I'll have more to say about Goodish in a future column, but for now let's follow the angle that developed around Terry Funk. Terry was booked to defend his International Title—the territory's top prize—in a main event in Amarillo against a man billed as a complete unknown—the Super Destroyer. The match seemed even at first, but then Destroyer leaped off the turnbuckles, driving a knee into Terry's back. Next he locked in a bear hug. It was a startling choice for two reasons. First, Goodish had taught fans to think of the bear hug as a dangerous finisher, especially dangerous to Terry because of the injury Goodish had inflicted on him. Second, it was a bit of a swerve to see a new wrestler come into the territory and use the same finisher another man was already using.

And it was a finisher. Destroyer lifted Funk off the mat and held him aloft for minutes at a time. He didn't display the savagery of Goodish. Instead he locked his arms around Funk's lower back and squeezed with a slow, tenacious power that had Funk waving his arms in agony. If Goodish came across as a gorilla, Destroyer was more like a python. Funk hammered away at Destroyer's masked face, but Destroyer wouldn't budge. The referee warned Terry to open his hands. Clearly, the danger was serious if the babyface Terry was resorting to closed fists. Funk fought valiantly for several minutes, selling his pain dramatically all the while, but then he began to fade. He was losing consciousness. The referee raised his hand and let it drop—you know the routine. After a few false alarms, Funk was unconscious, and Destroyer was the champion.

The following Saturday on TV, Funk and Stack commented on highlights from the arena match. Funk told what had happened, making no excuses. Stack pointed out that Destroyer had had one foot on the top rope before he leaped onto Terry's back—he should have been disqualified. This rationale offered some comfort to Terry's fans, but Destroyer's victory still looked awfully convincing.

Terry's luck improved twenty days later when he ventured to Florida and came home with the NWA title. Destroyer looked unbeatable, crushing the likes of Sputnik Monroe—another veteran heel playing out his string in a world of younger, faster men.. It was clear that Destroyer's unavenged victory over Funk entitled him to a shot at the NWA belt. That's how things stood when Destroyer came to wrestle on TV one Saturday. His opponent was Dr. X, the second masked mystery man Nelson booked in the territory. Since the TV matches were mostly squashes, most fans must have assumed X was a prelim bum who didn't stand a chance. The skinny Dr. X certainly didn't look impressive—that is, until he took off his robe to reveal the NWA title belt around his waist. The small studio audience went wild. The match itself was a wild brawl, with Destroyer using chops to the throat to keep the advantage. The result was an inconclusive DQ win for Terry Funk. Destroyer still looked like an unstoppable force, but he was suddenly in the position of being hunted—by the world champion.

Subsequent rematches were similarly inconclusive, with each man retaining his respective title. Terry's commitments as NWA champ soon took him out of the territory. This left Dory Funk Jr. as the obvious challenger to Destroyer's International title. The battle of the iron men was on. 

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NEXT MONTH: 

The International Title picture is complicated by the arrival of another ex-world champion in a hood, and Terry Funk is out for revenge.