Dory Funk Jr.
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Dory Funk, Jr. | |
---|---|
Born | [1] Amarillo, Texas[1] | February 3, 1941
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Dory Funk, Jr. The Long Tall Texan Hoss Funk The Mass Outlaw |
Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
Billed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
Billed from | The Double Cross Ranch |
Trained by | Dory Funk, Sr. |
Debut | January, 1963 |
Retired | March 1st, 2008 |
Dorrance Funk, Jr.[1] better known as Dory Funk, Jr. (born February 3, 1941) is a retired 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!. To date, he was the second longest reiging NWA World Heavyweight Champion of all time, holding it for over 4 years.
Career
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.
Dory Funk, Jr. came to the The 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 both 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 scheduled by the NWA board to lose the championship to Jack Brisco on March 2, 1973. According to Brisco, Dory Funk Sr. did not want his son to lose the belt to another babyface wrestler, since that would imply that the other wrestler was actually better than Dory Jr. Thus, the convenient "accident", allowing Dory Jr. to lose to heel Harley Race and claim that he lost by returning to the ring too soon after being injured. [2]
Dory Jr. still claims that the accident and injuries were real, but does not explain why he did not lose the title to Brisco as the NWA board had planned. 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 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. After Terry left the WWF shortly after WrestleMania, 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 "Dory Funk" as a participant in the 1996 Royal Rumble
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 Christian Cage, Lita, Kurt Angle, Mickie James, Edge, and others.
WWE.com has stated that he was backstage and in fact can be seen behind the ECW Announce table in the beginning minutes of One Night Stand 2007. There were some rumors that he would become a trainer at WWE's new developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling.
On March 1, Funk and Nishimura defeated Genichiro Tenryu and Masanobu Fuchi in Funk's retirement match via spinning toehold. [3]
Notes and references
- ^ a b c Power Slam Staff (January 1999). "Power Slam". This Month in History: February. SW Publishing. p. 28. 55.
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(help) - ^ Murdock, William (2003). Brisco. Newton, IA: Culture House Books. pp. 134–135. ISBN 0-9676080-7-4.
- ^ Gerweck.Net
Personal life
Dory has been married to his wife Monica since 1989.They have three children Molly, Jack & Ben.
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- Managers
- Wrestlers trained
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Terry Funk
- NWA Florida Television Championship (2 times)
- NWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (2 times) - with Terry Funk (1) and David Von Erich (1)
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Continental Wrestling Association
- CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) (Last)
- Funking Conservatory
- FC Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Terry Funk
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Terry Funk
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles Version) (1 time) - with Terry Funk
- NWA Western States Sports
- NWA Amarillo Brass Knuckles Championship (2 times)
- NWA Amarillo Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Terry Funk
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Terry Funk
- NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (1 time)
- NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Ricky Romero (1) and Larry Lane (5)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas Version) (2 times) - with Terry Funk
- New England Wrestling Alliance
- NEWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Southwest Championship Wrestling
- SCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Terry Funk (First)
- St. Louis Wrestling Club
- Stampede Wrestling
- World Wrestling Council
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Other Titles
- New York Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (1984) with Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen on December 8
References
- ^ "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1948-1990)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
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