Dory Ernest Funk Jr. (February 3, 1941) known professionally as Dory Funk Jr. is a professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. He is the son of Dory Funk Sr. and brother of Terry Funk. He is credited with the invention of the Texas cloverleaf submission hold and runs the Funking Conservatory, a professional wrestling school. His students and friends participate in a wrestling show, local to Ocala, Florida, called !Bang!. Dory is a former world heavyweight champion, having held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once. To date, he was the fifth longest reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion of all time, holding it for over four years. In addition, he also held the major heavyweight titles (but not officially recognized as World Titles): WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship once and the CWA World Heavyweight Championship once. He is also a 2009 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee.
Professional wrestling career[]
Training[]
Dory Funk Jr.'s career in professional wrestling began in January 1963 just after a college football career with West Texas State University culminating in a 15 to 14 victory over Ohio University in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Dory Funk, Jr.'s first match was a victory over Don Fargo in Amarillo, Texas. West Texas State University All American Jerry Logan was in Funk's corner and Fargo's brother, Jim, was in his corner. Dory was also supported by the whole West Texas State University football team and the Tascosa High School amateur wrestling team. Dory was doing his student teaching as coach of the Tascosa High wrestling team under Coach James Kyle.
National Wrestling Alliance[]
Dory Funk, Jr. came to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in 1968 and went on to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Gene Kiniski on February 11, 1969 in Tampa, Florida and remained NWA World Champion for the next four and a half years, which is the second-longest uninterrupted reign of any NWA World Champion (Lou Thesz held the NWA world title from November 27, 1949, to March 15, 1956). Dory and his brother, Terry, are the only brothers in history to each hold the title. Funk finally lost the NWA World Championship on May 24, 1973 after a hurried recovery from a pickup truck accident on his father's Flying Mare Ranch in West Texas. Dory was forced into the ring in Kansas City, losing the belt to Harley Race. Some people do not believe the accident actually occurred. Funk was originally scheduled to face Jack Brisco for the championship on March 2, 1973, which many at the time believed he would come out on the losing end of. According to Brisco, Dory Funk Sr. did not want his son to lose the belt to another babyface wrestler. Thus, the convenient "accident", allowing Dory Jr. to "lose" the gold to heel Harley Race and claim that he lost by returning to the ring too soon after being injured. Dory Jr. still claims that the accident and injuries were real. Race held the title only a few months before dropping it to Brisco.
He performed regularly throughout the NWA, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic, Georgia, Florida and Central States regions, through the 1970s and early 1980s. In December 1984, he and his brother Terry competed in a tag team match against Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen that later received a 5-star rating by Dave Meltzer.
In January 1986, Dory (given the nickname "Hoss") made his WWF debut in a team alongside his brother Terry. The brothers performed at WrestleMania 2 defeating the Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana. Terry left the WWF shortly after WrestleMania, but Dory remained, mostly tagging with "brother" Jimmy Jack Funk, who in truth had no relation to the Funk family. He made a single appearance with the WWF as a participant in the 1996 Royal Rumble.
Later years[]
Funk is now the Coach of the Funking Conservatory Professional Wrestling School and teaches the Dory Funk Method of Professional Wrestling. Dory's students include Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Christian, Lita, Kurt Angle, Mickie James, Edge, Ted DiBiase, Test, and Delirious.
On March 1, 2008 Funk and Nishimura defeated Genichiro Tenryu and Masanobu Fuchi in Funk's retirement match via Spinning toe hold.
On the February 16, 2009 episode of Raw, it was announced that Dory along with his brother Terry would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009 by Dusty Rhodes
On the April 1, 2010 edition of TNA Today, Dory Funk appeared on the show to have an interview with Jeremy Borash.
Personal life[]
Dory married his first wife, Jimmie, on June 8, 1960. Together, they have three children: Dory III, Adam Dirk (born May 13, 1965) and Penny. They also have five grandchildren: Dory IV, Jennifer, Sheldon, Bob and Coby. They later separated and were officially divorced on July 6, 1983. Dory III went into medicine and now practices out of Colorado, Dory IV is now training to be a wrestler under the ring name Dory Jr.
In December 1980, Dory met his second and current wife, Marti. They married in 1989.
Dory also has a daughter Doris and son David, as told in his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech.
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- Cloverleaf - innovated
- Piledriver
- Spinning toe hold
- Signature moves
- Tag teams and stables
Championships and accomplishments[]
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (1998)
- Continental Wrestling Association
- CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- National Wrestling Alliance
- Capitol Sports Promotions
- WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWC Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Terry Funk (2)
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Terry Funk
- NWA Florida Television Championship (2 times)
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Terry Funk (1) and David Von Erich (1)
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Terry Funk
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA Florida
- NWA North Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Hall of Fame
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA Los Angeles
- NWA Los Angeles World Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Terry Funk
- NWA Western States
- NWA Amarillo North American Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- NWA Amarillo North American Tag Team Championship (5 times) with Dory Funk Sr. (1), Ricky Romero (2), and Terry Funk (2)
- NWA International Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (3 times) with Terry Funk (3)
- NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
- NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (7 times) with Ricky Romero (3), Ray Candy (1), The Super Destroyer (2), and Larry Lane (1)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (West Texas version) (3 times) with Terry Funk (3)
- Southwest Championship Wrestling
- SWCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Larry Lane
- St. Louis Wrestling Club
- Stampede Wrestling
- Capitol Sports Promotions
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Stanley Weston Award (2014)
- Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards
- Best Bout (1980) with Terry Funk vs. Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
External links[]
| NWA World Heavyweight Champions |
|---|
| Orville Brown • Lou Thesz • Leo Nomellini • Whipper Billy Watson • Édouard Carpentier • Dick Hutton • Pat O'Connor • Buddy Rogers • Gene Kiniski • Dory Funk Jr. • Harley Race • Jack Brisco • Giant Baba • Terry Funk • Dusty Rhodes • Tommy Rich • Ric Flair • Kerry Von Erich • Ron Garvin • Ricky Steamboat • Sting • Tatsumi Fujinami • Masahiro Chono • The Great Muta • Barry Windham • Shane Douglas • Chris Candido • Dan Severn • Naoya Ogawa • Gary Steele • Mike Rapada • Sabu • Steve Corino • Shinya Hashimoto • Ken Shamrock • Ron Killings • Jeff Jarrett • A.J. Styles • Raven • Rhino • Christian Cage • Abyss • Adam Pearce • Brent Albright • Blue Demon Jr. • Colt Cabana • The Sheik • Kahagas • Rob Conway • Satoshi Kojima • Hiroyoshi Tenzan • Jax Dane • Tim Storm • Nick Aldis • Cody • Trevor Murdoch • Matt Cardona • Tyrus • EC3 • Thom Latimer |