Dave Meltzer Tells Of Near-Fight Between Hulk Hogan & Terry Funk In Japanese Hotel

Following the death of Hulk Hogan yesterday morning, fans and performers from around the professional wrestling industry have been sharing their thoughts on the late WWE Hall of Famer, both positive and negative. The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter featured a lengthy obituary from Dave Meltzer, part of which had him relay the tale of a close encounter between Hogan and Terry Funk in Japan.

According to Meltzer, promoters in South Africa saw Hogan's appearance in 1982's "Rocky III" and wanted to book him. However, they could only get in touch with him through Funk, as they were both working in Japan at the time, Hogan with NJPW and Funk with AJPW. The match in question took place in November 1982, during an event called Wrestling In Sun City, with Hogan reportedly receiving a $70,000 payday. 

Both wrestlers were top stars in their respective promotions and, though Hogan would be booked to win, Funk didn't want word to get out that he was taking a loss in a significant singles match. Meltzer was unsure whether Hogan won via pinfall or disqualification, but he did win, and there was an agreement in place that neither man would talk about the match once they got back to Japan.

Soon after they returned, however, Hogan revealed to reporters that he'd beaten Funk. The reporters went to Funk for comment and, apparently in a rage, he led the journalists up to Hogan's hotel room in Tokyo and started banging on the door. After some time, without a response from Hogan, Funk calmed down and a confrontation was avoided. In later years, Funk reportedly joked to Meltzer that he'd been fully prepared to fight Hogan that night, if the future WWE star had come to the door.