5 great Terry Funk matches you should watch 

Terry Funk and Ric Flair were involved in one of the greatest rivalries of all time
Terry Funk and Ric Flair were involved in one of the greatest rivalries of all time

#2 Terry Funk vs Atsushi Onita- FMW 4th Anniversary Show: Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match

Terry Funk and Atsushi Onita had what many consider the greatest match to have this kind of stipulation. While rare, there have been some pretty stellar Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatches, many of which involved Onita.

This was also a match mentioned several times during AEW's build-up to the showdown between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley earlier this year. They'd even use the ending, with Eddie Kingston playing the part of Onita.

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The two locked up and tried their best to shove one another into the barbed wire and explosives. Atsushi Onita was the first one to take that pain, as a series of punches from Funk sent him into the exploding barbed wire.

In no time, Atsushi Onita was a bloody mess. However, it wouldn't take long for Terry Funk to be drenched as well. It was gruesome in the best way. Another important note was that it was a timed explosive match, meaning that at the end of the fifteen-minute period, the ring would explode.

Once ten minutes were up, tensions were high. Both men began hitting each other with heavier punches, hoping to find a knock-out blow and save their own skin from the oncoming devastation. Onita escaped the Spinning Toe Hold and sent Funk into the barbed wire once again.

With a little under three minutes to spare, Atsushi Onita hit a DDT for the three-count. However, Terry Funk wouldn't let him leave, attacking him with a strand of barbed wire.

Onita planted him with two powerbombs to finally put him away. However, even though he'd made it out of the ring in time, Onita couldn't let Funk suffer the gruesome fate of the exploding ring.

Atsushi Onita tried to save Terry Funk but ultimately had to cover his body to save him. In the end, both were able to walk away somehow. It was a legendary spectacle and one that is a must-watch for those wanting to dive into Funk's greatest matches.


#1 Terry Funk vs Ric Flair- WCW Clash of Champions IX: I Quit Match

A few years prior, Terry Funk broke the neck of Ric Flair, leading to one of the greatest main events in WCW. Funk gave Flair a chance to quit right at the start of the match before he punished the Nature Boy.

Ric Flair, of course, refused and delivered a severe serving of chops to Funk. When Terry Funk took over he, again, gave Flair a chance to quit early. Again, Flair refused and caught Funk with an inverted atomic drop.

Every chop put the crowd on their feet, and each time Terry Funk cut him off it drained the life out of the arena. They were white-hot for this one, with good reason. Add to that the great team of Jim Ross and Gordon Solie on commentary, and everything about this was perfect.

Terry Funk took the microphone and promised that he'd break Ric Flair's neck again if he wouldn't quit. "Remember your neck, Flair?" Still, The Nature Boy refused.

The piledriver spiked Flair, but he still didn't quit. Funk zeroed in on that neck for the rest of the match, but Flair soon found a target to attack when he went after Funk's left leg.

A series of shin breakers and kicks to the knee left Funk trying to run away from the ring. Flair refused to let him leave, and he knew that Funk was close to calling it quits.

When Terry Funk was locked in Ric Flair's Figure-Four Leglock with nowhere to go, he told the referee that he'll never quit. He would never give in to the likes of Ric Flair. However, after agonizing minutes in the hold, he began to scream that Flair was breaking his leg. With nowhere to go, he ultimately quit, giving Flair some much-needed revenge.

After the match, Terry Funk shook Ric Flair's hand out of respect. There was a major angle set up after the bout with Sting, Lex Luger, and The Great Muta that I won't reveal. You'll want to follow up on that once you've checked out this match.

This is, for what my opinion's worth, the greatest match of Terry Funk's career. He and Ric Flair were on fire in this one, and it's something that every wrestling fan needs to watch.

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Edited by Alan John
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