Terry Funk is often regarded as an ECW legend, but the WWE Hall of Famer from Amarillo, Texas has been a wrestling star since the 70s. He's one of the few wrestlers to have had a career spanning over four decades. He's been a champion in the NWA, WCW, WWE, and ECW among other wrestling promotions.

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Because of the hardcore, more violent, persona he adopted later in his career, Funk is often especially remembered for his time at Extreme Championship Wrestling, ECW. Funk arrived to the company in 1994, when it was still known as Eastern Championship Wrestling. This list will examine 10 facts many fans may not know about Terry Funk's iconic run in ECW.

10 Never Wrestled Rob Van Dam

Terry Funk Never Wrestled Rob Van Dam

Terry Funk and Rob Van Dam are two of the biggest names in the history of ECW. Somehow, the two have never competed in a single match against one another; not even in a tag team match nor a Royal Rumble.

Van Dam spent years at the company with Funk and the two wrestled on the same card many times but never crossed paths in the ring. Funk's in-ring career ended over a decade ago so this ECW dream match will likely never happen.

9 Competed In his First Royal Rumble Despite Being In ECW

Terry Funk ROyal Rumble 1997

Terry Funk competed in the WWE long before he showed up at ECW. During his first run in the WWE in the late 80s, the Royal Rumble didn't exist. At ECW in 1997 Funk won his second ECW World Title. That same year, Terry Funk also competed in the first Royal Rumble match of his career.

He was the 24th entrant and lasted 15 minutes in the ring before being eliminated by Mankind. His contract at ECW was not exclusive and Funk sometimes competed for different companies like NJPW during his time with the company.

8 Oldest Person To Ever Win The ECW World Title

Funk Is The Oldest Person To Ever Win The ECW Title

By the 90s, Terry Funk was already in his fifties. At ECW, he competed with opponents who were sometimes almost thirty years his junior. He also competed at a high level despite his age.

The second time Funk won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship when he turned 53 years old setting the record that still stands. The title reign wasn't short either as he held the title for over 100 days.

7 Put On His Own ECW Event (Where He Wrestled Bret Hart)

Terry Funk Vs Bret Hart

In September 1997, Terry Funk put on a show known as Terry Funk's WrestleFest: 50 Years of Funk in his hometown of Amarillo, Texas. The show was put on in honor of his father and brother. ECW produced the event and Paul Heyman even declared Terry Funk the Lifetime ECW World Heavyweight Champion.

The main event of the show featured Terry Funk vs. Bret Hart (who was the WWE Champion at the time). It was the first time the two ever clashed in the ring, but not the last as they would have another singles match on an episode of WCW Thunder.

6 First Person To Have Won Both The ECW And NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Terry Funk as the NWA World Champion

Terry Funk rose to prominence in the 70s. In 1975, he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and defended it for 424 days.

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Almost 20 years later, Funk won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship from Sabu and became the first wrestler to have won both titles.

5 Headlined The First Major ECW Pay Per View

Barely Legal

Barely Legal is often considered the first big-time pay-per-view in the history of ECW. It is often credited for launching ECW's viewership from regional audiences to major households across the country. It was nearly impossible to get on air thanks to the "Mass Transit" incident a year earlier.

Terry Funk competed in the main event of Barely Legal where he defeated Raven to retain his ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

4 Competed In Two Big Time Barbed Wire Matches

terry-funk-sabu-ecw-barbed-wire-match

Although ECW was known for its insanely hardcore and violent matches, the company only put on two major barbed wire matches. The first was a No Ropes Barbed Wire Tag Team match that took place in 1994. It is the first major match of this sort in the company's history. Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk were defeated by Johnny Grunge & Rocco Rock, but it set the "barbed wire match" up for recurrence in the future.

The second is one of the most notorious matches of all time. Sabu and Terry Funk competed in a brutal Barbed Wire Match at ECW Born To Be Wired. The match was so intense Paul Heyman declared it the last barbed wire match the company would ever present to audiences. The match is absolutely iconic.

3 Once Sued By A Fan For $18 Million

Cactus Jack and Terry Funk wrestling with barbed wire

Using flaming items was not uncommon in ECW. Tables being put on fire and burning weapons were the norm. Terry Funk was once sued by a fan who claimed they were burned during an event where Funk entered the audience with a flaming chair. ​​​​​​​

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The lawsuit never amounted to anything, but Funk did say the whole spot was his friend Mick Foley's idea.

2 Partnered With Arn Anderson For The First Time In ECW

Terry Funk And Arn Anderson

Big-time Terry Funk fans will remember his sporadic pairing with Arn Anderson in WCW. The two first teamed up at a cross-promotion event between Eastern Championship Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

Arn and Funk were defeated by Bobby Eaton & Sabu. They competed in the main event for the show known as ECW When Worlds Collide.

1 Never Participated In WWE's ECW Reboot

Paul Heyman standing in the ring with ECW and WWE Champion, Rob Van Dam.

Many younger fans may only remember the ECW reboot that featured some of the low points of the entire show. It wasn't nearly as hardcore, but it did feature a ton of former ECW superstars. Terry Funk was not one of the ECW legends that competed for the company.

His last official match in ECW was at ECW One Night Stand 2006, which preceded the ECW reboot. Funk was still wrestling in the indies at the time and never showed up on the WWE/ECW program. It was another misstep in the WWE's ECW reboot.