Dory Funk: Royal Rumble 1996
 

What did you think when he entered the Rumble?

I was a school kid at the time, I had no idea who he was. To me, he was just some OLD man who couldn't possibly compete with Shawn, Diesel, Vader etc in that same match. Hell, it looked like this old man couldn't get an erection, or wipe his own ass if he had a whoopsie.

Did anybody think he was going to win? Did anybody put serious money on the line?

What were WWE thinking putting this smelly old man in a Rumble match?

In 96 I felt exactly as you described yourself.

I was more intrigued with Takao Omori at the time (I was 4 years old)

Same thing when they put the legends in now (think Bob Backlund). 70% of the audience has no clue who he is, but that percentage that do know who he is will mark the fuck out and it gives them a chance to get that pop just one more time. Dory Funk is a legitimate "forgotten legend" and it was nice of WWE to remind the world that he existed and what he did in the business even if it is just for 5 minutes.

Love the Funks.

More like they're talent roster was the thinnest in wwe history at that time.

I'm biased as hell about the Funks.

I was pissed they were inducted together. Terry should have been the headliner of his own induction class. Dory should have gotten his own induction too. They're father needs to be inducted too.

Was 1996 not the year they chucked the Headhunters in as well? Clearly couldn't fill it with the main roster.

Are you sure you are talking about the wwe hall of fame here? Funks worked in Texas not New York most of their careers......

Draw[2] Entrant[2] Order[2] Eliminated by[2] Time
1 Hunter Hearst Helmsley 19 Diesel 48:01
2 Henry Godwinn 2 Roberts 16:24
3 Bob Backlund 1 Yokozuna 12:22
4 Jerry Lawler 16 Michaels 36:02
5 Bob Holly 18 Ringmaster 39:35
6 King Mabel 3 Yokozuna 12:14
7 Jake Roberts 6 Vader 14:39
8 Dory Funk, Jr. 5 Vega 10:53
9 Yokozuna 11 Michaels 19:14
10 1–2–3 Kid 13 Michaels 15:40
11 Takao Ōmori 4 Helmsley and Roberts 2:48
12 Savio Vega 10 Vader 12:28
13 Vader 12 Michaels 11:04
14 Doug Gilbert 7 Vader 2:59
15 Squat Team #1 8 Vader 1:11
16 Squat Team #2 9 Yokozuna 0:24
17 Owen Hart 21 Michaels and Diesel 20:43
18 Shawn Michaels - WINNER 26:09
19 Hakushi 14 Hart 1:53
20 Tatanka 17 Diesel 4:09
21 Aldo Montoya 15 Tatanka 1:52
22 Diesel 29 Michaels 17:51
23 Kama 28 Diesel 15:57
24 The Ringmaster 23 Fatu 10:57
25 Barry Horowitz 20 Hart 4:15
26 Fatu 24 Yankem 7:07
27 Isaac Yankem 25 Michaels 7:05
28 Marty Jannetty 22 British Bulldog 2:35
29 The British Bulldog 27 Michaels 3:39
30 Duke Droese 26 Kama and Diesel 1:10
[edit]Other on-screen talent

Lol squat team was sooo bad

Who gives a shit? Terry worked WWF quite a bit and is one of the single biggest international stars the wrestling business has ever seen. Terry Funk's career is more prolific than Ric Flair's in many ways. Dory also had a hell of a career. We all know the WWE Hall of Fame isn't just about WWE's history but all of pro wrestling's history.

Agree with terry but not dory. Its a business and dory isn't a name people in 2013 would pay to see.

And no need to argue cuz wwe already agreed

Half the people they induct aren't 'names people in 2013 would pay to see' though.

Ric flair got inducted solo and with a group because he earned that by competing in WWF as a solo competitor and being champion ....

Terry nor dory had long or even successful wwfcareers.

Just my opinion. A family entrance is respectful and terry got mic time....

They brought in Terry to work with Hogan during "Hulkamania" because he is the only legitimate heel in the country people thought could beat Hogan.

Did he win?

You are still missing the point. The WWE Hall of Fame has established itself as more than just a Hall of Fame for the company's history. Inoki, Gagne, Bockwinkel, The Horsemen, etc. all did fuck all in WWE.

No. He lost and then went back to Japan.

Terry Funk was a regional star in the 60s, mutli-time NWA World Champion in the 70s, cemented his legend in Japan by the mid-80s, had major programs in both WWF/AWA/WCW in the mid-late 80s, and then basically made ECW a legitimate promotion in the 90s. His crazy ass still works now-a-days. He actually had a good match at ONS2.

Not missing any point. I get where you are coming from. I didn't know if he won or not and that is obviously not the point.

I just don't see why a family entry is not enough. There are/ were a lot of Funks.

If Terry Funk was an egotistical cocaine-fueled jackass like Flair or Hogan, he'd be remembered as one of the true icons of wrestling. Instead, he did right by the business and helped make stars left and right for decades. As such, he is treated like shit by people like you.

Terry Funk is on another level than almost everybody else in the history of wrestling. He may not be Hogan/Flair/Rock/Austin but he is certaintly on that next tier with Piper/Dusty/etc.

Lol I respect terry for all he did ( that I'm aware of) but sadly like most wwe fans I have very little knowledge of what his family did down south and out west.

I am NOT putting down terry so saying I'm treating his legacy like shit is untrue. Uninformed yes....disrespectful no.

Back in '96 I was too busy just waiting for HBK to come in, so I probably didn't even notice Dory Funk came out.

Yup, repackaged as the Samoan S.W.A.T. Team.

I second this idea about those who frequently put over others are treated with less respect by general audiences than those who used backstage politics to protect themselves most of the time.

Dory always looked old.

he was probably only 30 in this photo
http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/image...k-doryjr03.jpg

"Who the fuck is this guy?"

Well I always felt the same about Backlund and they actually took time to explain who he was. Unrelated but hilarious and ironic, I loved when Flair and Backlund were going at it in the Rumble one year and Heenan wanted to know if Flair could be arrested for beating up the elderly...

I bet he got a lot of ring rats in his day!