June 1976 remained a whirlwind month for NWA World Heavyweight Champion Terry Funk, as the Amarillo-based titleholder continued his tireless travels across territories and internationally. He defended or prominently featured the championship in key stops while engaging in house show circuits, non-title bouts, and local rivalries that kept regional promotions strong. This period captured the essence of the NWA’s territorial model during fragmentation, with Funk as the unifying figure who drew crowds by facing top local stars and international challengers. His schedule included documented appearances in the U.S. heartland, Texas strongholds, and Japan.
Pictured: Gene Kiniski gives NWA World Champion, Terry Funk a backbreaker at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri
The opening week of June featured Midwest and Texas action. On June 4 at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri, before 7,153 fans, Funk battled veteran Gene Kiniski in a heated encounter overseen by special referee Verne Gagne. Each man scored a fall before chaos erupted—Kiniski attacked the referee, Funk responded with a chair, and both were disqualified in the resulting brawl. The next day, June 5, brought the massive Super Bowl of Wrestling at Texas Stadium in Irving, drawing 17,000 spectators. Funk defended the title against Fritz Von Erich in a long-anticipated clash that spilled outside the ring, ending in a double count-out that preserved the championship but fueled ongoing territorial excitement in Texas. Additional early-June dates in the Western States territory included June 6 in Odessa (Funk defeated Harley Race in a Russian chain match) and other house show stops around Amarillo and nearby towns, where he mixed tag team bouts and singles action to support local cards.
Pictured: Jumbo Tsuruta & Terry Funk following their match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in the NWA World Champion Series for ALl Japan Pro Wrestling in 1976. Bob Geigel is holding the trophy.
Mid-June took Funk overseas for one of his most memorable title defenses. As part of All Japan Pro Wrestling’s NWA Champion Series, he headlined on June 11 at Kuramae Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan, before approximately 7,200 fans. In a best-of-three-falls NWA World Heavyweight Title match, Funk retained against the rising Japanese star Jumbo Tsuruta in a technically superb and hard-hitting classic. The champion weathered Tsuruta’s power and rallied with resilience and savvy to secure the victory—one of the best-preserved and most acclaimed defenses of his reign that boosted the NWA’s international profile. Surrounding dates in the territory circuit kept Funk active, including appearances that maintained momentum between major stops.
Pictured: A bloody Terry Funk with the NWA World Title, “10 Pounds of Gold” across his waist after a tough match with Rocky Johnson at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas
The latter weeks of June saw Funk back in familiar Texas venues while upholding his champion duties. On June 25 in Houston, he defeated Rocky Johnson in a competitive main event that showcased the titleholder against a skilled, athletic challenger popular in the region. Late in the month, on June 30 in San Antonio, Funk lost a non-title Texas bullrope match to local favorite Jose Lothario—a standard booking approach to elevate area stars without risking the World Title. Other Western States activity throughout the second half of the month included additional house shows and rematches in spots like Lubbock, Abilene, and Albuquerque, where Funk faced recurring opponents such as Dick Murdoch (including a double count-out on June 16 in Abilene) and various tag partners like Ricky Romero. These bouts reinforced local feuds and kept the champion visible across the Southwest.
Pictured: Jose Lothario tugs at the arm of NWA World Champion, Terry Funk
Throughout June 1976, Terry Funk’s reign reflected both the enduring strength and the subtle strains of the NWA system. From the packed Kiel Auditorium and the cavernous Texas Stadium to the revered halls of Tokyo and the Houston circuit, he carried the championship with the toughness and showmanship that made him one of the era’s most respected titleholders. The month’s mix of hard-fought draws, dramatic count-outs, international classics, and local Texas battles illustrated how the World Title still served as a unifying thread across fragmented territories, even as the wrestling landscape edged toward new possibilities. Funk’s performances that June helped sustain the championship’s mystique at a pivotal moment in territorial history.
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I’m Tony Richards, Pro Wrestling Historian, Author and Storyteller. I share the history of pro wrestling territory era in each content vehicle of the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel. We publish the Week-In-Review each Sunday as a digest for our community members. If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share it with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
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