Just days before Valentine’s Day in 1977, Terry Funk suffered a crushing heartbreak.
In a match against Harley Race for the NWA World Championship, Funk lost his title, which he had held for over 420 days. Few realized at the time that Funk would spend the next 12 years chasing it — only to come up short, time and time again.
Funk’s heartaches continued that summer when the two met again, this time with Race as the titleholder. On July 1, they faced off in a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the NWA title at the historic
Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.
Early on, Funk not only outwrestled Race but also overpowered him. Twice, Funk pressed Race over his head from a standing position and slammed him to the mat.
The tide turned, however, after Race sidestepped Funk as he bounced off the ropes, sending the challenger crashing to the concrete floor. After a series of clubbing blows, Race locked in an abdominal stretch. Despite being the babyface in the match, Funk — perhaps out of self-preservation — gave up.
But he was far from finished. Funk began the second fall by slapping Race in the face repeatedly. After escaping a chin lock, Funk caught Race with a roll-up for a two-count.
As Race got to his feet, Funk quickly dropped him with a piledriver to win the second fall in short order.
The third fall began with a groggy Race on his heels as Funk gave chase. A thunderous atomic drop — sold by Race as if a bomb had gone off in his trunks — nearly ended the match.
As Race continued to teeter, Funk repeatedly applied his family’s signature move: the spinning toe hold. Race, no stranger to shortcuts, countered first with what looked like a finger to the eye. On the next attempt, Race caught him with a punch that split Funk open.
Though many in the crowd remained seated, the fans grew hotter as Funk began to fade. Still, he held control over Race — but by now he was a bloody mess. Eventually, as he tried to go for the toe hold again, his body gave out, and he crumpled to the mat.
Sensing Funk could no longer defend himself, referee Nick Kozak called for the bell as the ring announcer declared over the house mic, “We need a doctor at ringside, please.”
Despite being declared the winner by referee stoppage, Race looked anything but victorious as he clutched his leg on the canvas.
In a later interview, Funk said he didn’t blame the referee for doing his job, but insisted that under no conditions would he have ever stopped fighting. He said he had called for a rematch — this time in a setting where the bout wouldn’t be called off for any reason.
He also said he didn’t want to be known for what he had done — he wanted to prove he was the best, and the only way to do that was to regain the title.
Unfortunately, Funk never reclaimed the NWA crown. Yet, in the eyes of his peers and fans, he didn’t need to. His legacy showed that greatness isn’t measured by title reigns. The impact he made, both in and out of the ring, far surpassed what most achieve as world champion. To many, the second-generation star from Amarillo, Texas was the greatest of all time.
Following Funk’s passing in 2023, TNA star Frankie Kazarian summed it up best: “The words ‘great’ and ‘legend’ are thrown around way too frequently. Terry Funk was both of those things and so much more. An incredible and unique talent. An influence of a generation. An absolute gentleman.”
