HIDDEN GEM: Here’s Your Battle Of The Generation Gap

With one of the best teams ever.

Terry Funk/Dory Funk Jr. vs. Brian Pillman/Bruce Hart

Date: December 15, 1995
Location: Stampede Corral, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Attendance: 4,600
Commentator: Ed Whalen

This is from the Stu Hart Tribute Show: Showdown at the Corral. Dory shoves Pillman around to start as commentary talks about Dory’s history as NWA Champion, including “turning into a heel” at the end of his reign. Some uppercuts rock Pillman and it’s off to Terry for the required left hands. Pillman is sent outside as as commentary yells at the Fukn’s rather large manager. Back in and a neckbreaker gives Terry two but Pillman chops away, giving us the awesome Terry stagger.

Everything breaks down for a bit and Pillman knocks Terry into the corner for the tag off to Bruce. Terry gets caught in the ropes and some elbows to the face bounce him back and forth. Back up and Terry gets in a low blow to put Pillman down, followed by a toss to the floor. Terry hits Pillman with the table (Whalen: “Terry Funk is a wing-a-ding dong!”) and it’s back to Dory for two off a butterfly suplex. Terry comes in for a double suplex for two on Pillman with Bruce having to make a save.

Dory hammers Pillman down into the corner and Terry comes back in to slap Pillman around (that sounds like an honor). They go outside and everything breaks down with a camera case being swung. Back in and the manager gets in a cheap shot from the floor, allowing Dory to hit an elbow for two. The choking goes on as Bruce goes to the floor to hammer on the manager. Terry finally gets caught using the wrist tape to choke and an exchange of headbutts gives Pillman a breather.

Pillman ducks a right hand and falls into the corner to bring Bruce (Mr. Explosion according to Whalen) as everything breaks down again. Terry is busted open and gets sent back inside so Pillman can rain down right hands in the corner. There’s a piledriver but Dory makes the fast save. Terry grabs a belly to back suplex though and they’re both down again. Bruce comes back in and suplexes Dory for two but Terry comes in with the chair for the DQ at 18:45.

Rating: C+. This got the time to make it work and you had some rather talented people involved. The Funks are going to be great no matter what they are doing or when they are doing it so there was no way that this wasn’t going to work. You know they are going to be on their game for something special like a tribute show and I could go for watching Pillman and the Funks every day.

The brawl continues post match with Bruce being busted open and the Funks being chased off. We see Terry in the back and he hits an official in the head with a chair, which is completely no sold in an unintentionally funny bit.