WWE veteran pays moving tribute to Terry Funk – "He was always an older brother to me" (Exclusive)

The wrestling world is mourning the passing of Terry Funk, and during the latest episode of Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell paid homage to the late great legend.

Terry Funk entered the pro wrestling business a few years before Dutch Mantell, who recalled how the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion was like a mentor to him during his early days.

As we revealed earlier, Dutch also spoke about Bray Wyatt's death and admitted that he knew Terry Funk better as they worked together during the territorial era of wrestling. Mantell said that Funk was a great guy to be around backstage, and most importantly, treated everyone equally.

The WWE Hall of Famer had a reputation for being adored behind the scenes, and he also gave others respect, irrespective of who they were. Mantell recalled while paying tribute to his "older brother," as you can view below:

"Actually, Terry started before I did. So he was always an older brother to me, after everyone else in the dressing room. But I don't care if you're in wrestling and when you met Terry, it was like, he never met a stranger. You immediately liked Terry, because he accepted you and treated you like an equal, whether you were a fan or a wrestler. Never saw Terry get mad. Never saw Terry lose his cool, because when he left that dressing room, he'd turn into a sociopath."

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Dutch Mantell on Terry Funk's wrestling persona

While Funk was known for being very cordial in the locker room, he flipped the switch and turned into a menace whenever he approached the ring.

The Hardcore Icon was considered one of the toughest guys in his prime, who left it all inside the squared circle and pushed the limits to defeat his opponents. Mantell stated that Terry Funk's character of a raging sociopath was thoroughly entertaining to watch and made him popular with the fans.

Mantell continued:

"He was a nice guy in the dressing room, 'How are you doing?' But when he left the dressing room, he left the Terry personality behind and became Terry Funk, the wrestler, turning into a sociopath. When the fans saw him, they saw this wild, raging man who was not only crazy, but was entertaining at the same time. Good guy, and I heard he was in an assisted living facility a couple of years ago. I guess he was there when he died. I hope they took good care of him because I still believe he was entertaining to the end; I really do."

Did you check out WWE's tribute to Terry Funk? In case you haven't, you can watch it right here.

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