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Terry Funk Discusses His WWE HOF Induction, What Very Well Could Be His Last “ECW Arena” Appearance, What He Sees His Legacy Being, Which Recent Critically-Acclaimed Match Took Plenty Of Moves From The Old ECW, Tommy Dreamer’s Potential Final WWE Match On Sunday (At Extreme Rules), & Mick Foley Capturing The TNA Championship 
 060109TerryFunkMNMBanner.jpg picture by MNMBanners


WWE Hall Of Famer (Class Of 2009), former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, & former ECW World Heavyweight Champion, Terry Funk, was the special guest on this week’s live edition (06/01/09) of Monday Night Mayhem, hosted by The Big Mosh & Blade. You can feel The Mayhem live & in streaming audio every Monday night (at 8PM ET/7PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ITunes.comwww.AudioWrestling.com, & www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem).

“Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” is officially presented by ReelWrestling.com: the latest & hottest innovation from the coverage of professional wrestling online, and features exclusive video found nowhere else from your favorite superstars of the squared circle (featuring an amazing set of several spectacuar videos: The Undertaker, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy (exclusively interviewed mere hours his Armageddon title victory), John Cena, the new World Heavyweight Champion, “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge, along with WWE Divas Champion, Maryse, The Miz, & one-half of The Bella Twins (all together in one video), “The Animal” Batista, Matt Hardy (discussing his broken hand injury that he suffered at the Backlash PPV, in addition to his recent long-standing feud with his brother Jeff), Chris Jericho, Legacy (Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes), “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix, Santino Marella, WWE Hall Of Famer/RAW color-commentator Jerry “The King” Lawler, “The Innovator Of Violence” Tommy Dreamer, Carlito, R-Truth (giving his candid thoughts on being a part of the Academy-Award nominated Mickey Rourke film, “The Wrestler”), Kane, Cryme Time’s Shad Gaspard, Kelly Kelly, & Lilian Garcia. Plus, ReelWrestling.com has now begun to expand to your favorite former WWE/ECW personalities, including footage from Val Venis, Justin Credible, & “The Manager Of Champions,” Bill Alfonso. Your favorite performers are just one click away!

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Terry’s return appearance to The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (his first interview in over four years) is now available for free in Windows Streaming Media, or via The Mayhem’s official Podcast On ITunes:

Terry Funk/Monday Night Mayhem Interview (Streaming Audio): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/060109.wax 

Terry Funk/Monday Night Mayhem Interview (MNM Podcast On ITunes): www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/june09/060109.mp3
 
Here are some of the highlights of Terry’s interview, provided by The Mayhem’s correspondent, Paterson From New Jersey:

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“The Funker” joined “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” for his first interview in over four years with The Big Mosh, Blade, & The Mayhem’s Senior Show Correspondent/columnist “The Chairman Of The Board, Todd Vincent: “It’s great to be back talking to you guys about ECW…which is very, very dear to me & very important to me — It really is.” Terry went on to add that he believes ECW was the last real threat to become competitive to the WWE at that time. ” It was quite a deal, and it wasn’t an easy thing to accomplish, from nothing to something. And ECW went that route.”

Many fans are gearing up for the forthcoming benefit show “Legends Of The Arena,” (on Saturday night, June 27th), which will reunite many members of the original ECW, including Terry himself (who will be the special guest referee in the match between The Sandman & Sabu). Mosh & Blade asked Terry about the memories flooding his mind, as he gets ready for what could be his last appearance in Philadelphia & the arena that cemented his legacy. “It will be my last time in The ECW Arena more than likely.” He continued, “I can’t think of anybody else with the desire & passion other than Francine to do something like this. She is driven but not just her love of the business, but her love for her family.” Later in the interview, he stated that he is good financially, and that he’s simply going back for the love of the people. “I’m going up to The ECW Arena not out of need, but because I love the people that I’m going to see…Sabu, Fonzie (Bill Alfonso)…what a one night it’s gonna’ be.”

After the success of the One Night Stand PPV’s, it only became a matter of time before the WWE brought in ECW as a third brand into the company, which has indeed been very successful on Sci-Fi. Many of those who performed with the original Extreme Championship Wrestling have been critical over the years of the legacy of ECW being “tarnished” and/or the brand does not resemble anything from year’s past. The Mayhem Crew asked Terry for his thoughts on the brand now, as we head into Extreme Rules this Sunday night on Pay-Per-View. “It’s a world away.” Terry then said that The Undertaker/Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania XXV was full of moves that he & others from the prior ECW performed years ago: “They didn’t originate one goddamn move in that thing…Think about that. Where did you see all that before? What has wrestling evolved to?” Terry implored for the WWE to “create something new.” “If you’re gonna do something, create something new.” He did say that HBK & ‘Taker busted their asses in that match, and his statements are not directed to them, but to the WWE as a whole.

Terry’s good friend & former ECW colleague, “The Innovator Of Violence” Tommy Dreamer, is in a must-win this Sunday at Extreme Rules (in a Triple-Threat, Hardcore Rules Match against Christian & Jack Swagger), where he must either win the ECW Championship or retire from the business. As many remember, Terry & Tommy had some memorable moments as part of Extreme Championship Wrestling. Mosh, Blade, & “The Chairman Of The Board” asked Tommy for his comments on Dreamer’s potential last match in New Orleans this weekend, if he sees Tommy retiring, & what Dreamer’s legacy would be to ECW. “Tommy has a very important place in my heart, he really does. If I could have adopted a kid or had a son, I would have wanted him to be like Tommy, because Tommy has a true love for the business…always has.” He continued that Dreamer “should have a place in this business, and if there ever was an ECW Hall Of Fame, I’d vote for him before anyone else.”

The current TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Mick Foley, has had many battles with & against Terry Funk through the years (including their WWE World Tag Team Title reign in 1998 as Chainsaw Charlie & Cactus Jack). As some already know TNA recently ran a house show through Terry’s famous Amarillo, TX “stomping grounds,” and “The Funkster” had the chance to meet up once again with his longtime friend. Simply put, Terry has the feelings about Mick as he described about Tommy Dreamer. “I just love him. There’s so many guys that I had special relationships with up there (in ECW). It wasn’t the type of relationship that started out as a loving relationship, but it became that way. Guys that I like, and we just liked being around each other.” Mosh & Blade asked if he is surprised that Mick is still going strong to this point in time, especially with being crowned the TNA Champion at Lockdown. “That *ssh*le should be going…I’m 105, Flair’s 104, and Foley’s half our age. Foley’s not that old, if he doesn’t have a few years left in this business, nobody does. Has he reached his prime? I don’t know.”

As part of the legendary “Class Of 2009,” Terry & his brother Dory, Jr. were inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame just several short weeks ago, and “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” was the first to hear Dory’s thoughts about his feelings leading into his induction. To make things come “full circle,” The Mayhem Crew asked for Terry’s reflections on his memorable weekend. “That was a pretty big deal…I was very honored by that, and my brother was too.” Terry’s speech at the Hall Of Fame Ceremonies was complimented on the guys, but he only had one issue with the ceremony. “You gotta’ live by the times & rules of television, but to get 40 years of wrestling in two & a half minutes, there’s so many guys I wanted to mention & my brother wanted to mention, and there wasn’t time to do it. And if I mention two or three guys, you are gonna’ forget four, five or six, and some feelings will be hurt.”

As a final parting shot to The Mayhem Nation, Mosh asked Funk about his legacy & how he will be looked at in the business, his career will be remembered, & how the fans should see him. “I want to be remembered as a good man….And that’s a pretty hard to be remembered that way.” He added, “I think that’s all anybody could do is be remembered as a person that was a pretty damn good guy, that was pretty damn straight, and didn’t screw too many people around.” From Terry Funk to his legions of fans around the world, “I’m still alive!!!”

More is featured in this 40+ minute exclusive interview with the man who has been called “middle-aged & crazy” & “Wrestling’s Living Legend,” including what his reasons were for not doing the very first WWE/ECW One Night Stand (in 2005) & instead doing “The Franchise” Shane Douglas’s “Hardcore Homecoming” event, who Terry picks as his favorite ECW opponent during his time in the company, his memories of some of his favorite cities/towns that Extreme Championship Wrestling ran regularly (including Buffalo), who he forgot to mention in his WWE Hall Of Fame speech (in lieu of the time allotment given to all of the inductees), what he sees happening when he gets “roasted” this October (as part of Ring Roasts II), & even more of his heartfelt thoughts/excitement about the upcoming Legends Of The Arena show at the former ECW Arena on Saturday, June 27th.
 
For more information on how you can purchase tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime event (which features over 40 “extreme” performers), log onto www.TheArena.biz & www.MySpace.com/LegendsOfTheArena. A portion of the night’s proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society. Contribute to a great cause, and feel that nostalgic “extreme” feeling one more time at the corner of Swanson & Ritner!
 
In addition to terry’s exclusive MNM appearance, The Mayhem’s WWE Pay-Per-View Correspondent team of Scott Hudson & Jim Molineaux, along with MNM’s Senior Correspondent/official columnist, “The Chairman Of The Board” Todd Vincent, joined this week’s program for a wall-to-wall preview of this Sunday night’s WWE Extreme Rules PPV (presented by: The History Of WWE.com), in addition to covering the latest on Mr. Kennedy’s release from the company this past Friday evening, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair parting ways with Ring Of Honor for a full-time WWE return & heading overseas this fall for the chance to potentially to enter the squared circle yet again, as well as the ill-fated divorce between AOL & Time Warner (eight+ years after the demise of World Championship Wrestling).
The Big Mosh & Blade welcome your feedback on this week’s program, as part of “The Summer Of Mayhem 2009” (now available for free in Windows Streaming Media, or via The Mayhem’s official Podcast On ITunes): Contact the show via the MNM/Sizzlin’ Sauces inbox, The Mayhem’s official MySpace page (located at www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem & presented by: TicketRelief.com), & The Mayhem’s official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=632616065). By contacting the MNM Crew & & participating in our WWE Extreme Rules PPV Contest, four lucky MNM listeners will have the chance to score the following prizes: a Sizzlin’ Sauces gift box, copies of the “Hardcore Homecoming” DVD (courtesy: TicketRelief.com) & the all-new “Jim Molineaux: The History Of A Hardcore Ref” Shoot DVD (courtesy: B. Brown Video).

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