The wrestling community was taken by surprise by the news of Terry Funk‘s demise. The renowned wrestler, recognized for his intense hardcore wrestling style, died at 79. Although the cause of death has not been disclosed, Funk’s health had been on a steady decline of late. While fans and various wrestling bodies expressed their affection and commemorations, WWE Hall of Famer, Ric Flair, openly criticized a well-known sports network for neglecting to report on the passing of the wrestling icon.

Funk, whose wrestling career spanned over 50 years, had contributed hugely to the sport. The Hardcore legend was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2009. So, why did Ric Flair take ESPN to task? 

Terry Funk and Ric Flair faced off multiple times during their career

The two legends had a longstanding rivalry. In WCW, Ric Flair was surprisingly seen portraying a babyface against Funk, though ‘The Nature Boy’ is widely known for his heel persona. One of the most memorable matches that came out of their rivalry was their ‘I Quit’ match in 1989.

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The rivalry came to an end with their match at Clash of the Champions 9, where the stipulation was that the loser would have to retire. In the end, Flair secured the win by applying the Figure Four submission hold and compelling Funk to say the words, “I Quit.”

It wasn’t until the year 2000 that The Funk and Flair met again and renewed their rivalry. All in all, one can say that Ric Flair was one of the best friends of Terry Funk.

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Ric Flair admonishes ESPN for overlooking Terry Funk’s passing

It’s a sure bet that WWE will hold a tribute show in memory of Terry Funk this Friday night on SmackDown. After all, The Texan was a pioneer in pro wrestling. In the midst of all the commemoration gushing in for the wrestling legend, Ric Flair took to Instagram to blast ESPN for not covering the news. 

Flair wrote, “Damn It @espn! Terry Funk Died And As Usual You’re Talking About Another Football Player Being Arrested Yesterday! SHOCKER! Shame On You!”

Flair’s evident displeasure with ESPN stems from the network’s decision to prioritize insignificant news over honoring Terry Funk’s legacy. Considering the fact that ESPN was in talks about discussing several new projects with WWE earlier this year, it is a surprise that the network did not choose to cover the news about Funk’s demise. 

It should also be noted that many WWE stars were featured on ESPN’s First Take earlier this year. Most recently, Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman made their appearance on the show. It’s also worth noting that the news about Funk’s passing was first relayed by Ric Flair on Twitter. 

What do you think about Ric Flair’s criticism of ESPN? Comment below!

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