#35: Terry Funk vs. Bret Hart, WCW Thunder (1/4/2000).
This is a Non Title Hardcore Match. Bret was WCW Champion at the time. This is their second and final singles meeting. The first was in 1997, when Terry picked Bret to be his opponent for his retirement match - a retirement that lasted from September 11th to September 25th.
Funk spits in Bret's face to start things off. They lock up, and Bret gets Funk in the ropes. He unloads with right hands. Funk tosses chairs into the ring right away after this. Bret sends Funk's face into a chair. Then, he drives a pipe into his chest. Bret sends Funk into the barricade twice on the outside.
Bret sends a chair into Funk's ribs, then hits him right on the head. Back inside the ring, Funk fights back and sends Bret to the outside. He pops off a running chair shot to the head. Keep in mind, this is weeks after Bret's concussion during the Goldberg match at Starrcade.
A chop by Funk next, and he tosses Bret into a ringside laundry bin full of weapons. He hits him repeatedly with a trash can. Funk tips the bin over, and Bret hits his head on the floor. Again, weeks after suffering a concussion! Back in the ring, Funk hits the gut with a trash can.
Bret avoids a moonsault from the top rope. Bret hits Funk in the head with a chair. Bret then traps Funk's leg in a chair, and crushes it with an elbow, Brian Pillman style. He knocks the referee down for some reason. The cameras miss Bret hitting Funk, as we go backstage to see Arn Anderson putting a referee shirt on. He and Funk were together fighting Bret and the nWo.
Instead, David Flair shows up and takes the shirt, and then locks Arn inside the room, presumably to protect him form the nWo. Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner & Kevin Nash make their way to ringside. They beat the hell out of Funk. Ric Flair's least talented child turned wrestler is here with a crowbar. Nash immediately knocks him over.
Steiner takes a bat and beats the hell out of Flair. Up on the stage, Nash hits the Jacknife Powerbomb to Funk through the stage, as the show goes off the air. Gee, why did WCW go out of business? Maybe this model of announcing great matches on paper in advance, and then having them end in short time without a finish?
This sucked, and it's not even just the booking. Remember that concussion from Starrcade? That's what led to Bret Hart being forced to retire, and if I remember correctly, it was bumps taken in this very match that made the injury even worse.
Still, seeing someone the caliber of Terry Funk involved in the late game stages of the Monday Night Wars in any way is pretty cool, even if it is a shit match.