Terry Funk Embodied the Spirit of Pro Wrestling

In a year that has seen several wrestling legends take their final bows, Terry Funk’s death this week at age 79 is arguably the most poignant. Where “Superstar” Billy Graham, who died in May, might have provided the template for a certain type of musclebound, trash-talking main-eventer, Funk—who seemingly wrestled everywhere and worked every style throughout a five-decade career—arguably pioneered everything else. From epic world championship battles to empty-arena matches, hard-hitting All Japan brawling to Hollywood, Funk did it all, did it well, and did much of it years or even decades before his peers caught up.