Amarillo Salutes One Of The Meanest, Nastiest, And Nicest Wrestlers Ever

Let's talk REAL wrestling legends.

Back before the glory days of the WWF/WWE we had wrestling all through these parts and there was no man feared, no man tougher, and no man nicer than Terry Funk. He later served time in those promotions, as well as pretty much every other wrestling organization ever.

I was able to spend a day with Terry Funk as he made the rounds signing autographs in Lubbock. He was gracious, soft-spoken, and seemed to get a twinkle in his eye any time anyone would tell him about how long they'd been following him, or about their favorite match.

Funk moved like a robot that hadn't been oiled. He was slow to get up and limped in that broken-down kind of way...that is until he was "on". When he knew it was showtime he instantly sprang back into form and made himself into the hero those people who visited him wanted him to be.

Funk's wrestling prowess, titles, and history are best left to his Wikipedia page because there is just too much to list here. Let's just say that he was an absolute legend and he deserves every single honor that is thrown his way. You could spend an entire day watching videos of Terry Funk and quickly realize why he was called "The Hardcore Legend".  Funk passed away in August at age 79 after suffering from dementia.

Terry Funk's portrait has been put up as part of a music festival in Amarillo. You can see the mural in the 500 block of South Polk. You can find out more about the tribute by visiting our sister stations site here.