At the turn of the 21st century, Terry Funk was still kicking ass and taking names. A new version of ECW was on the horizon and, once again, Funk was called on to bring some violence and legitimacy to the proceedings.

In one of Funk’s final matches under the bright lights of a major PPV event, he teamed with ECW originals Beulah McGillicutty and Tommy Dreamer in a brutal, bloody six-person tag match. The match was the kind of ultraviolent affair that WWE shied away from in the new ECW, making Funk’s loss to WWE Hall of Famers Edge, Lita, and Mick Foley feel in retrospect like the end of an era.

Following their violent match at WrestleMania 22, Edge and Mick Foley had seemingly teamed up to kill the past, sending the ECW legends home bloodied, bruised, and defeated. Foley and Funk would only share the ring one more time, teaming at a Juggalo Championship Wrestling event in 2011, also making this the last major interaction between the two long-time friends and rivals.

Not only was the match poignant for all the reasons listed above, but it was also thrilling to watch Funk, then in his 60s, still bringing the fire and the fury that he was so famous for into the new millennium. His bright, immortal spirit shone through his tired, weary eyes as he delivered and received punishment with glee on that June night in the Hammerstein Ballroom.