Eddie Kingston is a big fan of Terry Funk, and has explained why the legendary wrestler is so influential in modern wrestling.
Funk is considered one of the all-time great wrestlers. He began his career in 1965, and didn’t wrestle his last bout until 2017. He was a former NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, and wrestled in all the major promotions across the globe during his career.
Both Kingston and Funk were journeyman wrestlers in their time. Kingston has only recently found great success in his career after joining AEW in 2020.
Speaking with WrestlingNews.co, Eddie Kingston explained that Funk inspired people both inside and outside the ring, noting that he was as a good person as he was a great wrestler.
“Oh, because of his passion for wrestling and he did it right. You never hear anyone say anything bad about Terry. To me when I noticed that about him, that’s a goal. I know people have bad things to say about me but I’m trying my best to not have them say back and I’m trying to be like Terry in that sense that someone who does good business and who was respected in our industry and I think that’s what Terry left behind.
“He left how to do it, you know what I mean? And how to be a pro and how to conduct yourself as such. So that’s why I think Terry influenced everybody because of what he did in the ring but also what he did outside of the ring. And you hear the stories about him not being selfish and about him being willing to help the younger generation of guys. ECW wouldn’t have popped off if it wasn’t for Terry Funk. People can say whatever they want, but Funk was there in 93, 94 really helping that company grow.”
Eddie Kingston Previously Paid Tribute To Terry Funk In AEW
Eddie Kingston has paid tribute to Terry Funk before, most notably at AEW All Out last year.
He wore a shirt that said “Claudio Sucks Eggs” for his match against the Blackpool Combat Club. While being a clear insult to long-time rival Claudio Castagnoli, the shirt had another meaning.
It was a reference to the shirt Terry Funk wore during his 1980 feud against Dusty Rhodes. Funk wore the red t-shirt with the words “Dusty Sucks Eggs” emblazoned on the front.
Kingston wore a similar shirt for the show in tribute of Funk, who died just two weeks earlier.
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