Evening lads, having a wonderful day off here at Headquarters and thought I’d have some fun. Fired up one of my favourites, a Terry Funk masterpiece. Here we are in June 1976, as in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match, Funk defends his NWA World Heavyweight Title against the sublime Jumbo Tsuruta. An All Japan icon, Tsuruta is rightly revered but even still, probably lacks the global fame of his promotional peers. Though still early in his eventually illustrious career, Tsuruta is at the peak of his physical powers here.
I say all of this to say that look, Jumbo is great but man oh man, this is the Terry Funk show. I don’t know how to embed videos and all that good stuff so here’s the link if you’d like to watch it, I’ll review the thing in some detail below:
If you’re unfamiliar with old fuck wrestling, this one may require some patience. They start with some tight wrestling, battling for position as Tsuruta successfully has Funk sliding back on his knees. Swiftly adjusting, Funk then goes after the challenger’s arm and immediately, there’s a real sense of struggle to this attack. Jumbo’s reaction has an understated, subtle desperation to it, trying his absolute best to force himself free. This portion is Funk’s though, maintaining his grip on things even after a wonderful fight for an advantage.
Tsuruta succeeds on the second try though and this alone gets a sizeable reaction, as an idea has already been established. They continue with this theme too, creating something that’s simple but engaging, rich with a gruelling drama. Now wrestling himself into control, Jumbo has his own arm to target and Funk won’t be trying to grapple free, instead launching some chops. That doesn’t get him very far though, as Tsuruta continues to roll, dictating the action handily. He’s earning near-falls now too.
Increasingly alarmed, Funk begins to brawl, landing some strikes in the corner but failing to build any momentum. He can’t even break free when he throws Jumbo out to ringside, as the challenger maintains his hold. An atomic drop doesn’t do the trick either, as Funk is still left reeling only moments later. At the return of some motion, Funk finally turns the tide, stumbling his way into a shoulder tackle cut-off. This place is now rocking and the pace is right there with it, as Tsuruta finally gets one of his pin attempts to stick.
1-0 Tsuruta.
Now with his back against the wall, there’s a caution to the champion. He’s maintaining a distance, easing his way back into proceedings. There’s some spite in there too, as rather than starting this fall as he did the last, Funk instead throws a headbutt and goes Neckbreaker for 2. The Piledriver follows, as Funk hurries to a fall that he can’t quite get. With two of his big moves already unsuccessful, Funk drags Jumbo to the floor, hoping for a count-out before settling into an in-ring hold.
Tsuruta soon rallies though, and they go into an extended struggle for the Abdominal Stretch until Funk uses that to catch a quick pin-fall. It’s now 1-1 and with both men exhausted, the final fall awaits. Enraged at his prior misstep, Jumbo swiftly secured the aforementioned Abdominal and in response, Funk again throws him to the floor. They trade Gutwrench gimmicks from there and Jumbo is now fired up, talking to the people and rapidly going through the gears.
Funk resets things with a Back Suplex though and both men are now down. Neither man has managed a decisive pin thus far and so, both are continuing to seek quick roll-ups. It’s a battle of greats after all, so such a sense of survival feels fitting, earned even. It does seem as though Tsuruta has the momentum though, next hitting a half scary, half sloppy German Suplex that if nothing else, looked real. To translate, it was very, very Jumbo.
Ever the veteran though, Funk uses Jumbo’s sudden eagerness against him, dropping the challenger throat first on the top rope and retaining his belt. Tsuruta is a worthy foe and performs impressively here but wow, what an effort from Funk. This match builds so seamlessly, it’s competitive throughout and consistent too, offering fleeting spurts of excitement throughout. It’s dramatic, gruelling, packed with physicality. Beautiful match, and a great encapsulation of Terry Funk at his finest, an NWA kingpin before embracing the lunacy.
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