RVD On Why Some Wrestling Fans Might Not Know ECW Alum & Wrestling Legend Terry Funk
As a veteran of ECW, Rob Van Dam was around Terry Funk a bit during the late '90s, when the Hardcore legend, who died last week at the age of 79, would become the ECW World Heavyweight Champion. But when asked about any memories he might've shared with Funk during the latest "1 Of A Kind," only one memory really stuck out for RVD.
"We all got to go out because we were in Amarillo for that retirement match that's on the 'Beyond the Mat' documentary," RVD said. "And yeah, we all got to go out and visit his farm, which was really cool, good experience. Pretty private, going to the dude's house, but besides that, I don't have much that comes to mind other than RIP, Hardcore legend." When asked about Funk's overall legacy in wrestling, RVD believes that while Funk may be a bit underappreciated by American wrestling fans, his impact on wrestling as a whole was massive.
"Personally, I feel like, overall, his contributions to the industry were huge, but a lot of it wasn't to the American crowd," RVD said. "So because of that, a lot of fans in the United States might not remember him. I remember when Terry and Dory ... they called him Jimmy Jack Funk ...I remember as a fan ... the three of them when they were in WWF and had that run for a while. But besides that, a lot of fans that didn't watch Japanese wrestling or trade tapes or didn't get to watch ECW might not be able to appreciate him as much, because they didn't see him as much. But overall, obviously, as big of a legend as can be."
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