[1993-01-23-WWA-Battle of the Belts] Eddie Gilbert vs Terry Funk ('I Quit')

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Really good brawl. Fire throwing, blood, great punches and weapons ... everything you'd expect from these two. Gilbert finally says I Quit when Funk takes a wooden stool and basically beats him into quitting.

[benj]

Great stuff all around. Everything you could want from an I Quit match really.

 

Post-match vomiting and guys arguing "Have you worked with Terry before" was funny.

 

Hey, Sid Eudy is backstage.

[shoe]

A very nice heated weapon filled match. These guys really kill each other.

[KB8]

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT, YOU LITTLE SHIT?!"

 

"YOU'RE GOD DAMN CRAZY! YOU'RE GOD DAMN CRAZY! YOU'RE GOD DAMN CRAZY!"

 

Man, Funk is the king. Thought his initial sell of the fireball was a little weird (as if it was a knockout blow or something), but the way he sold it when he hit the mat was spectacular, frantically rubbing at his scalp and screaming like a wounded animal.

[Matt Franklin]

Loved this match and thought both put in a great performance but my god, Funk is the MAN. He has such a crazy aura that really gets you emotionally invested in a match. Personally, I feel that the handheld camera adds to the chaotic feel to the match and makes it seem more real. I feel like if this took place in ECW and was pro-shot with good commentary, it would be remembered as one of the better U.S. indy matches of the 90's. As it stands, it is a great hidden gem that I would suggest everyone seek out and watch.

[Kevin Ridge]

The fireball was great as even though it seemed it didn’t connect from the camera angle you still had some smoke rising from Terry’s hair.

[PeteF3]

Crazy match and an effective finish. Gilbert using a dolly as a weapon was pretty inspired.

[WingedEagle]

Woman is out with Funk, while some other chick is with Eddie. Lots of punching and over the top bumping by Funk. Nothing special here for quite a while. Much better job filming this one than the late '92 Texas Death Match, but this still drags a lot more and was less interesting. Gilbert punches out of an attempted toehold and goes after him with the mic. Pretty soon both are bleeding, but it never felt that intense, just like the were checking off the blood box on their to do list. On the other hand, this hotel definitely won't appreciate blood stains on their carpet which would make for a pretty fun DVD easter egg. Eddie throws a fireball but pretty soon thereafter Funk makes him quit with repeated strikes to the knee with the ring steps. The highlight may just be Funk's post-match selling.

 

**1/2

[soup23]

This fluctuated from a great brawl to a meandering spectical at times. In the end, it just falls short of being a great match but damn does it have some awesome visuals with the dolly, fireball, chair pieces, and Funk being a mad man with a great bladejob by both. Something definitely work seeking out. (***3/4)

[garretta]

This one was more than a little weird.

 

First, why would you have such a violent match in what looked like a hotel ballroom? The whole point of an I Quit match is blood and violence, and yet for at least the first fifteen minutes this was a lot tamer than most regular matches, with the referee confiscating weapons and counting guys out of the ring. After that, things picked up a bit, but there still wasn't the blood feud vibe that a match like this needs to have. There were a few halfhearted table spots, but the only really violent things about this match were Eddie's fireball (which Terry sold beautifully) and the finish, where Terry crushed Eddie's knee with the ring steps. I can honestly say that that finish is right behind Magnum and Tully for the most violent I Quit finish I've ever seen. Still, it was out of place in a relatively tame match like this.

 

Second, the handheld here was particularly bad. We got plenty of random shots of the crowd, the ceiling, the floor, people's asses, and just about everything else except a clear view of the ring. Luckily, the camera operator perked up in time to get the finish in all its glory, which included the postmatch. I like the idea of handhelds bringing us matches that we'd never see otherwise, but it stinks to be at the mercy of some person who for all we know has never filmed a wrestling match before in his or her life.

 

Third, was Terry legitimately ill afterward? I know he's someone who'll do literally anything for the art of wrestling, but he looked like he was really sick with the flu, with all the sweat all over his face and the fact that the backstage people went to such great lengths to clear the locker room. It's a shame that the camera operator was distracted by that, because I have a feeling we were about to see one of the great no-sells in history, as it looked like Eddie was about to get to his feet and walk out of the ring despite having his knee pounded to smithereens by heavy wooden steps just minutes before.

 

These two are capable of better matches in more conducive atmospheres. Hopefully at least one made this set.

[paul sosnowski]