• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Funk, DiBiase Remain Friends

Posted: Mar 27th 2010 By: CMBurnham

Terry Funk has long been an important person inTed DiBiase's life.

Known as "The Million Dollar Man," DiBiase became one of the all-time great heels in professional wrestling. World Wresting Entertainment is acknowledging that fact by inducting DiBiase into its Hall of Fame on Saturday in Phoenix, Ariz.

"I'm thrilled that Teddy is going in," Funk said. "It's a heck of a deal that he's going into there. It was a pretty big thrill to me to go into the WWE Hall of Fame. Teddy is like my kid and I really mean that, he always has been. I used to read him the riot act. I don't know if that did him any good. I think the 'Lord' did a much better job than me.''

DiBiase and Funk met each other through their fathers, Dory Funk and "Iron" Mike DiBiase. Mike DiBiase was a mentor to Terry Funk long before Funk took Ted DiBiase under his wing.

"Terry Funk is one of my dearest friends. Everybody loves the Funks," DiBiase said. "That will always be a tie to Amarillo for me. I was raised in wrestling, it was not something I just decided to do. My father, who wrestled in and around Amarillo for years, had classic matches with Dory Funk Sr. I've known the Funks since I was a little boy. Dory Sr. had a ranch out near Umbarger. We would go down and stay at the ranch."

In the summer of 1969, the DiBiases moved to Amarillo so Mike DiBiase could wrestle in the Amarillo-area. In July, Mike DiBiase had a heart attack in the ring in Lubbock.

"Terry has been like a big brother to me for a long time. When my father died, I remember Terry coming the next day, and he actually brought my father's wrestling gear with him,'' DiBiase said. "I remember sitting with Terry that day hugging him, crying on his shoulder."

Ted DiBiase moved to Arizona to live with his grandparents after his father's death. DiBiase had signed a letter-of-intent to play football at Arizona when he saw an ad for wrestling on the television. The wrestlers out of Amarillo traveled to Tucson, Ariz., for a live event. DiBiase made the trip and Funk talked DiBiase into taking a trip to West Texas State for a recruiting visit. DiBiase stuck around.

"In the back of my mind I always wanted to be a wrestler. I always wanted to be like my dad. That recruiting trip was all it took,'' DiBiase said.

DiBiase and Funk revived their friendship.

"When I went back to WT that friendship was rekindled," DiBiase said.

"Terry has always been a mentor to me, that guy I went to for advice at times. Especially where wrestling was concerned, because he's one of the greatest in my opinion. A lot of people that know Terry, know that he can be as crazy as crazy can be. Reality is he is a lot smarter and sharper than most people give him credit for being.

"I remember him telling me one day in college that wrestlers would start going on world tours. When the WWE made its move, that's what ultimately happened."

DiBiase credits the Funks, Dory Jr. and Terry, for putting him over the top as a pro wrestler.

"I certainly know that (DiBiase) had great ability," Funk said. "I wanted to see him do well. I wanted to see all those boys from West Texas do well, and so many of them did. Teddy was a great guy to be in the ring with. The best thing I ever told him to do was to get his butt to New York (with WWE.)"

Tags: Terry Funk, Ted DiBiase, WWE, Mike DiBiase, Dory Funk, Jr.