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77-469: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter ( WON ) is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts . Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer , the Wrestling Observer website merged with Bryan Alvarez 's Figure Four Weekly website in 2008, becoming Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Issues are offered in print and digital. The newsletter is often considered

154-552: A 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer . Soon after he became a color commentator and the host of his own segment, Funk's Grill, on NWA Power Hour where a tuxedo-clad Funk would amiably interview the top stars of WCW, both face and heel. This did not last long and he left soon after for the USWA. In May 1994, Funk reappeared in WCW. He wrestled Tully Blanchard to a double disqualification at Slamboree 1994 and later that night, he became

231-749: A King of the Ring qualifying match. During the King of the Ring pay-per-view, Funk interfered in the Mankind vs. The Undertaker Hell in a Cell match , receiving a chokeslam from The Undertaker. Funk then formed a short lived tag team with Justin Bradshaw , which defeated Too Much on the July 25 episode of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night . At Fully Loaded: In Your House , Funk and Bradshaw were defeated by Faarooq and 2 Cold Scorpio, with Bradshaw attacking Funk after

308-638: A bullrope "I Quit" match at Uncensored in March 2000. In April 2000, Funk began competing in WCW's hardcore division. At Spring Stampede later that month he defeated Norman Smiley to win the vacant WCW Hardcore Championship . At Slamboree , Funk defeated Smiley and Ralphus to successfully defend the title. He lost the title to Shane Douglas the following month, but regained it several days later. His second reign ended in June 2000 when he lost to Eric Bischoff . In September 2000, Funk defeated Lance Storm for

385-514: A house show for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . At the show, Terry joined longtime friend, Mick Foley , as special guest enforcers for a match between Scott Steiner and Samoa Joe . Funk made a brief return to WWE in 2006, when he appeared on the May 15 episode of Raw , confronting Mick Foley over the attack on Tommy Dreamer on the previous weeks episode of Raw . At ECW One Night Stand , Funk would team with Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty in

462-407: A jobber wrestled under the ring name Dave "The Observer" Meltzer. In 2014, The Young Bucks introduced a finishing move, combining a springboard 450 splash with a spike piledriver, dubbing it the "Meltzer Driver". In 2016, The Addiction introduced a finishing move, combining a double jump moonsault with a spike piledriver, dubbing it the "Best Meltzer Ever". Also, Ricochet and Matt Sydal introduced

539-566: A "No holds barred contest" for Northeast Wrestling on October 1, 2011. On October 15, 2011, Funk unsuccessfully faced his long-time friend and protégé Tommy Dreamer at the AWE "Night Of Legends" event. In a shoot interview conducted the next day featuring himself and Dreamer, Funk stated that he believed that would be his last match. On January 12, 2013, Funk stated that he was officially retired from professional wrestling at age 68, On October 27, 2013, he returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling with Dory in

616-498: A No Ropes Barbed Wire Exploding Barbed Wire Boards & Exploding Ring Time Bomb Death Match. Terry would also participate in several other deathmatches throughout 1995. Later in Funk's career, his style changed from wrestling traditional southern style wrestling matches to the more violent style of hardcore wrestling . In 1993, after a special appearance against Blanchard at World Championship Wrestling's Slamboree, Funk promised to help

693-582: A dumpster and then pushing it off the stage. At No Way Out of Texas: In Your House , Charlie and Jack teamed with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Owen Hart , defeating the team of Triple H , Savio Vega and the New Age Outlaws. At WrestleMania XIV , Charlie and Jack defeated the New Age Outlaws in a dumpster match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship . The following night, on the March 30 episode of Raw , Charlie and Jack lost

770-444: A finishing move combining a shooting star press with a spike piledriver dubbing it the "Shooting Star Meltzer Driver". Meltzer's newsletter has led to a loyal fan following and radio shows. After getting a job with The National Sports Daily in 1990, Meltzer was finally able to open dialogue with Vince McMahon, leading to elevation in both Meltzer's reputation and readership. In his first autobiography , Mick Foley declared that it

847-576: A hardcore match with the stipulation that if Funk won, the nWo would disband, but if Nash won, he would replace Funk as WCW Commissioner. The match was won by Nash. Funk went on to feud with Ric Flair , including losing to Flair's son David in an "I Quit" match on WCW Monday Nitro . The feud culminated in a Texas death match at SuperBrawl in February 2000 that was won by Flair. Funk then went on to feud with Dustin Rhodes , losing to Rhodes in

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924-484: A little more acceptance. Since major wrestling promotions would never acknowledge the existence of any " dirt sheets ", Meltzer had to find other ways to advertise his newsletter. Advertisements and other promotion were often published in kayfabe and semi-kayfabe publications. Early sources for knowledge of the WON 's existence were The Wrestling News published by Norman Kietzer, as well as Factsheet Five . The latter

1001-501: A losing effort against Foley, Edge and Lita . Midway through the match, Foley injured Funk's left eye with barbed wire, and Funk was taken backstage. He later returned to the match (with a bloody cloth tied over his eye) to hit Foley with a flaming 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire. Funk, along with his brother Dory, was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 by his longtime friend Dusty Rhodes . In 2013, Funk inducted Mick Foley into

1078-475: A member of Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable . Along with Bunkhouse Buck , Arn Anderson and Meng , the stable would focus their energies on Dusty and Dustin Rhodes , as well as The Nasty Boys , culminating in a War Games match at Fall Brawl . Funk left WCW once more in October 1994. In 1994, Funk joined the fledgling International Wrestling Association of Japan promotion. Funk would go on to be

1155-599: A participant in IWA's most famous event the King of the Death Match Tournament, held on August 20, 1995, in Kawasaki . Funk would first defeat Leatherface and Tiger Jeet Singh in extreme-style matches which featured barbed wire covered boards, glass, and chains before moving on to the finals of the tournament. In the finals, Funk was defeated by protégé Cactus Jack, later known by US audiences as Mick Foley , in

1232-495: A ranch in Canyon, Texas , which they later sold. Vicky died on March 29, 2019. Funk was close friends with NFL player John Ayers and Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone . On September 12, 2016, Funk underwent surgery for an inguinal hernia, and was supposed to be resting and in bed for a couple of weeks, but chose to attend Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore shows. In June 2021, fellow wrestling legend Don Muraco reported Funk

1309-631: A six-man tag team main event. On October 16, 2015, Funk made an appearance at AIW's Big Trouble in Little Cleveland event, where he attacked Eddie Kingston and his manager, The Duke, destroying the concession stand in the process. On October 24, 2015, Funk had his last match at USA Championship Wrestling in Jackson, Tennessee , at Oman Arena against Jerry Lawler , Lawler went on to win by DQ. On September 17, 2016, Funk announced his retirement at House of Hardcore 17. Funk made another return to

1386-422: A suburb of San Jose . The publication was originally a 16- to 24-page publication on 8½-by-14-inch paper, and published roughly every two or three weeks. Meltzer contemplated a career change during the mid-1980s. He was to be hired to cover soccer instead and just contribute to other wrestling newsletters. In 1985, he announced that he would be ceasing publication, citing disinterest in the wrestling landscape of

1463-630: A surprise appearance for Insane Clown Posse 's Juggalo Championship Wrestling at the 10th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos . He served as special guest referee for a match between Viscera and 2 Tuff Tony . Funk also appeared at the annual NJPW January 4 Dome Show in 2010, teaming with Manabu Nakanishi , Masahiro Chono and Riki Choshu to defeat Abdullah the Butcher , Takashi Iizuka , Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano . On September 11, 2010, at Ring of Honor's Glory By Honor IX , Funk worked as

1540-529: A tag team match, wrestling Masanobu Fuchi and Osamu Nishimura to a 20-minute time limit draw. On November 9, 2013, Funk appeared at House of Hardcore 3 as Tommy Dreamer's tag team partner. They defeated Sean Waltman and Lance Storm and the match was promoted as the last time Dreamer and Funk would wrestle together. On December 11, 2014, Funk returned to Japan for a Tokyo Gurentai independent event, which saw him, Masakatsu Funaki and Mil Máscaras defeat Kaz Hayashi , Nosawa Rongai and Yoshiaki Fujiwara in

1617-428: A week on the internet radio channel, eYada.com. eYada ceased operation on July 9, 2001, with Wrestling Observer Live , its highest-rated show, being the last show to broadcast on the station. On March 17, 2002, Wrestling Observer Live was picked up by Sports Byline USA , a radio syndicator based out of San Francisco, California , and has stayed broadcasting through Sports Byline ever since. Meltzer and Alvarez hosted

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1694-403: Is sent unsolicited. The newsletter, sometimes a periodical , is the most common form of serial publication . About two-thirds of newsletters are internal publications, aimed towards employees and volunteers, while about one-third are external publications, aimed towards advocacy or special interest groups. In ancient Rome , newsletters were exchanged between officials or friends . By

1771-583: The ECW World Heavyweight Championship from Raven . Earlier in the night, he defeated The Sandman and Stevie Richards in a Triple Threat match , thus earning him the match with Raven. Funk went on to successfully defend the title in bouts at Chapter 2 , The Buffalo Invasion , Wrestlepalooza , and Heat Wave . He was ultimately defeated for the title by Sabu in a barbed wire match at Born to be Wired in August 1997, in which

1848-757: The Internet and wrestling web sites that are able to provide news in real time, today's WON differs in the way it covers the wrestling scene in that it provides more of an editorial and analysis on the news and what impacts it could have on the business. Wrestlers such as Konnan have noted seeing copies of the WON on Vince McMahon's office desk. It is believed many, if not most, of the biggest stars in WWE and other major promotions are subscribers, although few would admit it publicly. Several subscribed under their birth names, instead of ring names , thinking Meltzer would not find out their true identities. Howard Finkel 's wife

1925-657: The Junkyard Dog which led to a match between Terry Funk and Hoss Funk and the team of Tito Santana and Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania 2 . Terry also had a series of WWF title matches against Hulk Hogan . Funk left the WWF in April 1986. Funk joined World Championship Wrestling in 1989 and became part of the J-Tex Corporation . He began feuding with Ric Flair , who had defeated Ricky Steamboat at WrestleWar for

2002-803: The WCW United States Heavyweight Championship at a house show in Amarillo, Texas . He lost the title back to Storm the following day. In December 2000 at Starrcade , Funk defeated Crowbar to win the WCW Hardcore Championship for a record third time. He made his final appearance with WCW at Sin in January 2001, losing the Hardcore Championship to Meng in a three way match that also involved Crowbar. From 2002 to 2004, Funk

2079-425: The WON from within the business. When readers first began hotly debating whether wrestling promoters actually read the publication or not, Meltzer published a letter to the editor from Watts, at the time still promoting. He also credited Houston promoter Paul Boesch for taking him under his wing in the 1980s and teaching him how the business works. As the business evolved along with the newsletter, Meltzer gained

2156-716: The World Wrestling Federation and multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories including Big Time Wrestling , Championship Wrestling from Florida , Georgia Championship Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling . He was the promoter of the Amarillo -based Western States Sports promotion. Championships held by Funk included the ECW World Heavyweight Championship , NWA World Heavyweight Championship , USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship , WWF World Tag Team Championship , and ECW World Television Championship . He headlined ECW's premier annual pay-per-view event, November to Remember , three times. Funk

2233-696: The Wrestling Observer website merged with Bryan Alvarez 's Figure Four Weekly website to become Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online , using the layout of Alvarez's former website. After being a print-only newsletter for over 25 years (other than a brief period where it was also available via e-mail in 2000), the Observer became available to subscribers online through the website. Newsletter Newsletters generally contain one main topic of interest to its recipients and may be considered grey literature . E-newsletters are delivered electronically via e-mail and can be viewed as spamming if e-mail marketing

2310-726: The ringside enforcer for the ROH World Championship match between Tyler Black and Roderick Strong . Funk appeared at the fifth WrestleReunion event at the LAX Hilton in Los Angeles, California , from January 28 to 30, 2011. On the second day of the event, he competed in a Legends Battle Royale on the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show. He lasted until the end where he was eliminated by Roddy Piper . Funk wrestled Jerry Lawler unsuccessfully in

2387-534: The ECW reunion show One Night Stand , but turned it down in favor of working the ECW nostalgia show Hardcore Homecoming that was being put together by Shane Douglas. At Hardcore Homecoming , Funk lost a three-way barbed wire match to Sabu. On February 4, 2004, NWA-TNA, Funk and The Sandman lost to The Gathering ( CM Punk and Julio Dinero ). On February 18, 2004, NWA-TNA, Funk and Raven defeated The Gathering. On May 23, 2009, Funk made an unannounced appearance at

Wrestling Observer Newsletter - Misplaced Pages Continue

2464-619: The Funks were heels until they faced The Sheik and Abdullah The Butcher in Tokyo. The two later faced Stan Hansen , Bruiser Brody , and Giant Baba in memorable feuds as well. Terry Funk made his World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debut in June 1985 after a brief run in the AWA. In his televised debut on Championship Wrestling , he not only beat Aldo Marino , but he also beat on ring announcer Mel Phillips. Funk attacked Phillips, after Phillips made

2541-811: The German Avisa Relation oder Zeitung and the Dutch Nieuwe Tijdingen . By the end of the 17th century, several newspapers were established all across Europe, and were often translated into other languages. By the late 17th century, several governments were censoring newspapers, which harmed their development. Wars, like the Thirty Years' War , also imposed restrictions on trade, which could lead to shortage of paper in addition to censorship. Government censorship remains in effect in several countries to this day, although several countries now have laws guaranteeing freedom of

2618-668: The Mat . His legendary toughness was attested to when cameramen followed him to a medical appointment, where he was told by the doctor that he would not be able to walk without intense pain. He also appeared in other movies such as Paradise Alley , The Ringer , and Over the Top . He released an autobiography, Terry Funk: More Than Just Hardcore , in 2005. On May 11, 2010, Funk appeared on "Right After Wrestling" with Arda Ocal on SIRIUS Satellite Radio to discuss his possible retirement, to which he replied "I never really truly will retire". This

2695-539: The Middle Ages, they were exchanged between merchant families . Trader's newsletters covered various topics such as the availability and pricing of goods, political news, and other events that would influence trade. These commercial newsletters were in effect, the first "serious" outlet for news publishing, from which evolved newspapers . The first full "newspaper" was Relation of Strasbourg , printed in 1609 by Johann Carolus . Many rivals soon followed, such as

2772-626: The NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Funk, who was one of three judges for the main event, challenged Flair to a title match. Flair refused, saying that Funk was "spending time in Hollywood" instead of focusing on wrestling. Funk then attacked, piledriving Flair on a ringside table. This put the champion, Flair, out of action until the Great American Bash in July 1989 where he faced Funk. Flair won

2849-522: The UK wrestling company FWA 's annual show entitled British Uprising. He teamed with Paul Burchill and Paul Travell, managed by "The Twisted Genius" Dean Ayass, to face The Triad, managed by Greg Lambert, in a 6-Man Tag Team match. Funk's team emerged victorious in front of a crowd of 2,000 people in the Coventry Skydome. In 2005, Funk received an offer from World Wrestling Entertainment to appear at

2926-711: The WCW Commissioner by WCW President Bill Bush. Shortly after arriving, Funk formed a stable dubbed the "Old Age Outlaws" (a play on the New Age Outlaws ) alongside Arn Anderson , Larry Zbyszko , and Paul Orndorff to oppose the New World Order (nWo). His first match upon returning saw him wrestle nWo member Bret Hart to a no contest in a hardcore match that aired on WCW Thunder . At Souled Out on January 16, Funk faced nWo leader Kevin Nash in

3003-467: The WWE Hall of Fame. Funk made a cameo appearance on the March 21, 2016, episode of Raw , giving Dean Ambrose a pep-talk for his match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32 . At the conclusion of the segment, Funk presented Ambrose with a chainsaw, in reference to his previous gimmick as Chainsaw Charlie. After the one-off appearance at the WWE produced ECW One Night Stand , Funk then returned to

3080-770: The album "Great Texan" in 1984 which was a soft rock AOR oriented album. The album was met with mixed reviews and is generally considered a "cult classic" by fans. Funk also appeared in several WWE video games, in WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008 and WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2011 as himself and in WWE '13 as downloadable content as his Chainsaw Charlie gimmick. He was also included as downloadable content for WWE 2K24 . In July 2022, Terry Funk released his self-titled biographical comic book through Squared Circle Comics. Funk married his wife Vicky Ann on August 14, 1965. They had two daughters together. For many years, Terry and Vicky owned

3157-415: The announcers), teaming with Mick Foley , who was wrestling under his Cactus Jack persona. Charlie and Jack began feuding with the New Age Outlaws , who defeated them by disqualification on the January 26, 1998 episode of Raw. The following week on Raw , Charlie and Jack had a match against each other, with the match ending in a no contest after the New Age Outlaws attacked both men, placing them both in

Wrestling Observer Newsletter - Misplaced Pages Continue

3234-694: The careers of Terry, his father, and his brother. Terry lost to then- WWF Champion Bret Hart in the main event, a non-title match. Beforehand, ECW owner Paul Heyman presented Terry with a belt, paid for through a collection taken up by wrestlers on the ECW roster, that declared him the Lifetime ECW World Heavyweight Champion . Funk appeared in the 1997 Royal Rumble match appearing at number 24 and lasting fifteen minutes and eighteen seconds before being eliminated by Mankind. Funk then returned to ECW before his retirement. Funk's retirement lasted just 11 days before he returned to

3311-477: The early 20th century made short-run reproduction more economical. In the 1960s, xerographic photocopying became ubiquitous. Terry Funk Terrance Dee Funk (June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an American professional wrestler . Widely considered one of the most influential and greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Funk was known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – and

3388-499: The first " dirt sheet ", which is a wrestling publication covering the art from a real-life perspective. Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s The beginnings of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter date back to 1980, when Meltzer began an annual poll amongst those with whom he corresponded regarding professional wrestling. According to Meltzer, he

3465-682: The fledgling Eastern Championship Wrestling (later renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling or ECW) by lending his talent and notoriety to the promotion. On July 16, Terry and Dory Funk lost a barbed wire match against The Public Enemy . Funk maintained a regular schedule of wrestling for ECW in its early days while also competing in Japan. He had many feuds and wrestled programs with wrestlers such as Cactus Jack , "The Franchise" Shane Douglas , The Sandman , Sabu , and Terry's own protege, Tommy Dreamer . Funk further elevated ECW by headlining their first pay-per-view, Barely Legal on April 13, 1997, winning

3542-604: The formation of the WON , which Meltzer first began publishing in 1982 as a way to keep fans informed of various wrestling regions that readers may not have been aware of or had no access to. The WON has been published from the start from various communities in Northern California , except for a six-month period in late 1983 and early 1984 when Meltzer resided in Wichita Falls, Texas . For most of its existence, it has been published from Campbell, California ,

3619-680: The independent circuit and made appearances in Japan. He claimed to be semi-retired after wrestling in his last match in September 2006 against Jerry "The King" Lawler in an Extreme Rules match at The Great Plains Coliseum in Lawton , Oklahoma, for the promotion Impact Zone Wrestling. Funk was also the special guest referee during the Raven and Johnny Webb vs. Khan Kussion and Homeless Jimmy match at " Cold Day in Hell " on May 24. On August 8, Terry made

3696-583: The influential hardcore wrestling style he pioneered in the latter part of his career. Over the course of his career, Funk wrestled for numerous major promotions, among them All Japan Pro Wrestling , Extreme Championship Wrestling , the International Wrestling Association of Japan , Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling , the United States Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling ,

3773-494: The late 2010s in the advent of social networking services . Due to the way the algorithms on such services work, followers may not see the updates someone posts. Many paper newsletters are letter-size pamphlets , sometimes made of side- or corner-stapled letter-size paper, sometimes of saddle-stitched (stapled) tabloid paper . Until the early 20th century, newsletters were generally produced by letterpress . The development of spirit duplicators and mimeograph machines in

3850-504: The match by reversing a small package into one of his own, but shortly after was attacked by Gary Hart and The Great Muta . Sting came to aid Flair and the two brawled with Funk and Muta to close the show. At Clash of the Champions VIII in September 1989, Flair and Sting defeated Muta and Dick Slater . After the match, Funk used a plastic shopping bag to suffocate Flair. At Halloween Havoc in October 1989, Funk (who entered

3927-635: The match was stopped. During 1981, Terry spent some time in the Continental Wrestling Association feuding with Jerry Lawler . The most memorable match in this feud happened in April 1981 at the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee. The match took place in the empty arena, with only Lance Russell , a cameraman, and a photographer present. Funk had challenged Lawler to this match at this time because he felt he

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4004-578: The match. Funk left the WWF once again the following month. At ECW November to Remember , Funk was believed to have been Tommy Dreamer's mystery partner against Justin Credible and Jack Victory . However, it turned out to be Jake Roberts . An enraged Funk attacked Dreamer at every opportunity in late 1998 and early 1999, came down ill before they could have a match, and "retired" yet again in mid-1999. Funk returned to World Championship Wrestling in January 2000 after an absence of five years, being named

4081-414: The mistake of putting on Funk's cowboy hat. Funk also had a gimmick of carrying a branding iron with him to ringside and using it to "brand" his fallen opponents. The attack on Phillips led to a feud with Junkyard Dog. In the mid-1980s, Funk teamed with Dory (calling himself "Hoss" Funk) and Jimmy Jack Funk , a storyline "brother." They were managed by Jimmy Hart . At the time, he had a heated rivalry with

4158-535: The press . Modern newsletters are usually created and distributed electronically by companies, organizations or individuals. Newsletter marketing is a form of direct-to-consumer advertising . This is used by companies that want to send information directly to potential and existing customers. When received unsolicited, they can be seen as spam . Newsletters are also used by organizations to inform their members of ongoing developments. Writing and distributing personal newsletters by individuals can be observed since

4235-551: The reports, claiming that they "constitute[d] defamation" and that they were "seek[ing] all legal remedies available", but TNA was off Destination America by January 2016 and no legal matters ever arose. Like other wrestling halls of fame, such as the WWE , WCW , TNA , and NWA halls of fame, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not a physical place. Nonetheless, it is a respected honor in

4312-582: The ring on September 22, 2017, for the Big Time Wrestling promotion in Raleigh, North Carolina . He teamed with The Rock N' Roll Express in a six-man tag team match, where they defeated Doug Gilbert , Jerry Lawler and Lawler's son Brian Christopher via disqualification. Terry Funk appeared as a bouncer in the movie Road House (1989) with Patrick Swayze . In 1999, Funk was featured in director Barry Blaustein's wrestling documentary Beyond

4389-555: The ring to Ennio Morricone 's " Man With a Harmonica ") and The Great Muta lost to Flair and Sting in a Thunderdome match . The feud then culminated in an "I Quit" match between Funk and Flair at Clash of the Champions IX in November 1989, which Funk lost after yelling "Yes, I quit!" after Flair put on the figure four leglock . After losing, Funk shook Flair's hand, and was attacked by Gary Hart's stable. This match received

4466-606: The ring. After wrestling in Japan with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and on the United States independent circuit (most notably a bout with Rik Ratchet that drew many fans on the east coast), Funk rejoined the World Wrestling Federation. Funk made his return to the WWF on the December 29, 1997, episode of Raw as the masked "Chainsaw Charlie" (although his true identity was soon acknowledged by

4543-412: The ropes of the ring were taken down and replaced with barbed wire. Both men had to be cut out of the wires at the end of the match. Sabu had his biceps visibly torn open by the barbed wire – as a result, the wound was taped up and the match continued. In September 1997, a show was held in Funk's hometown of Amarillo. It was called " Terry Funk's WrestleFest " and was both his own show and a celebration of

4620-636: The show every Sunday night from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. EST on the Sports Byline Radio Network. Meltzer stopped appearing regularly in September 2007, but still appears periodically. On Sunday nights, Meltzer regularly appeared in a segment on the radio show Live Audio Wrestling prior to the show's cancellation. Currently the Wrestling Observer Live is hosted by Bryan Alvarez Monday – Friday 3pm ET and Sundays by Andrew Zarian from 6pm ET – 7pm ET. On June 12, 2008,

4697-513: The time and too much time having to be spent on bookkeeping and mailing lists . At that point, he continued offering the WON on a "temporary" basis as an 8-page weekly on 8½-by-11-inch paper only to fill out the remainder of his subscriptions. Reader response convinced him to pursue the WON as his career instead. He started writing the WON full-time in 1987, retaining the smaller 8-page format. By this point, Meltzer began making appearances at major wrestling events, at first mostly in Japan . He

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4774-621: The title against Jack Brisco, Dusty Rhodes , Carlos Rocha, Giant Baba , and Pat O'Connor . In addition to North America, he defended the belt in Australia, Japan and Singapore. The historic reign ended in Toronto when he was defeated by "Handsome" Harley Race , who had earlier beaten Dory, Jr., for NWA World Heavyweight Championship before losing it to Jack Brisco. Race lifted Funk for a shinbreaker and then trapped him in an Indian death leglock. When Funk failed to respond to referee Fred Atkins

4851-553: The titles back to the New Age Outlaws in a cage match . On the April 13 episode of Raw , Funk began wrestling as himself and formed a tag team with 2 Cold Scorpio . The team was short lived but did defeat the likes of the Quebecers and the Midnight Express . On the May 4 episode of Raw , Funk was defeated by Foley in a falls count anywhere match . On the June 1 episode of Raw , Funk was defeated by Mark Henry in

4928-469: The world of wrestling. Every year, Meltzer conducts a poll of selected "insiders" and wrestlers to determine new inductees into the WON Hall of Fame. Pro Wrestling Illustrated has adopted the WON Hall of Fame as their own. Meltzer was the former host of Wrestling Observer Live , a wrestling radio show. Co-hosting the show with Meltzer was Bryan Alvarez , editor of the Figure Four Weekly newsletter. The show debuted in October 1999 and aired five days

5005-412: The wrestling ranks. His newsletter was also known for its lengthy obituaries of deceased wrestling figures, as well as a desire to chronicle the deaths of every wrestling figure possible, no matter how minor. Meltzer stated that this new, more journalistic approach to covering wrestling earned him scorn from many within the wrestling business. However, Terry Funk and Bill Watts were early supporters of

5082-465: Was a regular top star for Ring of Honor Wrestling and Major League Wrestling . Funk had several battles with the likes of CM Punk , the Extreme Horsemen ( Steve Corino , C. W. Anderson , Justin Credible and Simon Diamond ) in specialty matches such as a No Ropes Barbed Wire Death Match, and a 5 on 5 WarGames match . On MLW's final show until 2017, Funk was attacked by his former manager Gary Hart and his syndicate. In November 2004, Funk competed in

5159-431: Was against Sputnik Monroe on December 9. He and his brother, Dory Funk Jr. , quickly rose up the ranks as a team and in single matches against top names like Ernie Ladd and Hank James. They became big money wrestlers by the end of the decade. In 1975, Terry defeated Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Miami, when Dory failed to appear for a title shot. He began a 14-month title reign defending

5236-428: Was also the interview with the infamous quote, "I dislike Vince (McMahon). I'm jealous of Vince." In 1985, Funk appeared in the short-lived western Wildside . Only six episodes were aired. Behind the scenes, Funk choreographed the street fight between Rocky Balboa and his nemesis Tommy Gunn at the end of Rocky V . Funk's name can be seen in the end credits. Funk also had a short lived career in music. The release of

5313-423: Was decidedly a non-wrestling publication, though the WON and other wrestling sheets made up a significant amount of its coverage. Other magazines such as Wrestling Main Event and Wrestling Eye also provided mention. Meltzer was also able to advertise his publication during various guest appearances on wrestling radio shows and guest editorials in various national newspapers . With the ubiquitous emergence of

5390-447: Was diagnosed as living with dementia and was living in an assisted living facility. On December 29, 2021, Ric Flair announced on his podcast with Mark Madden that Funk had returned home and was doing well. Funk died on August 23, 2023, at the age of 79, at a Phoenix -area hospital. The August 25 episode of SmackDown honored him and Bray Wyatt , who died the day after Funk, by airing tributes and behind-the-scenes footage;

5467-412: Was exhaustively covered by the WON , including backstage events, including from Bret Hart himself. Meltzer published data-based evidence suggesting inflated record attendance figures for WrestleManias III and 23 . He gave extensive space to various wrestling scandals, including Vince McMahon 's 1990s steroid trial, the Chris Benoit murder investigation , and the high drug-fueled death rate within

5544-585: Was getting unfairly treated in Memphis. The confrontation only lasted a few minutes, and ended with Funk trying to put Lawler's eye out with a broken 2x4. But Lawler kicked Funk's elbow, causing him to hit himself in the eye. The tape aired on April 25, 1981. Terry and Dory, Jr. also made a name for themselves in Japan . Terry became a star in the eyes of the Japanese fans with his over the top mannerisms, sometimes colorful get-ups, and his brawling ability. In Japan,

5621-815: Was inducted into multiple halls of fame, among them WWE , WCW , NWA , and Hardcore . Funk was born on June 30, 1944, in Hammond, Indiana . He was the son of Dorothy (Culver) and Dory Funk , a professional wrestler and promoter . Following the end of World War II , the family relocated to Amarillo, Texas , where Terry and his brother, known professionally as Dory Jr. , grew up in the professional wrestling business. After graduating from Canyon High School , Funk attended West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University), where he competed in amateur wrestling and football . Funk started his career in 1965, working in his father Dory Funk 's Western States Sports promotion in Amarillo, Texas . His debut match

5698-413: Was just a fan at first. A short time later, he began maintaining a tape-trading list, and would occasionally send match results and news updates along with tape updates. Meltzer stated that he wanted to keep his friends in college "in the loop" for his tape trading as well as the happenings in the business, as the mainstream wrestling magazines catered to a somewhat younger demographic. This led directly to

5775-449: Was publicly acknowledged by Meltzer as an early WON subscriber, and at the time, the closest reach the publication likely had to McMahon, which was in response to a reader questioning the likelihood of McMahon himself reading the publication. Though he is not a wrestler or part of a promotion, Meltzer has occasionally been referenced within the professional wrestling ring. In the short-lived Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) promotion,

5852-569: Was seen as a spectator in the front row at Chi-Town Rumble in 1989, seated next to Brad Muster , at the time a fullback with the Chicago Bears . The WON 's earlier years were also marked by revealing insider news and various behind-the-scenes happenings in the industry, a groundbreaking approach in a kayfabe-heavy era. Meltzer's approach benefitted from professional contacts, a historic perspective, and his own analysis of trends, data, and events. The WWE 's 1997 " Montreal Screwjob "

5929-563: Was the WON 's coverage of his independent circuit matches that caused World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to consider signing him, since he was against "type". Foley also wrote that promoters such as Watts would sometimes change their entire booking direction based on the opinions expressed in Meltzer's newsletter. In May 2015, Meltzer reported that Destination America had decided to cancel Impact Wrestling by late September 2015. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) vehemently denied

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