fully agree with you, and shared your disbelief when I saw people saying that all Funk could do was throw himself through barbed wire. He was excellent a good 15 to 20 years before any E C DUB chants EVER happened. In my opinion Bret Hart, was just simply better. Not by a lot. But by enough to were he gets my vote.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

This match has the potential to be a contrast in styles, but with it being set in Canada, much less in Hart's hometown, I really can't see him not winning. (short of some type of screwjob)

Bret Hart is the stereo-typical technical wrestler. I think even without the crowd already being deadly in his favor, he'd still easily win this match. (And like Jake said, I've seen this match actually happen - it wasn't great)

 

[Shocky]

Come on X, you can't honestly believe that Bret Hart only had good matches from 92-97. Everything the guy has done has been solid and solid as hell. His matches from Stampede wrestling were solid, his stuff in his early career in the WWF apart of the Hart foundatino was fantastic. And his post WWF career he had solid matches as well, he just was completely and totally misused by WCW. Bret had great matches with Benoit, Sting, Flair, and even good matches out of Goldberg. The guy is solid. I would go as far to say that Bret doesn't get the fame he deserves. Guys like Michaels, Triple H, and the WWE in whole have done nothing but bury and make a mockery of the guy since he has left, and people have guzzled the Kool-Aid of Bret being a cry baby like it was water. They've let Bret getting screwed cloud how good the guy was for the company.

The guy gets almost universal praise from everyone that he worked with as the best worker and the best in the ring period. I think you are being a little too hard on the guy.

I too am in disbelief though that people call Terry Funk shit. Watch some wrestling outside of the WWF and WCW people, for fuck's sake. The guy was solid as hell in the 70's and 80's. Funk gets way too much shit for his ECW days. The guy was an old man that came out of retirment for the upteenth time to try and give some credibility to a product he believed in and a belt he wanted to see succeed, damn that old man to hell. Sure, his ECW matches were subpar, but still much better then most of the guys hired by the big two companies.

I'm not saying Hart is better, but I certainly see why he is winning. I think a vote for either one of these two is completely justified. For people on either guy to say the other was shit is a bit off.

 

[X]

When I say Hart was only good from 92-97, I truly mean that outside of a few good tag matches. This isn't to say Hart was a bad wrestler before that, but he was mired in the midcard of the WWF in the 80s, and the midcard then was pretty god damn terrible.

I do recall a few great matches the Hart Foundation has, such as their 2 out of 3 falls match with the Rockers, but this wasn't a time in the WWF when midcarders were given the chance to shine. That didn't really happen until the early 90s. The first time I can recall seeing a Bret Hart match and thinking "Holy shit, this guy is really good" is his Wrestlemania 8 IC title match with Roddy Piper.

And let's be honest here, his WCW work was shit. Utter, utter shit. Alot of that had to do with him being consistently jobbed out as soon as he got there and WCW dropping the ball on him in such a monumental way, it still pisses me off to this day. But he also seemed to stop caring. Especially after his brother died. He had two good matches with Benoit, and after that his career was over IMO. He just lost the passion IMO.

Look, Hart's great. Better then great. He's a legend. But he's not nearly as experienced as Terry is, he doesn't know half the dirty tricks that Funk does, and Funk has a ton of more experience in WCW.

Once again, I say Bret Hart will win this one, but in my opinion Terry Funk is the better wrestler.

 

[Shocky]

True, but you also have to remember, the WWF in the late 80s wasn't too kind to smaller wrestlers. It was all muscle and gimmicks for the WWF at that time, Bret was just a victim of timing and being apart of the era he was a part of. Still, with his limited matches, the hart's and the Bulldogs tore shit up, practically any match involving the Hart's was a solid under card match.

As far as hsi WCW stuff, the guy practically took most of 1999 off, and he didn't come back until October or so. He had a few matches in between and in the summer, but nothing much. I think I would stop caring too when the business I loved saw me get shit on after workign for a company for 12 years, and then it ultimately killed his brother. I would almost say you wouldn't be human at that point if you weren't a little jaded. And as far as his career being over, well it was over by the end of 99 thanks to Goldberg.

Like I said, everyone's entitled to their opinion, but there has been a ton fo Bret hate on these boards lately. I'm not a big Hart fan, but someone needs to carry his torch a little bit. Funk is great, he's not great, he's fucking fantastic. I could care either way who wins this one myself, I think either is a good choice.

 

[Slim Pickns]

I went with Hart on this one. If I had to make a list of, who I considered, the best wrestlers of all time, these two would probably be two spots within each other.

I too was upset to see that someone said all Funk can do jump into barb wire. Then, I saw the age of the poster and just shrugged it off. Its obviously someone who has only searched ECW on youtube.

The reasons I went with Hart are simple. One, he transitioned the WWF from the larger than life Hulk Hogan like characters, to a more mat based technical style. Two, he won multiple WWF World, Intercontinetal, and Tag Team Titles at a time when the belts weren't passed around like a bag of Oreos.

 

[Slyfox696]

When I say Hart was only good from 92-97, I truly mean that outside of a few good tag matches. This isn't to say Hart was a bad wrestler before that, but he was mired in the midcard of the WWF in the 80s, and the midcard then was pretty god damn terrible.

I do recall a few great matches the Hart Foundation has, such as their 2 out of 3 falls match with the Rockers, but this wasn't a time in the WWF when midcarders were given the chance to shine. That didn't really happen until the early 90s. The first time I can recall seeing a Bret Hart match and thinking "Holy shit, this guy is really good" is his Wrestlemania 8 IC title match with Roddy Piper.

He also had what I feel is one of the greatest matches ever with Mr. Perfect at Summerslam 1991, and his stuff with The Mountie was solid too. His tag team matches were generally very very well received by the crowd, and even in the '91 Rumble when he came out first, he got a great pop.

Finally, Hart had good matches in WCW as well, with the Owen tribute match with Benoit being foremost in mind. Hart had several good matches in WCW, which are just over shadowed by how terrible the booking was.

Look, Hart's great. Better then great. He's a legend. But he's not nearly as experienced as Terry is, he doesn't know half the dirty tricks that Funk does, and Funk has a ton of more experience in WCW.

I don't think Terry Funk worked for WCW any more than Bret did. Bret was officially in WCW from 1997 until he retired in early 2000. Their experience in WCW was probably very close, in terms of length.

Once again, I say Bret Hart will win this one, but in my opinion Terry Funk is the better wrestler.

I'm not sure Funk is the better wrestler, but to say that Funk was anything other than great and to say that he could only work hardcore matches is plain ridiculous and ignorant. Funk was great, in so many ways.

It just so happens he's going against Bret Hart.

 

[X]

He also had what I feel is one of the greatest matches ever with Mr. Perfect at Summerslam 1991, and his stuff with The Mountie was solid too. His tag team matches were generally very very well received by the crowd, and even in the '91 Rumble when he came out first, he got a great pop.

Very, very true. For some reason I was thinking he faced Mr. Perfect as Summerslam 92. That was a stone cold classic match, for sure. The only thing I recall about the 91 Rumble is being bored and knowing Hogan was going to win. His tag matches were generally well recieved, but outside of a few great matches IMO I don't think the "real" Bret Hart we've come to know and love arrived until after he became a singles wrestler around 91/92.

Finally, Hart had good matches in WCW as well, with the Owen tribute match with Benoit being foremost in mind. Hart had several good matches in WCW, which are just over shadowed by how terrible the booking was.

Like I said, he had two solid matches with Benoit. But aside from that I can't really recall a single other good match involving Bret. Alot of that was the booking, but I also personally felt he had lost all passion for the business after Montreal and his brother dying (which is perfectly understandable) which I thought showed in his later matches in WCW.

I don't think Terry Funk worked for WCW any more than Bret did. Bret was officially in WCW from 1997 until he retired in early 2000. Their experience in WCW was probably very close, in terms of length.

I'm not sure Funk is the better wrestler, but to say that Funk was anything other than great and to say that he could only work hardcore matches is plain ridiculous and ignorant. Funk was great, in so many ways.

It just so happens he's going against Bret Hart.

When I say WCW, I include the NWA of the 80s and Jim Crockett Promotions. Same companies for the most part. And Funk had alot more experience in the old NWA/WCW then Bret did.

But like I said, I fully expect Bret to win this (and from the way-too-lopsided results I'd say thats a shoo-in) but I had to vote for Terry because of how much I love and respect the guy, and I said before I'd be with him to the very end unless he faced Flair maybe.

Still, imagine this match with both in their primes? What a classic this would've been.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

It appears Xfear is respectfully doing with Terry Funk what I have been doing with Scott Norton and Ron Simmons - carrying the flag proudly and fighting for respect in a losing effort. Martyrdom, if you will. Everyone knows on an IWC board Hart goes over Funk, but XFear is taking the fight for the Funker to the bitter end. If only ONE person researches or learns or earns respect for Terry Funk, then I think XFear would have to agree, it's well worth the effort. And since I am ONE person who has been more open minded with X's posts, then his work is a success.

 

[X]

^ Exactly IC! Thats why I love your posts, you're so damn passionate about wrestling.

Terry Funk is a legend, that very few can compare to. And if my posts make those who have only seen his ECW and "Chainsaw Charlie" days decide to look back to his work in the 70s and mostly the 80s, then my goal has been accomplished. Terry Funk truly is one of the greatest of all time, and IMO could very easily be the best heel of all time. Just watch his empty-arena match with Jerry Lawler back in Memphis in the 80s; such a classic, and this is the infamous match in which Funk shouts repeatedly "My eye! That bastard got me in my eye!"...awesome stuff.

And hey, I gotta say IC, you've turned me onto Scott Norton (wow that sounded homosexual). I always thought he was just an NWO B-team jobber. But his Japan work is pretty damn badass I've got to say.

Thats what this whole tourny is about IMO....turning people on to different wrestlers and matches and feuds they had no idea about before.

 

[midgensa]

Hart has to take this match with relative ease. He is the far superior wrestler and top tier guy.
A few factors probably keep Funk from being squashed (his pure will and toughness for one), but I think this is a relatively easy win for the "Best the ever will be"