#102: Terry Funk vs. Bret Hart, WrestleFest: 50 Years of Funk (9/11/1997).
This is a No Disqualification Match, and one of many retirement matches from Terry Funk.
The words "Terry Funk" and "retirement" don't exactly go well. Like, at all. Often during the later stages of his great career, Funk would say that he was finally walking away from the ring, only to Come back again.
This is one instance, but this is arguably the most famous Retirement match that he had. The circumstances surrounding this match made it a genuine interpromotional event for fans of 90s wrestling.
Funk was predominantly wrestling for ECW around this time, while Bret was the reigning WWF Champion - and only months away from the Montreal Screwjob.
So, getting to see a match like this during the Monday Night Wars was a rarity in and of itself. Also, fun fact, this event also featured the only singles match between the Mankind character and Sabu, as well as a match between Dory Funk, Jr. and a young Rob Van Dam.
Funk chose Bret as his last opponent, and the Hitman took that with a lot of pride.
There's a nice ceremony before the match featuring Terry's friends and family, and he's awarded a lifetime ECW World Championship by Paul Heyman.
They lock up, and Funk gets Hart in the corner. Bret slips out, and they separate. Bret goes to the outside to slow down the pace. Another lock up, and Funk takes the side headlock. Bret tries to turn it into a rollup.
Funk cranks the head and tries to force the shoulders to the mat. Bret is back up and he forces Funk into the ropes. Fireman's Carry takeover by Funk, and he quickly transitions to an armbar, and back to the side headlock.
Hart tries to clamp Funk's neck to escape. It works and Hart takes the front facelock. Funk takes Hart to the mat and looks for the Spinning Toe Hold, but Hart escapes and rolls to the outside. Funk chases him, and Hart returns to the Ring.
Hart punches Funk in the turnbuckle, and he stomps at the knee. Hart with a Greco Roman chokehold, Taichi style. Hart continues to punch at Funk, who tumbles to the floor. Hart twists his neck against the ropes, then punches him on the apron.
Hart headbutts Funk, and follows with a Suplex. He stretches and pulls the leg back, and now he drops all his weight on the knee. He continues this assault by stomping on the knee.
Hart gets Funk in the corner, and twists the leg up in the ropes. Takedown by Hart, and he drops an elbow across the knee. Funk tries to box Hart to keep him at bay, but Hart gets more boots on the injured knee. Funk tumbles to the outside again.
Hart grabs a chair and drives the top of it into the knee. He smashes his face off of the ringside table. Back in the Ring, Hart rakes the eyes, but Funk has a grip on Hart's tights. Hart traps Funk in the Figure Four Leglock.
Hart uses the ropes for added leverage, as Hart's family at ringside taunt the Funker. Funk punches at the midsection, and Hart fires back with hay makers of his own. Funk finally drops Hart with a nice strike to the head.
Funk with more jabs, and Hart is on the mat. Hangman's neckbreaker by Funk, and Hart kicks out. DDT by Funk, and Hart kicks out again. Funk lifts Hart up, and spikes him with a piledriver.
Funk tosses Hart to the outside. He throws Hart face first into a chair. Back in the Ring, Hart pulls Funk to the Ring post, and does his Figure Four on the floor. He continues to work on the leg, as he drops his knee onto Funk's knee.
Hart twists at the knee, and drops all his weight on the leg against the ropes. Hart then does a backbreaker on Funk. Hart grabs a chair, and drives it into the knee. He then Pillmanizes Funk's leg in the chair. Funk tries to hook Hart's knee from under him.
Funk is up, and he trips Hart to the mat. Now he drops a leg drop onto Hart's leg. Funk asks for a chair, and one of the fans gives him one! He smashes it on Hart's leg, and then he does it with a new chair!
On the outside, Funk hits Hart in the back with a chair. Funk headbutts Hart onto a table, then misses a springboard splash from apron. Funk crashes through the table, knees first. Funk is busted open now.
Back in the Ring, Hart drops an elbow onto Funk's face. Hart with a headbutt to the lower abdomen. Hart looks for the Sharpshooter, but Funk reverses into a small package for a 2 count.
Funk grabs the leg, and Hart tries to fight back with punches. Funk drops Hart and locks in the Spinning Toe Hold! Hart reverses into a small package of his own for a 2 count. Hart with a series of clotheslines now.
Funk with a shoulder tackle, and both men are down. He makes the cover, and Hart kicks out. Hart rakes the eyes, and Funk gives him a belly to back suplex. Both men's shoulders are down, but as the ref counts, Hart gets his shoulders up before 3. Funk loses his "retirement" match.
Considering his age, Terry Funk managed to hang with the WWF Champion with relative ease. This match was a showcase of his strengths: the fundamentals, facials, and selling. Man, very few can sell an ass beating quite like Terry Funk.
Oh, and that Bret Hart guy? Excellent as always. This was during his Anti-America phase in WWE, so he was naturally ruthless here in his assault of Funk's legs. He was a true heel here in Funk's hometown of Amarillo, and the crowd gave him shit all night.
This was 1,000 times better than the WCW Thunder match between these two that I reviewed months ago. If this was indeed Funk's last match, it's a hell of a moment to hang your hat on. He defied time and hung bell to bell with the Hitman, and wrote a fitting finale to his career.
Funk would again wrestle on September 25th, in FMW. You can't keep a good Funker down.