(l-r) Terry Funk, Mick (Cactus Jack) Foley, and Terry Gordy
(Photo courtesy Masanori Horie)
Cactus Jack came out from the dressing room, and his head was wound in a bloody bandage because he took a bump off a ladder into barbed wire that nearly ripped his "other" ear off in a main event with Terry Funk. There were still a bunch of fans waiting for the wrestlers outside of an exit.
Cactus kept showing his ear to reporters, he was always a professional wrestler. But it hardly seemed possible that high-teen-aged fans wearing the ECW T-shirts who kept taking pictures of his ear had any thoughts of him as a human being.
Cactus asked, "Where is a phone?" He usually calls his family after the show whenever he wrestles in Japan. There was a telephone booth near him, but it was impossible for him to call his family in the U.S.A. from one of the oldest baseball stadiums in Japan. He tried and tried to call his family, but he couldn't.
Another ambulance arrived. Takashi Okano, who won the WWA lightweight title, had already taken Terry to Kawasaki Municipal Hospital. Cactus sat down, and got checked out by an ambulance man.
When the ambulance got to the hospital, Terry, who wound up with very serious burns when his arm caught on fire from one of the explosions, was standing and trembling at the waiting place.
What a cruel and brutal match it was; those wild guys looked pitiful at the hospital.
Suddenly a Philippine woman was carried to have a baby there, 7 or 8 fellow Philippine girls came with her, and they were very happy and lively. It was funny to see their mood gap.
Cactus approached Terry and said, "Thank you," and they stared at each other.
Cactus said, "Peace and quiet came back to my mind." He found a phone, but it wasn't for international calls.
While Terry was treated, innocent Philippine girls, who had no idea what they did at the baseball stadium, talked friendly with Cactus. He smiled, took his black T-shirt off, and showed them his back with numerous marks of thumbtacks. Doctors and nurses were shocked to see their forehead, body, and arm.
Terry had very sorrowful eyes, but Cactus even joked to a doctor.
It took 1 hour 30 minutes for Cactus' treatment, who got 15 stitches to his forehead (4), ear (7), and hand (4), and his arm burned badly like Terry.
The IWA bus was waiting for Cactus in front of baseball stadium. There were still about 20 fans around the bus. Terry Gordy, Leather Face, Head Hunters A & B, B's wife, and The Iceman were on the bus.
Gordy was talking with "a photographer from Pennsylvania"..... Perhaps this guy sent a report to Meltzer,
"(Cactus) receiving a black eye because he told Terry Gordy to hit him as hard as he could on the
punches ..... "
I can't understand why this kind of guy, who has good friendship with the boys, is so self-conceited to send "kay fabe" to the "sheets."
Some friends of theirs drove Terry Funk, Dan Severn, his managers, and Tiger Jeet Singh to the hotel.
It took about 45 minutes from Kawasaki to their hotel in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
When the bus arrived at the hotel, the clock read 11:30 p.m. The show started at 3:00 p.m. Cactus could call his family at last. It was a long hot summer day. He had a small dinner in "Big Boy" restaurant..... hamburger steak and chocolate cake. Nobody knows where his "King of the Death Matches" trophy is.
Scars as a badge of honor
(Cactus Jack beat Terry Funk in 13:21 of a "No Rope Scramble Bunkhouse Super Barbed Wired Weapon
With A Time Bomb Death Match" (no rope barbed wire explosive time bomb death match) to win the trophy of "King of the Death Matches" at the Kawasaki Baseball Stadium on Sunday, August 20, 1995.)
8-man one-night Death Match Tournament results (they used 3 rings) :
Barbed wire board/Chain death match (1st ring) : Tiger Jeet Singh b. Mr.Gannosuke (7:11)
Barbed wire board/Chain death match (1) : Terry Funk b. Leather Face (8:54)
Barbed wired baseball bat/30,000 thumbtacks death match (2) : Cactus Jack b. Terry Gordy (6:58)
Barbed wired baseball bat/30,000 thumbtacks death match (3) : Shoji Nakamaki b. Hiroshi Ono (7:19)
Barbed wire board/Glass window death match (2) : Terry Funk b.Tiger Jeet Singh (6:04)
2 Barbed wire boards/2 Nails boards death match (3) : Cactus Jack b. Shoji Nakamaki (9:49)
No Rope Scramble Bunkhouse Super Barbed Wired Weapon With A Time Bomb Death Match (1) : Cactus Jack b. Terry Funk (13:21)
You may contact Masanori at masa_h@mail.goo.ne.jp
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