Visions Of Terry Funk

Yesterday, I had a business lunch with some colleagues. We met with two investment bankers and their group’s communications director at a nice restaurant in the World Financial Center not far from our office.

The lunch went well. We chatted amicably, the conversation was pleasant and the food was fine. I asked a few questions that were in keeping with the flow of conversation and everyone left in as pleasant a mood as possible.

But for some reason, while I was dutifully making eye contact and nodding my head and trying to concentrate on the things our lunch guests were telling us about the state of today’s financial markets, I couldn’t help but think about Terry Funk.

Terry Funk is not a journalist or investment banker, but a professional wrestler. You might know him better from some of his movie appearances. I first became acquainted with his work as a pre-pubescent wrestling fan watching the WWF on Saturday afternoon television. Terry Funk was also an early champion and big help to the original, independent, ECW, which made me love wrestling again.

He is more than 60 years old and has retired from pro wrestling several times. Although he has been wrestling since the 1960s, he is considered one of the originators of “hardcore” wrestling, and has left a trail of broken tables, dented chairs and bloody barbed wire in his wake.

So while the people on the other side of the table were explaining the industry verticals of their firm’s unique investment banking platform, all I could think about was Terry Funk battling the Sandman and Big Stevie Cool in a three-way dance, only to face Raven; Or Terry Funk battling Sabu in a barbed wire match. Then my thoughts drifted to how Terry Funk could crash through one of the nicely set tables at the restaurant, whether the dining area had a high enough ceiling to do a proper ladder fall, or what Terry Funk was doing at that exact moment.

I’m not exactly sure why my thoughts drifted to Terry Funk, but I have some ideas. Maybe it’s because Terry Funk represents a great artistic ideal. He has given his all to a part of show business that has chewed up and spit out more famous superstars, he has the respect of his peers and die-hard wrestling fans everywhere, and has done some great work doing what he loves.

Perhaps my brain was telling me to do as Terry Funk would do. Not kick my coworkers and the investment bankers in the face, put them in a sleeper hold or poke them with a branding iron. Follow my dreams, dedicate myself to doing what I love and let the chips fall where they may.

Late last week the company I worked for announced that everyone in the company whose pay had not been cut already was getting a pay cut. The pay cut goes into effect this week. At the rate things are going, I may get a chance to follow some of my crazy dreams.

But I won’t wait around for that. I’ll try to follow my dreams anyway, go down life’s road with the idea to go for it, try for things and not lead the conventional life. Maybe I’ll fail, maybe I’ll succeed. Maybe I’ll get to meet Terry Funk.