WWE Executive Remembers Terry Funk Show-Ending Promo



by ATIA MUKHTAR

WWE Executive Remembers Terry Funk Show-Ending Promo
WWE Executive Remembers Terry Funk Show-Ending Promo © WWE/YouTube

The wrestling world is well-acquainted with the raw, unfiltered nature of Terry Funk, especially during his appearance on WWE's Shotgun Saturday Night in 1997. This particular episode is now infamously remembered for a promo that was too hot for TV.

Between 1997 and 1999, WWE aired Shotgun Saturday Night, a product that signalled the dawn of the Attitude Era. However, even for a show positioned in such a radical time, television executives were unprepared for Funk's explosive words.

In a heated promo meant to energize the crowd for his forthcoming bout with Bret Hart, Funk didn't mince words. Ignoring a prior directive from Bruce Prichard, WWE’s current Executive Director, Funk launched a scathing attack on Vince McMahon, labelling him a “Yankee bastard”, and made a risqué comment about Bret Hart's mother.

Speaking on the latest episode of Something to Wrestle, Prichard reminisced about that day. “I told Funk, considering the live nature of the show and its large viewership, to please maintain decorum. Yet when asked about the abrupt end of Shotgun Saturday Night, I invariably respond, 'Terry Funk'

He did everything I implored him to avoid."

Terry Funk Beer Bath for Prichard

Further, during the heart-stopping match between Hart and Funk, an unexpected turn saw Prichard drenched in beer, courtesy of Funk's antics. “In the midst of their battle, Funk submerged me in a trough filled with ice-cold beer.

I was left sodden, without any spare attire," Prichard recounted. In related news, Jon Moxley, a stalwart in AEW, recently paid his respects to Terry Funk, who passed away on August 23rd. Moxley praised Funk as the pinnacle of wrestling, asserting that Funk wasn’t just acting – he was the embodiment of pro wrestling.

Moxley, known for his extreme in-ring style, is gearing up for a colossal showdown with Orange Cassidy. Recent events have only heightened the anticipation, especially following last weekend's All In event. Moxley stunned fans when he roamed the ring with objects embedded in his head during the electrifying Stadium Stampede match at Wembley Stadium.

As Moxley and Cassidy prepare to face off for the AEW International Championship, another AEW star, Darby Allin, has shared concerns about the inherent risks they undertake in the squared circle.

Terry Funk