It’s that time of month where I need to channel my inner Booker T.

*This is the part where you can play the Bad Bunny song if you really want to. Not my deal, but you do you and I’ll do me.*

This is when I talk about my five favorite current wrestlers. One of them isn’t so current, but this month’s column actually only has five wrestlers. Which is a rarity since I usually try to cram as many people into this as possible. In any event, here’s the Fave Five!

5. Sammy Guevara

Sammy has been suspicous of MJF ever since the New York boy joined the Inner Circle. And why wouldn’t he be? MJF has proven un-trustworthy time & again, and from all accounts seems to be the biggest prick in the business. (Jeremy Lambert tells me he’s a nice guy, but I am very skeptical of Jeremy’s judgment of character. After all, I’m one of Jeremy’s closest friends.) We all expect him to try & wrest control of the Inner Circle from Chris Jericho, and Sammy is on that same wavelength.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Inner Circle are a little slower to figure these things out. Santana & Ortiz were won over recently. Jake Hager…well, he’s easy to snooker. Wardlow is an indentured servant. And, let’s be honest, Jericho’s mental faculties aren’t what they once were. We all know the ending here.

Sammy was the first guy smart enough to abandon the ship. Good for him. Kid’s got a bright future. Also has a hell of a right hand, if MJF’s chest injuries are any indication.

4. Damian Priest

I had a vague idea of who Bad Bunny was before he started appearing on WWE television. I remember seeing the name before, back when he had Ric Flair in the music video. I saw the video, thought “ok”, and didn’t really pursue the matter further. The music didn’t do it for me. I’m old. Most of today’s music doesn’t do it for me. Happens to all of us, from what I can tell.

Even if I’m not particularly interested to see Bad Bunny in WWE, I do appreciate that the guy has a passion for wrestling. I like the fact they’re using him to get Damian Priest over with the audience. Priest seems to be the rare NXT talent that translates better to the main roster. He’s got the size & look, does well enough in the ring, and has a certain charisma about him. I can see him doing big things, especially with a popular musician pumping him up.

So if you’re still complaining about the Bad Bunny taking time away from the precious wrestling, take solace in the fact he’s actually trying to get somebody over while doing his thing.

3. Thunder Rosa

We all know that one of AEW’s main weaknesses over its brief history has been its women’s division. The hope internally that they could bring in Japanese wrestlers to keep things fresh while developing domestic talents was postponed by the pandemic, leaving a pretty green roster of talent for the most part. One way AEW has attempted to address this is by making a deal with Billy Corgan to bring in some of the NWA’s female talent. Thunder Rosa has been the centerpiece of this effort, and those of us who watched NWA Powerrr had high hopes for what Rosa could bring to Dynamite.

Rosa has lived up to our expectations, producing some of the best women’s matches to air on Dynamite thus far. Some of the others near the top of the list included Serena Deeb, the current NWA Women’s Champion. Rosa’s feud with Dr. Britt Baker has kept things interesting while the AEW Women’s Champion has been otherwise occupied. Rosa’s contract status was the subject of some speculation a couple of months ago, but as long as she’s doing what she’s doing now and somebody’s paying her for it, we probably don’t need to be concerned.

2. Danhausen

To be honest, I’m starting to get into a rut with this ROH TV reviewing. The show typically isn’t bad, but it’s pretty much the same thing every week with the same people. Everybody cuts the same promo about wanting to be the best wrestler, everybody has a similar wrestling style, and the matches are largely the same. It becomes a bit of a slog to get through, and it makes me appreciate when somebody comes along that is completely different.

Danhausen is completely different from everybody else in Ring of Honor.

He’s a bit strange. Not your normal pro wrestler. Dude carries around a jar of teeth. Probably don’t want to know where those came from. He is very nice & very evil, which are two great qualities for a person to have. Gotta love that Danhausen, and hopefully Dan Honor gives him his blimp very soon.

1. Terry Funk

The wrestling community got a bit of a scare a few days ago when Dustin Rhodes tweeted that the ol’ Funker wasn’t feeling well and could use some thoughts & prayers. He later clarified that Funk was having problems with his hip, but anytime one mentions that Terry Funk isn’t feeling well, wrestling fans are going to worry.

With want for a better word to use here, it’s only natural.

Now more than ever, it’s important that we let people know how we feel about them. We have to stop waiting until people die to honor them. We used to think that certain wrestling legends like Funk & Harley Race would always be around. They seemed too hard to kill. Now, Harley’s gone, and Terry’s heading into his late 70s. We’re not going to have much time to share the greatness of Terry Funk while he’s still with us. Let’s be honest, we over-use the word “legend” these days. Terry Funk is a legend.

I wasn’t alive when Funk was the NWA World Champion, or when he fought Jerry Lawler in an empty Mid-South Coliseum. I wasn’t watching wrestling when I was 5 years old & Terry was piledriving Ric Flair through tables. I have seen these things since, and Terry’s work is timeless. He constantly adapted his game to meet the times.

I mean, just this week we saw Nia Jax pay tribute to Funk’s selling in the empty arena match.

People of my age & younger remember Funk as the middle aged & crazy guy that was still doing moonsaults in ECW & competing in deathmatches when most wrestlers his age had either retired or weren’t on such an active schedule. Funk has been cited by countless people in wrestling as the only member of his generation that knew he had to get the next group ready. Certainly the highest on the totem pole. His presence in ECW & his work with their young guys elevated the promotion to heights it wouldn’t have reached otherwise.

Guys like Mick Foley & Tommy Dreamer learned from the Funker and dedicated their careers to helping others. I have no idea how Dreamer is able to compete at this point, but he still is. He’s still doing whatever he can to help the next crop of talent. As long as Tommy’s still around, and the people he helps are still around to pay it forward, Funk’s legacy will live forever.

Forever.

Forever.

You get the point.

Thanks, Terry!